IWSG #2 – Stage Fright

This post was written for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our encouragement or insecurities on the first Wednesday of the month, to join the group or find out more click here.

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Hello, everyone.

Some of you might know that my second short is being released in the Portals Anthology June 5th and I thought I’d be ecstatic but what I’m feeling is an incredible attack of stage fright. What was I thinking? Tell me. I’d like to know.

It started off like any other crazy, wonderful idea. There was a call for submission. After reading about the fantasy anthology, I decided to give it a try. I love to write a little fantasy once in a while. What was really strange is how tempted I was to write some poetry to put into the story. I did this once before and the story fell flat on its sad little face.

But this time I was convinced this was the way to go. Yes, another brilliant idea. I blame the picture prompt that they used for the cover. The longer I stared at the pic, the more my writing juices flowed. So I wrote pages of poetry–each small poem a clue to how to . . . Never mind. This is not supposed to be a promotional post.

What I’m trying to share here is that I wrote a story like we all have and will do again. It felt so good figuring out the plot, adding layers upon layers. Like all of us here, I love to write. And like some of us; I like to write within a framework of my own design. It’s the freedom of it all, so I worried over it, and I got the story where I wanted it, then sent Mexmur, The Huntress away for consideration. I actually expected it to be rejected, many of my works are. I never forget what a call of submission can be like, and while competing with so many brilliant writers, I wasn’t sure I had a chance.

It was accepted.

The edits came and went and I was still calm. The marketing expert sent me questions to answer for the blog tour. And through it all, I had no problem doing as they requested. It all seemed so far off.

Then I got real stupid, (or smart, depending on who you are), and approached every review blogger I’d ever come across, asking them to take a look at Portals. If they were interested, I arranged for them to get an ARC.

I was still riding the crest of the wave, excitement overflowing. Everyone else may still be excited. I don’t know; I can’t see a thing. I’m almost blind with terror.

So the thing that seemed for far off is days away. I’m asking, begging, if you want to know the truth, for support. What do you do when you’re suffering from stage fright? I need some tips to get through this because I suddenly feel like I’m making a speech naked, and maybe I am. Somebody hand me something to hide behind.

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Some of you maybe laughing and I’m glad. How about you jump on this bandwagon and go through it too. My publisher is Roane Publishing. Click on the pic, for more.

They have posted a call for submission for a Halloween themed romance anthology. If you’re up for it, shorts between 5k and 12k should be submitted to Spooktaclar Seductions, by July 31, 2014.