We’ve all been there.
We, the authors, wring our hands together as our friend, mentor, or parent reads whatever we’d just given them. It’s a horrifying ordeal. Whenever someone reads something I wrote in front of me, I get this icy ball in the pit of my stomach. It sends chills up my spine, makes my hands feel cold and clammy, and it’s all I can think about as they read the words I’d put on the page.
For a long time I let this fear control me.
I refused to let anyone (my parents, my siblings, not even my closest friends) read anything that I wrote. I always used the excuse, “it’s not finished” or “I haven’t edited it yet”, to keep them from reading the words I’d poured my heart and soul into.
It sucks to feel this fear. It’s really, really, hard to get over, too. But here I am, just two years later, and I’m a professional author. I’ve recently released my latest novella (check that out here!), and I have published a few short stories, too! So, how did I do it? How did I get over this all-encompassing, life-threatening fear of sharing my writing?
I shared my writing.
Unfortunately, the only way I’ve found to overcome this particular fear is to face it head on. Yeah, your words might not be “good enough” to publish yet. That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth growing and practicing. The only way you’ll know is if you walk to the edge of that cliff and jump, friend.
And I have just the way for you to jump!
My friend (and awesome roommate) Vella Karman is producing an anthology! This is the moment. You can take a look at this paid opportunity and continue to hide behind your screen, or you can take a leap and hit submit. The choice is yours.
Fantastical Summer
Anthology releasing may 2025
The Fantastical Summer Anthology will be produced by The Company and released by The Pearl Magazine in May 2025. Never heard of an anthology before? An anthology is a collection of short stories written by different authors but combined by one driving theme.
The theme? Fantastical Realism. What is the fantastical realism genre? It’s a story set in this world, the one we live in, with just one crazy, interesting change.
We like to start with the question: “what if God had made the world different in this specific way?”
What if God had given his followers the ability to time travel? What if the ocean was filled with purple bioluminescent waves? What if dragons lived with us as pets?
Above all, we’re looking for fun stories! Our goal is to present a clean lighthearted summer read.
Interested? Read more on the website!
So, here’s the question…are you going to leap?
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Aww, I’m your awesome roommate? My heart is full. 🙂