I write fantasy and science fiction. My agent is currently marketing my fantasy novel The Talisman Bag.
One of the best things about being a writer is that writers help each other. I love that! There aren't many areas where people who are trying to squeeze through a narrow door will lend a hand to the other folks who're trying to do the same thing. And believe me, there are few doors narrower than the one to getting published.
Sometimes the person holding the door open a little wider is a published writer. That's nice, too. A friend from my writing group (see below) named Mindy Klasky writes fantasy (both epic and chick lit fantasy) and her success has made her more supportive, not less. Through Mindy, I made friends with a writer who was already published when I met her. Her books are doing well, too, and success couldn't happen to a nicer person than Carol Berg. She introduced me to the Pikes Peak Writers Conference (see further below).
Writing is just about the most introverted thing a person can do, which is ironic, because I am a total extrovert. If you write, and you haven't already discovered that you need feedback from other people, I recommend two things that have helped me. First, join a critique group (a.k.a. a writer's group) and second, go to writer's conferences.
I've been an active member of the Writer's Group from Hell (WGFH) for over nine years. WGFH has had many names over its long life span, including the Washington Area Writer's Group. It was founded about 15-20 years ago by several local writers, including Julia Duncan and Scott Edelman. Scott later went on to edit the magazine Science Fiction Age and then the SCI-FI Channel's Science Fiction Weekly web zine and their print magazine. A lot of folks in WGFH have helped me over the years. Two things make a critique group very helpful. The first is that you get a lot of feedback on your story — what people thought was good and bad in it. The second is that you get to choose which feedback you want to act on. If your gut tells you to stick with what you have, there's no rule that says you have to change anything.
I highly recommend the Pikes Peak Writer's Conference in Colorado Springs. I attended four years in a row, and placed in their writing contest two years running (2005 and 2006), once in science fiction and fantasy and once in YA.
Pike's Peak is a superb example of writers helping other writers. An almost completely volunteer-run conference, it's a great place to make contacts, make friends, learn useful information, and have fun all at the same time.
PPWC is just one conference. There are dozens or even hundred around the country. Find one that works for you!
For more musings on writing, see the link for my blog on the left.