How to become a real author for fictional stories?

First,

Finish writing your story (obvious, I know).

Type it in proper manuscript form (http://www.neverend.com/msformat.htm has the details on what is needed).

Edit it many, many times to make it as good as it can be. Put it in a drawer, and don't even think about it, for a month or two, then take it out and do more editing. Don't try to say "It's perfect. It does not need editing." Yes, it does.

Get it proofread by someone who knows what they are doing (do not rely just on spellcheck).

If it is less than novel length (over 40,000 words), visit http://www.duotrope.com/ . It gives addresses and submission requirements for many magazines that publish short fiction.

If it is a novel, there are a tiny number of publishers who accept unsolicited manuscripts (those that don't go through a literary agent), so getting an agent is a really good idea.

When your book is edited and polished, come back here and ask about how to get an agent. You can also use the search-bar at the top of this page and ask. It's a popular question.

Sit down and write some.

No, really. There isn't a magic answer, and having been good at it in school isn't really applicable - school creative writing tends to focus on showing off how many long words you know and how many sorts of sentence structure you can cram into one page, and "real" fiction writing is about making your words and structure invisible. On average, getting to a pro standard of fiction writing takes about a million words of practice.

Nobody's going to steal your stories as long as they are safely on your own computer, and that is where they will stay for a good long time while you are practicing and improving. After that? No pro agent or publisher has any interest in stealing your work. Why would they? It would end their career for sure...for the sake of a single unpublished manuscript by an unknown?

Yes, it is difficult to get published. The rule of thumb figure is that 1 in 1000 planned novels gets finished, and 1 in 1000 finished novels gets published.

Enjoy your writing...but do it for the writing. Not the publishing.

When I first learn this question, I used to be like, "Oh, that is EASY!" But then I began going via my contacts and I used to be like, "Uh. Maaaaaaybe no longer." I rather needed to feel approximately this question. xD I'd traditionally prefer agilebrit or Steven J Pemberton. Both due to the fact they're much older than me. They have plenty of writing enjoy and a sizeable casserole of potential they are able to convey to the desk. Also, I do not feel they would be afraid to inform me love it is that if my prose or notion used to be thoroughly whack. With agilebrit, I don't have any notion what we might write approximately, however judging through the truth that she likes Terry Pratchett and she or he's a Whedonite AND she loves RDJ, I'm definite it might be badass. With Steve, it might be a delusion publication. Of epic proportions. (Of direction!) :D I feel I'd convey a few well discussion to the tale. Dialogue's what I don't forget my greatest writing force. Oh, and artistic analogies/metaphors. But I generally tend to move overboard with the ones matters. (So Steve and agilebrit might ought to do a butt load of modifying.) xD Though, if I ought to be thoroughly sincere, I would not brain writing a publication with ANY of my contacts. Because they're all splendid. :]

It's pretty difficult to get published, but the first step is to get an agent, then they will submit your books to various publishers.

To copyright your things, one of the most simple ways would be to email the files to yourself, since emails have timestamps. The timestamp will prove that you were in possession of it before anyone else.