First, a disclaimer. These are the steps I took when I was trying to break into print, and they worked for me. Maybe they'll work for you, maybe they won't. But if by reading this article you save yourself some of the hours I spent trawling through the internet for a decent market list or critique group, then this article will have served its purpose.

This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of resources, but if you do know of a website or other resource that you think others would find useful, please let me know, and I'll try to include it when I next revise the article.

Step 1 - Write something

Stop reading this article, and start writing something. I mean it.

OK, you can read the rest of this article, but then you really must start writing something. It is the most important lesson you can ever learn as a writer. Plenty of people spend their time reading about how to write, thinking about how nice it would be to be a writer, and planning in detail what they could write. Very few actually sit down in front of their computer and start writing.

If that's you, let me encourage you to do what you really want to do - cancel all your appointments, barricade yourself in a quiet room, open up that Word document, and start writing.

Step 2 - Join a critique group

It's not compulsory, of course, but I've never met anyone whose writing hasn't improved as a result.

Critique groups can help in a number of ways:
* Spotting errors - We're all human, and it's better that critiquers point out your typos than editors.
* Making suggestions - Maybe your ending could be improved, or the way you phrased something sounded slightly awkward. Or maybe your critique group know of a magazine that prints the kind of stories you write.
* Providing expertise - Particularly useful if, like me, you're a sci-fi writer whose working knowledge of physics is, well, rather ring-rusty...
* Learning from others - One of the best ways to improve your own skills is to learn from what worked and what didn't work in other people's writing.
* Offering support - Being a writer is a solitary occupation. Critique groups can be the perfect place for you to chat to like-minded people, or simply get some encouragement when the rejection slips start roll in.

As you are reading this article, there's a fair chance you're interested in writing sci-fi and fantasy stories with a strong Christian basis. In which case, there are plenty of on-line critique groups for you to choose from:

Xianscribblers - A stable and lively group established in 2001. The members of this group are starting to build up a good track record of producing stories ready for publication.

FutureMythers - A relatively new group, with an interesting mix of new and more experienced writers.

Kingdom Writers - A critique and fellowship group covering all kinds of Christian writing.

In the wider, secular, world of sci-fi / fantasy writing, there are many more critique groups, including:

Critters - A hugely successful group, both in terms of the numbers of members, and the quality of the stories they produce. In order to get your own work critiqued, you must commit to reading and critiquing a story most weeks, but the size of the group means that you can easily get ten or twenty detailed critiques for every story you submit. Oh, and their track record isn't bad, either - this year four critters made the Nebula awards final ballot, with Severna Park picking up the award for best short story.

Del Rey Digital Writing Workshop for SF & F - Joining this group will cost you $40 per year, but it appears to be well organised, with a large membership. It boasts Cecilia Dart-Thornton (author of 'The Ill-Made Mute'), and a number of other professional writers as members.

SFNovelist - The group focuses almost entirely on science fiction novels. It will cost you to join the group, but the first six months are free.

There is, of course, no need to restrict yourself to on-line critique groups. Most major towns and cities have writers' circles of one kind or another. Some focus on particular genres, and some don't. Simply hunt around for adverts in the local press, libraries, or in writers' magazines.

Conferences are another way to meet like-minded people, to share ideas, or have your work critiqued. They also provide you with a rare opportunity to meet editors in person. Do be careful about which conference you pick, though. Some people come back from conferences with a raft of new ideas and good contacts, whilst others rue the time they could have been spending actually doing some writing. In many cases it's probably best to get a recommendation from a friend before packing your suitcase.

3 - Do your research

Even fiction writers need to do research.

Useful Science-Fiction sites:

Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - An immensely influential non-profit making organisation looking after the rights of genre writers. Their website includes an excellent page of links to articles about the craft and business of writing sci-fi and fantasy.

Hobbyspace - Plenty of information on a wide range of space-related subjects, such as space tourism, rocketry and satellite building. Each section includes links to relevant news stories as well as amateur and professional organisations.

SciQuest - An on-line digest of new research in almost all aspects of science. With new links being added every day, the potential for plot-devises is endless.

Useful Fantasy sites:

Byrde's Medieval and Fantasy RPG resources - A mine of information on heraldry, castles, dragons and much more besides.

Hobgoblin - An outstanding collection of information, inspiration and resources for fantasy and sci-fi writers.

Medieval names archive - You need never be stuck for a character name again. The lists of names range from Pictish to classical Byzantine, with just about every possible culture in between.

Resources for Christian sci-fi and fantasy writers:

Xianworldview - You've found this fine site already, of course. Stuffed with interesting articles, book reviews, and other goodies.

Christian Fantasy - Useful articles and links to Christian writers of sci-fi and fantasy. The sister-site The Christian Guide to Fantasy - a compendium of reviews does pretty much what it says on the tin, and does it very well.

Christian Fandom - The homepage for an interdenominational group of Christians 'interested in the courteous and accurate representation of Christian viewpoints in the SF community.' Contains a useful page of links. Another of their websites can be found at http://www.enteract.com/~mpavlac/ctnfandm.htm.

General writing resources:

Writing World - Hundreds of articles about writing, interviews with authors, and a jobs board.

For writers - Contains a useful section of links to various reference sites, as well as market lists and writers' organisations.

Christian Writers' Market Guide - This book claims to be 'THE resource for Christian writers'. Although focussed almost exclusively on the American market, it is an invaluable tool for anyone with ambitions of writing for Christian magazines or publishers.

4 - Format your manuscript

You should get into the habit of always submitting your work in the industry-standard format. It's a bore, but it's what editors want. You'll find the relevant articles on the SFWA's website (www.sfwa.org/writing).

The only time you should vary from this simple formula is when an editor expressly asks you to do so in their submission guidelines, which you can usually find on the publication's website, or by writing and asking for them.

5 - Send off your completed story

OK, your epic has been written, critiqued, checked for factual integrity, and then re-written and re-checked. Now it's time to send it off to the people who really matter - editors. But how do you choose which magazine to send it to? There are many exhaustive market lists, but here are a few of the best:

The Market List - Reasonably up-to-date, and sensibly organised, this is a good starting point for finding short story markets.

Ralan's Webstravaganza - Extensive lists, and regularly updated.

Spicy Green Iguana - As well as having a cool name, this is an attractively packaged, and easily navigated, set of lists.

Be warned, some of the magazines on these lists can keep hold of your manuscript for several months before replying. If you want an idea of a particular magazine's turnaround time, you may want to have a quick look at Submitting to the Black Hole.

Christian Science Fiction and Fantasy magazines: The vast majority of genre magazines and publishers are secular. However, there are some magazines that are specifically looking for science fiction and fantasy story with strong Christian themes. These are:

Dragons, Knights and Angels - Quarterly e-zine, buying approximately 4 stories per issue, as well as 2 or 3 poems. Dreams and Visions - Bi-annual print magazine, with supporting e-zine, buying approximately 8 short stories per issue. Recently published its first collection of short stories in book form. Gateway SF Magazine - Approximately biannual print magazine with webzine. Nova SF - Quarterly print magazine.

6 - Write something

Did I mention this before? Well, this time I really mean it...

R V Saunders January 2002. r_v_saunders@hotmail.com