The other day, I was talking with a cousin I haven’t seen in quite some time. Conversation turned to writing and the question came up about if I have been published.
She said, “I’d like to write, but it wouldn’t be publishable.”
My first reaction (that I did not say) was “So?”
My second reaction, which I did say, was, “You never know.”
It’s true. You don’t know. What’s more, because you tell yourself it wouldn’t be publishable, you’re telling yourself that you can’t do it. You let your self-doubt win before you even try to start.
The thing of it is, very few people start out with the intent to be published. To think that way right out of the gate is like trying to win the gold medal in the Olympics the first time you jump off a diving board. You have to practice first. Then you start with small competitions (i.e. submissions/contests).
Only after you gain your confidence do you try to aim to be “published.” You can’t be afraid to try. And you certainly should never tell yourself that you can’t and then don’t even try.
