The paper offers guidelines to prospective authors on how to write for publication in journals or monographs. People generally seem to write because of a desire to share an idea, for financial reasons, for ego gratification, for professional advancement, or for a combination of these reasons. Steps in preparing a manuscript include storing notes about good ideas in an easily retrievable place, overcoming initial inertia by outlining key concepts, locating potential outlets and editors, researching the topic, writing an entire draft copy without concern for spelling and wording, obtaining feedback from colleagues, preparing a neat final revision, and submitting the paper to alternate publishers if the first attempt fails. The question of when to write should be resolved according to personal preferences. Many authors find it easiest to sequester themselves during this period. When editors ask for revisions the author should not be disheartened. Many such requests stem from the editor's financial restrictions or similar content in forthcoming publications. Authors should be aware of citation and permission standards for excerpts from the works of others. Writing book reviews for journals can provide a smooth entrance into the publishing field. The paper concludes with a list of 11 resources about professional writing. (AV)