Celebrate when you hit business goals and milestones

As a small business owner, it’s easy to get caught up in keeping the business moving forward.

You can always:

• be looking for the next client
• want to keep the best clients coming back
• spend time marketing
• connect with your market on social media
• build a support network
• spend time analyzing results
• get ‘caught up’ in deadlines

As a small business owner, you wear all the hats, juggle all the balls, keep everything moving forward. When you complete a task, you check it off and move on to the next item.

Similarly, when you hit a deadline, it’s easy to check it off your list and move on to the next project, but I think it’s important to pause and celebrate.

And before you say, “I don’t have time,” I disagree. At a minimum, I hope you’ll note the successful deadline completion in your list of accomplishments for the year. Whether it’s a success/achievement journal or a list taped to your wall, list the date and a brief description of the accomplishment.

For example: 4/20 – met deadline for (brief description of project) for (client      name) ahead of schedule/on time.

That’s the first activity I recommend. The next is to step away from your desk. Yep, don’t just push the chair back, actually get away from the keyboard so you won’t be tempted to work.

Take a moment to think about how the project arrived at your desk.

• Did you meet the client at an event? Pat yourself on the back for having made the connection that led to work.
• Did the client contact you through a referral? Congratulate yourself for having someone recommend you so positively.
• Did the client find you online? Give yourself kudos for your online marketing and social media efforts

Now think about the process of landing the project. Celebrate your successes of:

• Connecting with the client in a personal and professional way that resonated with the client
• Having your pitch/proposal accepted
• Being able to work with their deadline and other project parameters

And now that you’ve submitted the final work to the client, you get to celebrate the accomplishment, which is not something that happened over night. Recognize that. Appreciate it.

A different kind of celebration, but still a celebration

You’ve put in the effort and time, so take a few minutes, at least, to celebrate that fact! The ‘work’ itself may be easy to you, but that alone doesn’t make your business successful. YOU make your business successful with a lot of effort, so appreciate that and recognize it. (I’m repetitive with important points).

Talk out loud to the empty room: “I just finished X’s 2-week project and it feels GREAT!” (give your best Tony the Tiger imitation) “I look forward to more projects from X, and from similar clients I haven’t met yet.”

–As a note, yes, I do these things. I even do a happy dance – sometimes with music, sometimes without – to celebrate. There’s an exaggerated fist pump and a loud “YES!”, too. And laughter, because it *is* funny to be doing these things in an empty room. But it’s good – it’s fun – it’s celebrating – it makes me smile. I love to smile.

I believe that the more you can appreciate what you have, the more you’ll have. Business goals and milestones are worth celebrating.

And there’s another bonus to the celebrating: when you sit back at your desk to get back to work, you’ll feel more energized and have a fresh mind for the next project.

Have you been taking the time to appreciate all that you do for your business?

Lisa J. Jackson partners with businesses seeking to express themselves with words. She loves New Hampshire and is completing several 5Ks in 2013 as a way to get off the couch and away from the screen. She wasn’t a runner until now, and is thinking that someday she wants to complete the Alcatraz Triathlon. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Tackling a 24-hour short story contest entry

I like to enter writing contests now and again, and in general prefer not to enter any that have a fee. I tend to like money coming to me for writing rather than away, which I’m sure you can relate to.

But there’s a short-story contest that caught my interest a few years ago that I like to enter, even though it has a fee. It’s the Writer’s Weekly 24-Hour Short Story Contest and it’s put on 4 times a year. The fee is $5 to enter.

There are a few reasons why I like this contest:

• There are more than 85 prizes available
• Top 3 prizes include cash amounts of $300, $250, or $200; and publication. Incentive!
• It’s limited to 500 participants — 17% of total participants can win something (but, not all 500 submit by the deadline)
• I don’t know the topic or word length until the bell rings – no stress over the prep
• All participants have the same 24-hour period in which to write and submit
• The rules are spelled out in detail and communicated on the website, in a downloadable PDF upon registration, and again at the start of the contest
• Even though a prompt is the base of the contest, you don’t have to use it verbatim
• There’s a lot of writing freedom
• No specific genre
• Encouraged to think outside the box
• Tips are shared (i.e. it doesn’t impress the owner to have a character with her name or location in your story; put a title on the story; put your contact information at the end of the submission, and so much more)
• If I end up not submitting, I don’t feel guilty over the $5 spent
• I have time to write a draft and then step away from it (usually sleep on it), and then refine the piece before submitting
• There are more than 85 prizes available (oh, am I repeating myself?) That’s a LOT of opportunity to win something!
• It’s been around for quite a while
• It’s always on a weekend (Saturday 1PM EST to Sunday 1PM EST)
• The contest date It’s always announced weeks in advance, so I can schedule the time
• When winners are announced, a summary of all entries is shared – common themes and endings – as a learning tool
• It’s fun!
• It’s a great break from ‘regular’ writing
• I’ve placed in the contest a few times – and continue to strive for Top 3 at least once.
• It’s good exercise for the muse
• It’s a milestone to look forward to
• Winners are announced when promised (generally within 6 weeks)

