Getting It Out There

          The next few weeks the three of us will be posting about getting our work “out there.” Wherever “out there” may be that wants our work.

          As is often the case, I’ll probably be a voice calling for variety, testing accepted practices, or crying “just wing it!” while Kitty and Shonna are sure to share a slightly more mainstream view of the process. And, as always (I hope), we’ll all learn from each other.

          This week, I want to share a story that illustrates the most important aspect of getting our work “out there.” Actually writing it.

          Last week, Monday-Saturday, I worked on some exhausting family business. Out of the house by 7:00 am and spending 8-10 (or more) hours physically moving and cleaning and lugging more stuff than I want to think about. When we stopped working each day, I was exhausted! All I wanted to do was to eat and fall into bed. Because I was so bone-tired and muscle-weary, I could have excused myself from writing all week. I almost did.

          Then I reconsidered. After all, my minimum goal for each weekday, if you remember my earlier post, is 115 new words on two different projects. Not hard to do. Each night, after vegging on the sofa with family for 5 to 105 minutes and passively listening to the argument in my head that said I was too tired to do anything but go to bed, I dragged my weary body to my computer, pulled up the two documents that needed the least amount of thinking and forced 115 new words into those documents. Each night I tried to convince myself it was okay to go to sleep without writing those 230 words; each night I rejected that argument; and each night I logged at least 115 words each on those two projects. It took herculean effort to force those 230 words from my tired brain and fingers. Had my goal been much more, I would have lost the debate to write to my exhaustion.

          My moral? Make my goals extremely easy so that when I really do have a good reason to neglect them, I’ll feel ridiculous for doing so. And thrilled beyond belief when I accomplish the almost impossible. Success is a stupendous motivator!

          Before you can start sending out your work, hiring an agent, seeking a publisher, you must produce something they want. A good read. Are you doing that? Good. Then listen up for thoughts on “getting it out there.”