Don’t be an advertising amateur; if you really want to wow ‘em with your wordsmithing wizardry, memorize and hold true to the writing rules outlined here. Above all: practice, practice, practice! Master these tactics, and you’re sure to establish yourself as a writer with valuable insights, expert information and a powerful message to the world. And a writer like that gets taken seriously.

You might be thinking to yourself that he is, after all, “Stephen King” so he can write whatever he wants. I don’t think this is true. I think this is backwards and the reality here is that he became “Stephen King” because he followed his heart and wrote what he wanted to write. He had the courage to follow his internal voice.

Queries benefit both editors and writers. Editors much prefer to review a one-page letter than a 10-page manuscript, so queries spend less time in the slush pile.

Every stage of your life will offer its own unique perspective. Everything that happens to a writer is material that can be used. Stretch your experiences further by asking, “What if?”