Okay, so that’s more than a few, but I haven’t come up with any reasons not to enter. There’s really nothing to lose, and only some spur-of-the-moment writing-to-a-prompt experience to gain (at a minimum).

My method for tackling the entry is: read the prompt and word count limit as soon as the e-mail arrives. Scratch out initial thoughts. Go out for a walk or get lunch and think about the prompt – think about what the ‘typical’ responses might be (the 1st 6 or so that come to mind should be ignored or twisted into something new). Do a free write without worrying about spelling or word count. Pull the nuggets out from the free write. Write a ‘real’ story. Step away from it. Read it. Step away again. Tweak it. Sleep on it. Make final revisions and submit a few hours before deadline.

This past weekend was the Spring contest. The Summer contest is going to be on July 13, and is now open for sign ups. Yep, I’ve already reserved my seat.

Do you have a favorite contest, or one that you find worthwhile? I’d love to hear about it.

Lisa J. Jackson makes a living helping businesses express themselves with words and writing about NH. She has decided to complete several 5Ks in 2013 as a way to get off the couch and away from the screen. She drinks iced coffee year-round, and needs a stash of Peppermint Patties in the fridge at all times. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Writers and taxes

Self-employed/freelance writers, have you done your taxes yet? The correct answer is: “Of course!”

There are still a couple of weeks to get them done, if you haven’t. And if, by chance, you haven’t started them yet, I found a great post on this very topic by a certified public accountant (CPA) – not mine – that is worth sharing. The site itself is focused on several artistic types, including writers.

There are downloadable checklists and worksheets, and a wonderful (and brief) detailed outline that hits on the main topics that writers need to consider when doing taxes.

I have to admit that I haven’t found the perfect strategy for getting everything in order. I track income and expenses monthly on a paper ledger and use Quicken (am switching over to Quickbooks this year as it really is better tool for a small business), as a double-check to make sure I haven’t missed anything.

Here are a couple of recommendations if you’re new to doing taxes as a business:

• Tracking mileage for anything and everything job related needs to be a habit – if it’s travel to/from a business meeting, or to Staples to get supplies, or to the Post Office for stamps, track that mileage.
• If you haven’t already, get a separate business account and debit/credit card so that you don’t have to spend time sorting through household accounts for business expenses each month/year.
• And if you keep on top of your income and expenses at least quarterly (monthly is best), doing the taxes can be almost painless and you won’t feel the need to procrastinate.

Like writing stories and having the details matter, doing taxes definitely requires paying attention to the details and making sure nothing is overlooked.

What method do you find best for keeping track of expenses and income? A software tool? Paper ledger? Sticky notes attached to receipts?

Lisa J. Jackson makes a living helping businesses express themselves with words. She also loves writing and talking about New Hampshire and plans to complete several 5Ks in 2013. She drinks iced coffee year-round, and needs a stash of Peppermint Patties in the fridge at all times. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Some resources for small business owners

When you’re starting a writing business, you’ll have a lot of questions. I’ve found some useful resources that are generally available in most (U.S.) areas. They are worth checking into. Many are free or low cost, too.

SCORE – The Service Corps Of Retired Executives is full of, well, retired executives from all industries, who volunteer their time to their communities and help individuals, like us, get on the right track when starting or maintaining our small business. The main site (www.score.org) has links to numerous resources, and if you find an office in your state, or near you, you’ll find even more resources including links to information, affordable workshops, networking events, and more.

Meetup.com – Meetup.com is an online tool to find groups of interest near you. It started out as a social networking site – sort of like a notice board – where people posted activities they were doing and local people could join if they wanted. Now the international site includes those activities as well as specific business, networking, and writing groups.

When I search on “small business” within “25 miles” of my current location, I find groups such as: Local Entrepreneurs, Let’s Get Networked, Let’s Have a Net Lunch, Businesses Supporting Businesses, and many more. You search on keywords and connect with like-minded individuals and have the opportunity to meet them in person.

