I retired last year from my corporate job in information technology, and now I'm a rookie freelance writer. In fact I just had my first article published in the magazine "Bluegrass Unlimited." I'm also working on a book (actually, several).

I think the most important things would be to know what you're talking about, write about what you know, and know the market you're trying to write for. We've been subscribers to "Bluegrass Unlimited" for years, so I felt I knew what the magazine's readers would like, being one of them, and the editors apparently felt the same.

The book is another whole story. I've been saving notes and documents for the book for many years, so my resource here is piles of notes. I'll be watching this thread for future information, if/when it ever gets to the point where I'm looking for an agent or publisher.