Putting Yourself (And Your Writing) Out There

This isn't my usual "writing tips" post, it's just some thoughts I have.

I've been into creative writing my whole life, but I buckled down and got serious in 2020. I remember I went to my first writing group meetup one, maybe two weeks before the world shut down. The group went on hiatus, but come July, I was crawling out of my skin with boredom so I messaged the group leader to see if they would start it up again, and they suggested I take over. So I did.

Over four years later, that writing meetup is still going strong. We have a Discord server, and this blog/newsletter is an offshoot of the group. I would like to grow the community, but I have a full-time job outside of writing and I do not have the energy to get things going.

All that's to say, I started taking my writing more seriously about four years ago. But even then, as I was writing regularly, I was not putting myself out there.

I wasn't sharing my writing with anyone in or outside the group (except for a couple of close friends). I certainly wasn't submitting my work for publication.

To get to that next step, I had to join a critique group and share my work. That was nerve-wracking, strangers reading my words with the express purpose of judging me.

Then I kept hearing about other people getting published, though, and—sorry, this sounds cocky—I knew I was a better writer than some of those people. If they were getting published and I wasn't, it's only because I wasn't putting myself out there. Critique groups don't get you published. Lit mags do.

On January 10, 2022, I sent my first-ever submission, a novella with frame stories—stories within the main story. It was rejected. I didn't submit anything else until the fall of 2023. Did not receive an acceptance until January 22, 2024, two years after my first submittal.

You cannot get published if you don't put yourself out there. It's as simple as that.

"My writing isn't ready!" you might say.

Maybe you're right.

But maybe you're self-rejecting. Just something to consider.

(And, hey, if you're sure your work isn't ready, join a critique group. They'll help get you there.)