Do you see that up there? My name is on an article. I’ve been published over at Role Reboot! My friend Dana Norris wrote an awesome article about things she knew about online dating, and when I read her article, I commented that it’s a bit different for a gay man. “Write that and submit it,” she said. So, I did.

This is actually one of my first publications. See, I’m afraid of submitting. I think it’s a thing that some writers have a problem with. Writing is a pretty solitary act that requires much revision, and I think the fear of rejection or being told a story isn’t good enough hinders some of us from submitting, especially after we have spent draft after draft trying to make something perfect.

But, I told myself this was the year I’d start submitting a lot of material and stop caring if it was published or not—I knew that, eventually, I’d get something published, so why not start here?

And then I ran into a friend at a coffees shop who is an editor at Chicago Literati. I told him about this essay I wanted to write that details a trip I made to a place I was scared to go but needed to, as it was a pivotal setting for my thesis novel. He told me to write it and send it to him. I did, and boom! It is going to lead off a week-long series of Writers Writing about Writing next week.

Finally, my friend over at You’re Being Ridiculous’s website asked if I could submit the story I had just performed for their May show to their print edition.

I told myself I’d submit, and I’ve had two (almost three) publications in a few weeks. I’ve set up a Submittable account and have begun the process of making final revisions on a few short stories so that I may submit them for publication. Many journals use Submittable so that writers can submit their work online in a quick and easy manner and keep track of it—the platform lets you know if a story was declined or accepted. If accepted, you may withdraw the story from other publications. It’s easy an convenient!

Sometimes, you just need that quick push. And then you get over the fear. I decided to submit the same story that will be published by Chicago Literati to You’re Being Ridiculous’ August show, and I’ll be performing August 9th (get tickets here). And then I decided I wanted to submit a story to Story Club, an amazing Live Lit series, and I am going to be a featured (paid!) performer on October 2nd.

It’s okay to have fear, but overcome it. Otherwise, why are we doing this whole writing thing, anyway? What about you, MarginAliens? Any of you getting your work published or performed? Let me know below!