Who Will You Tell
There can be something very secretive about trying for a patent. There are many types of people in this work today. Whether you know them or not, the decision to tell others about your inventions should be something you would want to take very seriously. It will be important for you to weigh all of your options as to who you will want to let in on your invention prior to getting a patent.
According to many, your idea is technically not actually protected until you have that patent. Sure, you could prove that the idea was yours, but that could get really messy. You will want to make sure that you think this through, and you may need to realize that the idea may be worth more to protect than it is worth it to let others in on the deal.
Once you have your patent, you should then be good to go. But before that point you may want to be really careful. The idea behind the invention is to come up with something new. But if the idea gets into the wrong hands before you are done, who knows what could happen. So consider making a list of people you feel need to know and a list of those who you want to tell. Just be careful until you have your patent.