LinkedIn – I’ve talked about LinkedIn before (specifically LinkedIn for Writers, and LinkedIn for Journalists) and I’ll talk more about it in upcoming posts. It’s a fantastic resource for businesses of all sizes. It takes a while to build up momentum on this site, but it has fantastic groups that you can join (free membership gets you a LOT), to help you build your business, find clients, and find like-minded individuals to talk to and learn from.

Local women-owned business organizations – There isn’t a specific link to this, but it’s worth doing a Google or Bing (or both) search on various keywords to see if there are organizations in your area that are focused on women only (if this pertains to you, of course!) In my state of New Hampshire, there is Women Inspiring Women, Women’s Fund of New Hampshire, and New Hampshire Women’s Initiative. There’s a national org, Women’s Business Development Center, that can be useful too. You can probably find a local resource, or at least online information to help you on your journey.

These are just a few examples. There’s also the Small Business Administration and Chamber of Commerce.

Bottom line is that it pays to look around to see what you can find in your neighborhood. If you haven’t been self-employed before, it’s hard to know what exists. I’ll bet you find a lot more than you expect.

Have you found any groups or organizations for self-employed individuals, or perhaps writers in general that can be useful? Please share in the comments.

Lisa J. Jackson specializes in writing solution briefs, case studies, white papers, other marketing collateral, e-books, and more. She also loves writing and talking about New Hampshire and plans to complete several 5Ks in 2013. She drinks iced coffee year-round, and needs a stash of Peppermint Patties in the fridge at all times. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Biznik, Facebook, and Twitter. 

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Before jumping ship, make sure you can survive

So you want to be a freelancer and have your own writing business and you know your motivating ‘why‘ that is going to keep you inspired day in and day out.

Money doesn’t grow on trees

Now what?

For me, it was to make sure I felt financial comfortable leaving the corporate world.

First and foremost, I needed to know what the reality was money-wise if I completely fell on my butt in my pursuit of being a freelancer. I needed to know my survival benchmarks.

I looked at scenarios such as:

• How many months can I have zero income and still pay my mortgage and take care of my home expenses (including property taxes) based on my savings?
• How low am I willing to let my savings get before seeking employment?
• Do I want to sell my house to reduce expenses?
• Do I want 1 or more roommates to help me keep my home?
• At what point would my savings have to be before nervousness set in? Before concern set in? Before panic set in?
• How could I lower my current bills? (For instance, a higher auto insurance deductible can lower the monthly premium; did I really need cable TV?)

(Some things to note: I was only responsible for myself, I owned my car, and I only had 1 credit card, which I paid off each month. So other than my mortgage, I was debt-free – and it had taken several years to get to that point.)

After considering those questions (and more), figuring out the answers, and making adjustments to my current bills, my biggest concern became health insurance. It was affordable through my employer. But the COBRA offering did not fit my budget whatsoever. I don’t know how employed people would pay those rates, nevermind unemployed!

Before I could leave my full-time job, I had to have affordable, comprehensive coverage for peace of mind. So, I spent time researching.

• I spoke with a representative from my employer’s EAP (employee assistance program)
• I did some Internet research and found options (eHealthInsurance, Health Insurance for Writers, About.com article on this topic)
• I got quotes for health insurance through writing associations (whether I was a member yet or not)
• I looked through the Yellow Pages (amazingly, yes, I really did) to find local options
• I paid attention to health insurance ads in newspapers

It pays to compare. There were a lot of avenues and I checked out everything I found. And, happily, I found the type of coverage I wanted and a policy that was quite affordable to me.

With that final piece of the puzzle (for me) solved, I moved forward in my pursuit of self-employment.

Everyone is different – some people freelance part-time and build up a clientele. Some folks jump ship, hit the pavement, and move forward without a plan but with an intense drive to succeed, even if it meant not sleeping.

I needed a safety net and a certain comfort level and I didn’t want to work 24-hour days. I was going freelance to be happy, to enjoy life, and to savor each day as I pursued my dream. April 1 is my 7-year anniversary and all is well.

Questions? Comments? If you’re already your own boss, what was your biggest concern before you made the move?

Next up: resources for the small business owner.

