Two key lessons I learned: 1) Have a structure from the beginning. Know where the story is going and the key milestones for each character on the way. Be open

Two key lessons I learned: 1) Have a structure from the beginning. Know where the story is going and the key milestones for each character on the way. Be open to changing this, but the key to a great fiction story is the ending not the beginning. 2) Work out commitments. When I wrote http://www.scribd.com/The-Cookie-From-the-Cookie-Jar-2008/d/3717607 http://www.scribd.com/The-Cookie-From-the-Cookie-Jar-2008/d/... I committed to sending my friends (and, ultimately, others) 3 chapters every week for six months, and that it would be finished by election day (Nov 2004). That got me over the line. The lack of commitment since then is why it's still sitting in my drawer awaiting the re-write.