Work hard. Know what you want. Visualize what you want. Write it down. Create a picture board if it helps, or make a list that you put in a prominent place. And then get back to writing. Be tenacious. Fight for your dreams. Fight for your words and your stories and your themes.   My second piece of advice would be: don’t be swallowed by the whole consumerism of the publishing industry. It’s a machine. Authors are artists and business women. Be smart about what you want, need, and are willing to sacrifice to “get there.”