Just Press Publish

The invisible power of releasing creativity into the world is intoxicating!

Just press publish. Just write. Just put it out there.

These short, little statements keep this publication going.

When I first launched this Substack it was my intention to, as my About page says, “to come out from under the rock I’ve been hiding under as a writer and share my words with the world.” I’ve spent most of my writing life by keeping it private, only sharing some essays/reflections here and there on my website.

I yearned to be the type of writer who wasn’t afraid of sharing her work, who wasn’t afraid to hit publish, regardless if something wasn’t perfect or finished. I mean, if you saw the literal stack of journals and notebooks that contain rough drafts of poetry, musings, journaling, free writing, etc., you would probably be like “girl, you’re sitting on SO much, why aren’t you sharing it?!” Or maybe you’d be like “eeeeeeeehhhh I’d keep that one in the journal forever, babe!” 🤷🏼‍♀️

Now that I finished my first novel (still doing the final edit after receiving reader feedback), I’m feeling much more comfortable with writing fiction. I am like, knee-deep in the pond, I’ll say. Not quite ready to submerge myself, but it’s like an “I’m just enjoying the cool waters on a hot day” type of a feeling.

Until now, I’ve written maybe two or three fictional short stories in my lifetime. And they have stayed buried. If I could find them, I would revise them and post them here. So for now, you’ll have to enjoy some random new ones. 🤗

What’s even cooler: I’m really enjoying the craft. I love taking a blip that’s appeared in my dreams or as a passing thought and putting it on paper, fleshing out the details, creating prose… It’s challenging yet satisfying. I have always been a vivid dreamer and now, I am using that to my advantage. It’s fuel! I’m taking better notes on what happens between being asleep and being awake, pushing myself to make what I saw in the dream come to life on page. It’s a lot of fun!

Just get it out. Just put it on the page. Just WRITE. Just press publish.

THE POWER OF WORKSHOPPING & GETTING FEEDBACK

I have a group of friends who read this (hiiii, I’m super thankful for you, you know who you are!) publication and send me their reactions, feedback, and other thoughts after they finish some of my pieces. They have made me feel so much more comfortable with sharing my fiction endeavors. Without their support, I would probably hesitate to hit publish more.

My story, “Clandestine Affairs” (parts one and two linked below), began as a random journal prompt that I found in an old blog post of mine, when I shared writing prompts and quick blips of fiction.

Clandestine Affairs, Part One

Part One took me a few weeks to write — I’d write a paragraph here and there, but just couldn’t finish it. Until I did! And I just hit publish when I was done. I didn’t even do a final proofread for two reasons: a) I was very sleepy when I finished it and b) I just said “screw it” and hit publish.

I had some typos and inconsistencies. I probably would have caught them if I read it again. I was kind of mortified, if I’m being honest, that I let something get published without doing that final read-through and fixing the errors. But my friends enjoyed the story. They asked questions and offered thoughts and because of them, I decided to expand on the story. So, last week, I started Part Two, finished it up within a day and just hit publish.

Clandestine Affairs, Part Two

I caught a couple of typos after the fact, but this time, I didn’t feel [as] mortified. I feel good. I feel creative!! I feel like I’ve unlocked some kind of super power with my writing, to be honest. I don’t know where this story is going, but I want to hear from people on where they think it could go. I feel like I’ve carved a few paths Ani can take, especially knowing she was formerly known as Lizzy and left her fiancé for the life she’s living now. I think, anyway? Who knows!

That’s the beauty of writing fiction. I’m learning to embrace that unknown and really lean into it. To let my imagination take over as I put words on the page and not worry about the little imperfections that have held me back as a writer for so many years.

Without the the push from my friends — my readers (ahh!) — I would probably still be hiding my work under a rock. I listen to their feedback and it takes my writing in directions I never thought were possible. In fact, when writing the Clandestine Affairs story, some of the thoughts my readers provided made me think I could really expand on the character and her story. An idea they gave me was so incredible and the old me would have been sad that I didn’t think of it first.

The new me, the creative soul that has been revived, she took that feedback and turned it into something And then, I just couldn’t stop thinking about it and how it could really drive the overall story. In my bones, I feel there is more than just Ani as we met her in the first part — there’s her former life as Lizzy as teased in part two… and beyond that, how she became Ani and where she’s going. Serious potential for a nice little serialized fiction project I can put here. I don’t know where it’s going, but I will keep sharing and definitely let you know as it comes to me!

Getting feedback and “workshopping” ideas with others is how we move forward as writers. Writing is a very solitary act, something we do alone and in private, before we share it with others. The power in getting feedback is intense, bright, and strong. I’ve been told that through my entire journey as a writer, but still held everything so close. But now, I’m more open to the process now because I am seeing how it makes me a better writer.

👏🏻 Just. Press. Publish. 👏🏻

👏🏻 Just. Keep. Writing. 👏🏻

I promise to keep doing just that.

Thank you, Vibers, for giving me the space to create and not be terrified of putting myself out there. Because of you, I’m growing as a writer and creative person. And it feels so good.