Writers Rules

Rules writers live by:

Patricia Wrede says, "Editors don't make house calls. You've gotta send your manuscripts out.
Wash, rinse, and repeat."

 Phillis Whitney said, "A manuscript in a drawer can't sell." 

I can't remember who coined the phrase, "BIC"  
That's a basic writer's rule - Butt in Chair.  
You sit and write.  
Every day.

Jane Yolen puts it another way: "I show up. Not only every day at my computer to work.I show up by sending a mss. out again and again. If someone asks for a revision, I show up. If I meet a new editor at a convention and they seem interested, I send her something. If I figure out a new way to rewrite the book--I do that ASAP and send it out again."

This has always impressed me about many writers.  
I roomed with Josepha Sherman at many an ALA conference and watched her work the exhibit area. Talking to editors, checking out the displays. 
And every evening? (after we had hit publisher's parties that she always seemed to be able to get invited to) She would sit down at her computer and write and send book proposals to every editor she had talked to that day who seemed interested in her ideas.  
Sometimes she even made appointments with editors ahead of time to meet and discuss proposals. Which she would then type and email to them so they would have it when they got back to their office.
Since she wrote fantasy as well as many other things, she did the same at Science Fiction and Fantasy conventions, both local and WorldCons.

Do you have a rule you stick with to keep you writing every day?

The Five Rules of Writing Success

Robert A. Heinlein, the famous Science Fiction writer, always maintained that there are 5 rules for writing success.

1. You must write.
2. Finish what you start
3. Don't rewrite, except when an editor tells you to
4. You must put your story on the market
5. You must keep the story on the market until it sells

Science Fiction Writer, Robert J. Sawyer lists these rules on his blog, On Writing, and adds another rule of his own -- 6. Start working on something else.

He explains these rules in detail, plus points out why, out of 100 would-be-successful writers, only one will be successful. (for example, out of 100 writers, only 50 will actually write.  And less and less end up following the remaining rules to success.)
 Click on over to read his blog.