I took notes so you don't have to.

The first step is to face reality. It won't hurt more than it has to. You might even say it gives you an advantage.

People don't pay you for art; they pay you for something they can use—an experience that means something to them.
Folks who make it big are far from ordinary; they exemplify the traits and skills that put one out in front. Most have been at it for far longer than you can imagine.
Celebrities can count on their reputation and a host of existing relationships to open doors and keep the opportunities coming.
Invisibility is your number one enemy.
Talent alone won't cut it. Pair it with a knack for self-promotion in order to have a fighting chance.
It really helps to be organized and business minded.
No one will knock on your door. You've got to knock on theirs.
It can easily take a decade or more to break in and build a name and a following.
You will learn to take rejection in stride or you won't last.
There are always more ways to perfect your craft.
A work of art is never finished—just abandoned out of desperation. (Only you will know. No one else can tell.)
Your efforts will face indifference or opposition from those close to you.
Literary works don't sell. Genre sells. Don't even ask about poetry.
Benefactors need a reason to believe. Give it to them. Then ask them to step up. What harm can it do? What have you got to lose?
You will learn that compromise is not as toxic as you once believed.
There's a time and a place for a sales pitch. Sometimes folks need a little more convincing.
Forget the tech—find your voice and find your audience.
Leisure time is overrated. So is an ordinary routine.
Only those who are willing to go the distance go the distance.
Sure, there are folks who have status they didn't earn. It's a small club, and you're not in it. If you were, you wouldn't be reading this. If I was, I wouldn't be writing it.
Success is what happens when you do the right thing at the right time in the right place for the right people over and over and over again.
Failure is a repercussion, a payoff of sorts for an ill conceived premise and a string of bad decisions.
Having your heart set on something isn't enough to see you through.

Now, reread this list and take notes.

He Wept. Original fiction that bleeds.