Budding writer

The young daughter of a friend is trying her hand at writing, and has asked for advice. I admire her approach—she just sat down one day and started writing a fantasy fiction tale aimed at the teenage reader. That takes courage, something we tend to lose as we get older and more experienced in how the world works. I've been a technical writer for 20+ years now, supporting various companies with product documentation. I've written software manuals, but my first love is hardware… I love getting my hands dirty and figuring out exactly how to take things apart and put them back together. And I love working with the mechanics and techs, the guys who do the building and testing and the day-to-day work in the shop. But I'm not a fiction writer... not yet, anyway.

Tracey is looking for clues on how to actually get a work of fiction published, as she's quickly getting to the end of her tale, and is anxious to figure out how to get her book out there. She's found that there's a ton of information on the Internet, but it's a tangled forest of often-conflicting information, and she'd rather talk to people who have been there. I've not attempted to publish anything I've written, outside of my professional work, but have researched the subject. I hope my advice will help her come up with a plan.

She's also writing a blog, which showcases her crochet design work. This girl is talented! She loves animation of any kind, and can look at a cartoon character and figure out how to create it in yarn. Never having mastered crocheting (sewing and quilting are more my speed), I think her work is very impressive. You can check it out here:  http://mostlynerdycrochet.blogspot.com/