OK, so after months of dawdling, delaying, and just generally being stuck, I’ve finally managed to send off my first submissions to a couple of web sites. I don’t know if they’ll publish anything, and I REALLY don’t know if they’ll even pay anything in the (hopefully not TOO terribly unlikely) event that they publish. Still, the mere act of submitting something to something besides WWJD (where I, of course, am judge, jury, AND editor/executioner) is a huge step for me. Yes, I know I can write. After all, I’ve been doing it here for awhile (Saturday will make 10 years, BTW). The difference between writing on my own blog and submitting something for publication has been a HUGE gulf for me. While I know I can write, that knowledge hasn’t translated into the self-confidence needed to step outside my little comfort zone. I don’t know where this will lead, but I’ve said for some time now that my goal is to lose my amateur status. Now- finally- I’m beginning to take some halting steps in that direction. I don’t necessarily know what I’m doing, but I know that I need to do this. I hope I can learn what I need to as I go along. It’s going to mean doing some things I’m not necessarily comfortable with, and it’s going to mean pushing myself and being disciplined in a way very different from what I’ve done before. Stay tuned….
I’ve also decided that the time has come for me to try and engage in some self-promotion…not in a tacky or gaudy way, but if I’m to achieve my goal of being able to live off my writing, then I need to gain a wider audience. I know a lot of people from all over the world read WWJD. Perhaps if I can broaden that audience bit by bit, I can somehow attract the attention of someone who might be willing to throw some money my way. Even if that doesn’t happen, I figure a bigger audience can’t hurt, right? A friend who’s a marketing whiz offered me some advice over the weekend, and so the place to start will likely be Cafe Press. I’m going to need some catchy slogans, and since “Wag More, Bark Less” is already taken, I’m going to throw it open to the peanut gallery. If you’ve got a brilliant (and reasonably family-friendly) suggestion, I’m looking forward to reading it. Leave a comment, and who knows? You might just play a part in my drive towards total world domination…. ;-)
