"What can I do with my manuscript?"  

" I just want to get published!"                  

If you've just conceived a great new idea for your next book and wondering what to do next, then it's probably time you contacted the Tasmanian Writers' Centre to chat about it.

That's why we're here.

But If you're just not sure how to get started writing, then simply get started writing.
Scribbling down your ideas is a good way to give some clarity to what it is you're hoping to say through your story.
It gives you an opportunity to step back and see what you have to work with.

When my sons decide to build some wonderful construction with building blocks, the first thing they do is empty the bucket of blocks onto the floor.

What you write first is not expected to be publishable - it's simply a first draft. It's the process of emptying your thoughts, ideas, images, characters, plot, bits of dialogue, bits of action etc. onto the page.

So, empty the bucket of ideas onto the page, and then you can see what you've got to work with.

If  you want to know more, then have a look at "What to do with Your Manuscript" - a short guide" © 2004, Tasmanian Writers’ Centre.

Tasmanian writers are a very generous bunch of people. So don't ever feel that you have to struggle on your own. You should also exploit the experience of other writers (they've been where you are now) and consider enrolling in a writing course or workshop. This won't make you a writer, it will simply make you a better writer.
Go to www.tasmanianwriters.org/workshops.htm

If you're ready to send your polished mss off to a publisher or literary agent, you'll find contacts at www.tasmanianwriters.org/related_sites.htm

Publishers & literary agents receive mss all day every day. You need to impress them with your mss, and you shouldn't assume they are as in love with your great idea as you are. And after all, great ideas for stories can be found everywhere.
Publishers are really not that interested in great ideas for stories.
They're interested in great stories well written. Publishers will make a judgement about you as a writer not on your idea, but on how well you've written the storey you've decided to tell. 
So, how do you find the words to tell the story about your story?
Go to www.tasmanianwriters.org/pitch_your_story

Some advice you might find worthwhile considering can be found at www.bepublished.net

More and more Tasmanian writers are successfully self-publishing their works.
For more information on Self-Publication have a look at this valuable guide developed by © Thorpe-Bowker Publishing.

Getting published is neither easy nor impossible.
All it requires is talent, hard work and determination.