This writing business

I went to a seminar in Peoria at the homeschooling convention thanks to my mom pointing it out to me (Thanks mom!).  I've always wanted to go to a writers conference, but at the moment I don't have the money.  So I settled for this. 
 And I was greatly thrilled!
To have someone else talking to you about something you also do is like an adrenaline rush of happiness.

It's like when you have a hobby that no one really understands, and then you meet someone who has the same hobby, and voila!
 You have someone who has or is experiencing what you are. 

The speaker was Catherine Hackman.  She has not published anything yet, but she is trying to. What I liked about her is that she believes in her work, and she's not willing to give up on it.
You can read her blog at http://www.catherinehackman.com/

As I sat there, I realized something.  I mean, I knew this before, but hearing it from an actual person who has gone through this opened my insight a bit more clearer...
It is HARD to get representation.  

This is the reason that many, many writers take the self publishing route. 

I haven't sent in any of my writing yet.  I have completed my manuscript, done my research, and have a couple agents in mind.
The delay?
I want to get my manuscript as ready as possible which means nice and polished.  I will be sending it to an editor as soon as I can.  The purpose of this is because I want to eliminate as many reasons for being rejected to the minimum.

Writing is hard and tricky, but whats even trickier is publishing.  There is no one way to do it, no bullet proof plan,  you have to try to find what works for you, and this takes trial and error.