Q: Go through every line, looking for typos, misspellings, grammatical errors, awkward words and expressions, and clichés. You can go through looking for a specific thing, like spelling errors, and then again for punctuation errors, or try to fix everything at once. When copy-editing your own work, you will often read what you thought you wrote rather than what you really wrote. If you can, ask someone else to help you copy-edit your manuscript. A friend who also reads or writes fiction could help you see errors that you didn’t catch on your own. Most publishers don’t accept short stories, but many journals will accept short-story submissions. Many large publishers will not accept unsolicited manuscripts from writers without an agent, but some smaller publishers are happy to look at even first-time writers’ works. Look around and find a venue that matches your style, your genre, and your publishing goals.  There are many manuals, websites, and organizations dedicated to helping writers find a venue for publication. Writers Market, Writer’s Digest, Book Market, and Writing World are good places to start. You can also choose to self-publish, an increasingly popular option for writers. Places such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Lulu all have guides on how to publish your book with them. and put it into manuscript form. Follow any guidelines set by your publisher’s submission requirements first. Follow submission guidelines precisely, even if they conflict with information found here. If they ask for 1.37” margins, make your margins 1.37”. (Standard margins are either 1” or 1.25”, though.) Submissions that don’t follow guidelines are rarely read or accepted. In general, there are some rules to follow when formatting a manuscript for submission.  Create a cover page with the manuscript title, your name, contact information, and word count. This should be centered horizontally and vertically, with a space between each line. Alternatively, place your personal information -- name, phone number, email address -- in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. In the right-hand corner, put the word count rounded to the nearest 10. Press enter a few times and then put your title. The title should be centered, and may be put in all caps. Start the manuscript on a new page. Use a clear, legible serif font such as Times New Roman or Courier New set to 12pt. Double space all text. Left-justify your text. For section breaks, center 3 asterisks (***) on a new line, then hit the “enter” key and begin the new section. Start all new chapters on a new page, with the title centered. On every page except the first, include a header that has the page number, a shortened version of the title, and your last name. For print submissions, print the manuscript on high quality 8½" x 11" (or A4) 20lb bond paper. Follow all the submission guidelines to the letter. Then, sit back and wait for a response!  When you’re submitting your story for publication, it’s very likely that you’ll get a few (or more than a few) rejections before someone accepts your work. This is totally normal—don’t let it discourage you! Just because one publisher rejects your work doesn’t mean that another will. Sometimes a publisher will reject a story not because it’s bad, but because it’s just not what they’re looking for in terms of style and content.
A: Copy-edit your manuscript thoroughly. Find a journal, agent, or publisher to submit your work to.  Format your work Submit your manuscript.

Q: Your rhythm and beat will be determined largely by what particular style of rock you want to make. Punk rock has a faster, driving rhythm, heavy metal uses a 4/4 time signature (the beat is a quarter note lasting 1 second and there are 4 beats per measure), reggae rock is syncopated (beats are played off the rhythm). Search online to find out what rhythm and beats the particular genre of rock music you want to play uses. Many of the most famous rock songs use power chords rather than traditional ones to give the music a less smooth, edgier sound. Power chords are formed by fingering the main note of the chord with your first finger on the top string of your guitar, then using your third and fourth fingers to press down on the 2 strings below the top string 2 frets down the neck of the guitar.  The G power chord, for example, would be formed by pressing on the third fret on the top string, then the fifth fret on the 2 strings below the top string.  Nirvana’s song “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” for example, uses the power chords for E, A, G, and C.  Power chords are particularly popular in grunge music. Acid rock songs use the same type of chords, but they distort the chords by using a distortion pedal hooked up to the amplifier. Indie rock, on the other hand, tends to go for a smoother, softer sound, and may even use traditional chords. Glam rock also uses smoother sounds, and tends to experiment with music from other genres entirely. Electric guitars have been the foundation of rock songs since the beginning. While you’re writing your song, use an electric guitar as the accompaniment and to help develop your melody. Once your finished writing your song, you can add in instruments like the drums, bass guitar, and keyboard.  You should also remember to strum your guitar like you’re trying to break the strings. Rock music isn’t rock music without a destructive vibe. Funk rock, for example, emphasizes a heavy beat from the bass guitar and drums. Singer-songwriters like Joan Armatrading tend to focus heavily on melody instruments like guitar and piano and use other instruments mostly just to achieve a fuller sound. Every great rock song has a killer instrumental solo, almost always one with an electric guitar. To write your solo, play around with scales in your song’s key and try adding in bits and pieces of your melody. Try different combinations to see what you come up with and do what you can to really show off your skill.  Psychedelic rock in particular features long, improvised instrumental solos, usually by a electric guitar. Punk rock, on the other hand, tends to see instrumental solos and pretentious and unnecessary. The iconic guitar part in the Guns N’ Roses song “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” for example, is a simple variation of a scale that Axl Rose heard guitarist Slash playing in rehearsal.
A:
Decide on your rhythm and beat. Use power chords. Start with an electric guitar and then add in other classic rock instruments. Feature an instrumental solo.