In 2020, don’t stay small and remain less than you could be. Overreach until you feel embarrassed. Aim for big failures. Here’s why.

In the first half of 2019, I only submitted three things: a 100 word story about a disastrous honeymoon, a 300 word story about an adopted dog, and a 4,000 word work-in-progress I’ve been revisiting and revising since 2016.

I thought, “Only the dog story has a chance.”

I was wrong about that one. I never heard back.

The honeymoon story was accepted by the New York Times, published in the Sunday print edition in June and online as well.

The three-year-old unfinished manuscript got me a partial scholarship and acceptance into Viable Paradise, one of the most competitive science fiction / fantasy workshops in the country. My week at Viable Paradise #23 changed my writing life and my outlook.

I’ve stopped being afraid of submitting. I know I just have to do the work to the best of my ability and just let go. It will never be perfect or reach the level of the writers I admire, but it’s good enough and I can only get better the more I do it.

Do the work. Don’t second guess yourself.

Don’t simply share with friends or on Facebook, rake in the likes and comments, then sit back satisfied. Get yourself out there.