Writing in the news.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review had an article, Novel writing not for the faint of heart, authors say.

I'll allow you a moment to say, "well duh".

The article is pretty interesting and has some good comments on writing.

Some tidbits from the article:

According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, there were 172,000 books published in the United States in 2005. Only in the United Kingdom, where 206,000 books were released, were people more intent on putting their ideas into print. And that's not counting the thousands of books that never see the light of day and those that are self-published.

"When people tell me they want to write a book, I tell them 'good luck,'" says Michael Connelly, the author of the crime novels "The Narrows," "Blood Work" and the recently released "Echo Park." "The road to publication is hard and full of obstacles."

So, how to even begin with such a daunting task ahead? Connelly advises any would-be writers to first be good readers.

"They must know the best work out there if they are hoping to join the ranks of published authors," he says, noting that finding an established literary agent, especially one that represents new writers, also is a must.

Then, a writer must remain true to his or her vision.