1. Do not submit too early. Make sure your MS is the best it can be. Expand if you wish, but this is a trap that I fell into when I started.
 

Alan M. Toback:

#1 - Use your own 'life' as a resource for creativity. The life you have led can be/is  very interesting and has so much detail to enthral the
reader. As you bring up conscious thoughts about your past, the 'unconscious' secrets pop into mind, leaving vast avenues of writing wealth.

Don Hurst:

   A. Don't compare.  Don't self-judge your writing by comparing it to other authors.  Comparison is but a learning device.  Only you can write what and how you do.  You have a gift to share with the world and only you think the way you do or has your voice.
 

B. Have fun!  Feel free to laugh at and with yourself.  Make mistakes boldly!  Remember the story comes to full life in the rewrites.

    C. It's not the author, it's the story.  Put all your vision into your story, not on who is writing it.  When you become lost in your word-baby your gift is coming forth into the world.  Later you can say, "I wrote this?  Wow!  I didn't know I could do that."

D. Is it on paper?  The reader can't examine your mind.  Is what you wanted to say on the paper or still within your mind?

 E. File feedback.  Don't let momentary emotions overtake observations that may be valuable to your next rewrite.  What may seem wrong and hurtful at first could be right and helpful later.

Clint:

1 - Writing is 90% dedication and 10% talent - and that 10% can be
substituted with stubbornness.  Translation: I will never, ever
write anything so awful that it can't be fixed.  I have infinite
chances to improve every word I write, infinite options to change
things for the better, and nothing in the world can stop me from
improving my writing except my giving up.

2 - Word-craft is the birthright of being human.  Translation:
People are born with or without a sense of pitch, or the ability to
artistically mesh color, or the delicate touch needed to release an
instrument's potential.  Most arts are predicated on unique talent;
writing is predicated on universal human ability.  We all use
words.  We all think words.  That means that all of us have a chance
to write words well.  Now, we can't all become Bellows or Hemmingway
or Austin, but we can make ourselves writers that produce meaningful
work.  Of all the arts, ours is the only one grown from a true human
commonality - words.   Writing is just an extension of the life we
live.  It isn't a question of whether I can write - the question is
will I?

Lea Schizas:

Author of the Young Adult Fantasy Novel The Rock of Realm

1-Be contagious--not the sick kind but the ‘I’m a writer and I rock’ kind.

2-Review--review other authors books and your tagline will be in full view for all to link to.

3-Promote--make sure your email signature promotes your work. 

No sig=no visitors

4-Delegate--try to balance your daily routine with your writing schedule.

A word penned here and there=a novel complete in the end

5-Believe--never falter when negative criticism/rejections come your way. A writer you are and readers are waiting for your book.

Negative feedback=positive determination

6-Study--markets come, markets go. Research new possible venues.

Submission=Acceptance down the line

7-Be Honest--never make unapproachable demands on yourself. Better to say one novel in 2 years than one novel in 6 months and fail.

8-Reverse Yourself--if romance is your genre, try another for a change. You’ll be surprised by your new creative flow from this newly acquired style.

New genre=new opened doors.

9-Fantasize--visualize a dream and make it happen.

Converters=confined enjoyment    walking=vast possibilities

10-Educate Yourself--read books, study authors, learn new styles and genres.

Education=Knowledge=Success and Fulfillment