Lisa J. Jackson, MBA, is a small business owner specializing in writing solution briefs, case studies, white papers, e-books, and more. She also loves writing and talking about New Hampshire and plans to complete several 5Ks in 2013. She drinks iced coffee year-round, and needs a stash of Peppermint Patties in the fridge at all times. You can connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

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Why I became a full-time independent writer

Many people ask me (some version of): Why did you jump the corporate ship and strike out on your own?

Happiness is working from home on my own terms

The very simple answer is: Happiness.

It was time to follow my bliss and save my soul from becoming dark and empty.

A 5-day women’s writing rafting trip down the Colorado River in August 2005 gave me the kick start I needed. Day 4 was white water — 7 rapids to get through. Going through the 5th rapid, my boat caught a wave, slapped up against a canyon wall, bottom first, and stuck there. I tried to hang on, but gravity had other plans. I had to be rescued.

The type of boat I was in

After that excitement, and surviving the 7th rapid, we floated along calm water. As I sat quietly, my mind got back on track and the reality of the danger I had been in rushed to the surface.

I told the 3 women on my boat that tears were coming on, so they shouldn’t freak out. Someone suggested that I look up – somehow looking up helps ease anxiety. Okay. Nothing to lose. I looked up to the tops of the canyon walls and took a few deep breaths. I noticed motion up to my left and I focused on that.

Had to be a bird. I watched. No, too small. It fluttered about and kept coming closer. It turned out to be a butterfly.  It was pristine white with yellow striping on its wings. Stunning.

I figured it would fly and journey across the water. It didn’t. It flew toward me. I stretched my arm out and it landed on my index finger. I felt its feet (?) grab on. I shook my head in disbelief. I mean, seriously? This creature flew all this way and landed on MY finger at THIS moment? Really? I had to be hallucinating. It flew off after a few seconds, continuing across the river and disappearing in the reflection of the sunshine off the water.

The 3 women on my raft had been talking to each other this entire time. I said, “Did anyone just see that?” They all had. It hadn’t been my imagination.

The first night of the trip each person in the group drew an animal tarot card from a deck, just for fun, around the campfire. My ‘animal’ was the butterfly. It represented ‘rebirth’.

A butterfly from my yard, not the river

Here it was, mid-August in Utah, in the canyons, on a wide river. No butterflies to be seen until the day we hit the rapids. I saw 2 Monarchs, at different times, before we reached the white water.

I never imagined I’d see the 3rd butterfly after being sucked into the rapids, spit out far from my raft, and about to lose my cool after being rescued.

I flew home a couple days later, and as the plane touched down in Boston, the tears finally came. The message finally received. I knew I couldn’t live in a box (cubicle) any more and I couldn’t be in a job that didn’t satisfy my soul. It was time to create my new life.

I gave myself 6 months to come up with a plan. I gave my notice and was out on my own 7 1/2 months after the river trip. Not a single regret.

It’s incredible how life can change with any 1 decision that we make.

Next week I’ll share some of the (financial) decisions I needed to make in order to feel comfortable with my plan to become a full-time freelancer.

The evening after I fell into the river

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Lisa J. Jackson, MBA, became a small business owner specializing in writing solution briefs, case studies, white papers, e-books, and more after an amazing rafting trip down the Colorado River. She works with businesses of all sizes across many industries on topics ranging from marketing to small business management to manufacturing. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

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So you want to have a writing business

If you have a flair for writing and want to make it your profession — on your own terms — I say, Go For It! I did. And I haven’t regretted a moment of it. (Nope, not even those lean periods.)

It can take a while to get established as a professional independent writer, but like any goal, it all starts with taking the first step. Although it may take time to get established, it isn’t all that difficult.

The basics you need to get started:

• a passion for writing
• the discipline to work alone
• a laptop or PC to get the work done
• and, of course, you need reliable access to the Internet

If you want to start your own writing business, did you answer ‘yes’ to all of the above? Being able to stay motivated with no one pushing can be a challenge.

Passion can get you started, but you also need the ability to write. That doesn’t mean you have to get a college degree, but you should have an affinity for writing and know how to put sentences together. Taking a course or two to help you assess your skill level can only benefit you. Professional writers know that spellchecker is a resource, not the end-all be-all for spelling and grammar checking.

The Internet has opened up a lot of opportunities for self-employed writers, especially those who understand and grasp the difference between writing for print and writing online content.

Once you have the above points covered, it’s time to delve into some details.

