The best advice I can give an author, aspiring or accomplished, is to join a writing group. The members of your writing group will be the most important people in your literary career, even more so than that New York agent who says he can get you on the new releases table, so don’t just pick a group off the bulletin board at the nearest Barnes and Noble. Go to a meeting, listen and participate. if it doesn’t feel right, pick another group. Trust me, there are a LOT of people out there writing. You’re not going to run out of groups. What you’re looking for is an honest listen, and an honest opinion from people who truly understand your passion. Someone who can tell you when you’re right, when you’re wrong, and when you need to stop trusting spell check.  Your spouse won’t tell you when the writing sucks.  Neither will your mother, though she will fuss at you for all the cuss words you used, and the sex scene you wrote a little too well.  Your brother in law might be willing to tell you when you suck, but you already know he makes poor choices.  Besides, most of them can’t read.  Another benefit of joining a writing group is that it’s full of people trying to gain an agent’s attention. One of them might succeed, and nothing warms an agents in-box like a referral from someone who’s already making him money.

It will probably be worth your while to go to at least one writing conference, not for the agent one-on-one’s (they’re here for the free booze) but for the opportunity to mingle with others of your species, and to drive home the fact that you don’t suck at this, nobody else is making progress,either.

Finally, if you don’t already have them, here are a few links you’ll find useful:

Preditors & Editors -Ignore the fact they can’t spell Predator.  This site is priceless when you’re researching agents.  You’ll find yourself spending a lot of time here.

Query Tracker – Another site to help you research agents.  Not as friendly as Preditors, but it’s good at flagging unscrupulous practices.