Reading Up

I've spent the last couple of days looking at various publication outlets trying to find homes for my work. I had no idea how many new e-zines there were that take submissions. It was both eye-opening and disconcerting because now I need to narrow those outlets down to a manageable few to submit to.

I've never had anything published professionally before so this new lingo of how much to shoot for and how to submit is BRAND new to me. I feel like I have a huge learning curve to overcome. But I know I'm not the only one wondering the fields of insecurity and confusedom. It's nice to know your not alone.

There are several great websites out there catering to helping writers succeed. I found one just last night that kept me up into the wee morning hours (the bastard, lol). The site allows you to plug in your genre, story length, and a variety of other features to help you narrow the field down.

When I plugged my initial search in I was greeted with a response of "over 300 queries match your search try narrowing your search further". No kidding, ya think? Tried again with a bit more info plugged in and found that I had successfully brought it down to just a hair under 200.

I think it's a pretty useful site. Check it out yourselves. If nothing else it will get you started like it has me.

www.duotrope.com/index.aspx

I also realized while checking out different magazines that maybe my writing isn't so bad after all. I'm not saying I'm the best writer out there or that I'm better than most. Because, lets be honest, there will always be people out there better than you, but I do believe I can make a living at this.

I feel better and less fearful now that I am setting into motion a dream that has been bittersweet for me for years. It's as if with each step I take toward the goal of being a published writer the belief that I can do it grows stronger.

Maybe this is what I needed to do all along. Instead of all the negativity and put down I placed on myself with my fear and loathing, I should have just sucked it up and blew through that wall of problems. Oh well, can't cry over lost time or spilt milk and like I said at the beginning, I'm really tired of being afraid.

Here's to being a published writer.