Even if your main interest is in writing novels and/or short stories, you should still consider writing some non-fiction pieces. Why? If you’re a beginning writer, getting a non-fiction piece professionally published is usually a lot easier than getting paid …
My week 3 Clarion story has just been published at Fantasy Magazine. http://www.fantasy-magazine.com/2009/11/reading-by-numbers/ My first SFWA-level fiction sale. Very happy.
A story I co-wrote many years ago with Colin Jacobs has now been turned into an audio version. You can listen at http://dunesteef.com/2009/11/08/page-40-working-holiday-by-aidan-doyle-and-colin-jacobs/