Last spring I went to a writer's conference. It was my second year there. I had done a lot of published work in between the first and second years. There were a lot of writers who were asking me questions about what I've done and how I got started. I realized that these people were exactly who I had been my first year at the conference....wanting to be published. By the time I left this year's conference, my head was so big it hardly fit through the door.

Except that there was one minor fustration for me. I didn't have any rejection slips under my belt.

That's supposed to be a good thing, right?

Not in my case.

The truth behind this fact wasn't because all of my work was just so phenominal that everyone on the planet is dying to read it. No, that's not it. I have never had a piece rejected because I had never tried to get my foot in the door of some bigger publications.

I've kept local. I can argue that I have gotten my foot in the door to some BIG, almost local publications......and that isn't something that just any writer off the street can be published in.

BUT...I have had several different people all tell me the same thing. "You should submit to (fill in the blank)magazine. Your stuff is just like what I read in there. Maybe even better"
"You should enter (fill in the blank) writing contest" "You should write devotions for moms" "You should write a book".

This morning I took a step out of my safe, confident, comfortable world of writing. I entered a short story fiction contest sponsored by Family Circle Magazine. My grandmother first told me about this contest MONTHS ago. I argued with myself saying that I have never written fiction.
Except for this one script for a high school play last year.......

That was it. I was so proud of that script. It wasn't a happy story. But it felt real. People were moved to tears because they were reading about people who could have been their children, friends and family. And it felt real.

I rewrote my script into a story. I mailed it this morning. It had to be postmarked by today. I have all of these questions and doubts and things that I think...."oh I should have added that".
But oh-well. I got the postmark on there in time!

I probably won't win.

But that's okay. At least I will be able to say..."I've been rejected".
At least I will be able to say that I have taken a scary step and tried.

Thanks for reading! Come back again soon.

Unless, of course you would rather be hauling 50 some years of furniture, books, old mail, magazines, knick knacks and every single thing that ever entered into your great aunt's house in 50 years, to be placed out for auction......
just do that instead