Waaaaaaah. I don't have time to write.

Stop whining and just attach your seat to the chair with a computer in front of you (or a legal pad if that's your thing).

When I stopped whining and started writing more,I actually became a better writer. When I joined a great critique group and started reading the best books on writing (Stephen King's is in that category)and studied the market; when I researched publishers' Netsites before I sent them an inappropriate ms. (things change too fast to rely solely on CHILDREN'S & ILLUSTRATORS MARKET or similar)--well, you get the picture.

This is a business, not only a creative activity. You need to spend time learning about it. And you may very well need an agent, which requires research and effort since they have a tougher time these days, too. But they also get the book read faster, whatever the outcome. It doesn't hurt to start a blog and join Twitter and Facebook, too, though don't spend too much time on them every day.

So, ready to get to work?

Your turn.