A key component to becoming a freelancer is deciding what type of writing you are going to focus on. Here are some questions to help you get started:

• What type(s) of writing do I enjoy the most?
• What type(s) of writing am I best at?
• Did something in high school set me on a path?
• Did a college course pique my interest?
• Am I writing anything in my current job that can be expanded?
• Have I received any compliments for my reports or research?
• What do I enjoy reading the most?
• What do I want to write?
• What types of businesses/clients do I want to work with?
• Do I want to meet face-to-face with clients and only work locally?
• Why do I want to be a solopreneur and have my own business?

The last question is the most important. Without knowing why you want to be in business for yourself, it’ll be hard to be successful at it.

I’ll continue to write about starting and owning your own writing business in the coming weeks. Next week I’ll talk about why I’m doing it.

Lisa J. Jackson, MBA, is a small business owner specializing in writing solution briefs, case studies, white papers, e-books, and more. She works with businesses of all sizes across many industries on topics ranging from marketing to small business management to manufacturing. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

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Living the dream of being a freelance writer – frugally

In 2005, I decided I wanted to once-and-for-all pursue my passion for writing. So I planned my escape from the corporate world, and on March 31, 2006, I leaped and haven’t looked back.

I have only myself to rely on. I had a mortgage and all the expenses that come with a home and an acre of land at the time. I owned my car and had 2 cats and a little bit of savings.

Critical to me is knowing exactly what most expenses are each month. Fixed expenses include: health insurance, rent (that includes heat), gym membership, cell phone, Internet & TV, car insurance, rental insurance. The 3 biggest variable expenses are gas, groceries, and necessities (toilet paper, laundry detergent, cat food, etc.)

• I put all variable expenses on my 1 credit card and pay that 1 credit card off every month. Interest is free money for someone else. I’d rather keep it in my pocket.

As a freelancer, I have yet to have a consistent check come in at a specific time for consecutive months, so having the money in the bank before I pay all my bills on the 1st of each month is critical.

I do have savings from the sale of my house I can pull if absolutely necessary, but I’ve only dipped into that money a couple of times over the past 7 years and put the money back as soon as possible afterward. For the most part, I ignore my savings, it’s for my future, not for today.

• How to decide what to spend money on and what not to? Easy – do I have the money for it now? If yes, do I *really* need/want it? If yes, I purchase it. If no or not really, I don’t buy it.

Extravagances: going out to eat, especially dinner – I prefer lunch specials. Organic food – I’d love it, but have to be realistic. Name brands for anything – 95% of the time – exception is computers, I like Dell (but that’s a business expense), and only in the past 6 months have I started to purchase good running gear. I have a 10-year-old car, TV, and stereo and my furniture is 10-20 years old.

• I rent books from the library instead of buying, I reuse manila file folders and binders, I print things sparingly and on recycled paper. I cycle or walk when I can instead of driving. I plan errands all in 1 day instead of ‘whenever’. I say no to things I can’t afford. I buy clothes on sale. I save all my change and trade it in for dollar bills every few months – amazing how change adds up!

It takes discipline to resist the newest things, but it’s a conscious decision for me, and one I’ve been practicing for years now. I think anyone can do it – just like anyone can do anything she sets her mind to.

If it’s truly important to you and in line with your core values, you’ll make it happen. I don’t need the shiniest and prettiest ‘things. What I absolutely do need is to have the words to keep hitting the page.

Lisa J. Jackson is a New England-region writer and a year-round chocolate and iced coffee lover. She loves working with words and helping others with their own. As Lisa Haselton she writes fiction, co-blogs about mystery-related writing topics at Pen, Ink, and Crimes, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is a chat moderator at The Writer’s Chatroom. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

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Gratitude and goals

It’s still January, and I’m still pulling my 2013 goals together. But I have quite a few writing-related ones that I’d like to share.

If I make them public, I’ll be more accountable to accomplishing them. They are are doable, I haven’t figured out a WIG (wildly improbably goal) like Diane has, but I’ll get there.

For now, my writing goals include:

• Query at least 12 magazines (regional and national) for articles
• Continue writing for my favorite regional magazine, NH ToDo
• Post at least every other week on this blog
• Double my business writing (white papers, case studies, ghost blogging, etc.)
• Participate in an every-other-week critique group for my fiction
• Submit to at least 6 short story contests
• Submit to at least 6 anthologies
• Create e-books for writers and small businesses
• Journal daily

As you can see, not every point is specific (yet), but I’m getting there.

I also plan to read 1 non-fiction book per month – business related or for personal development.

I have more goals, but I’m still figuring them out.

The title of this post include gratitude, and I just want to say thank you to you for reading. I’m grateful for the opportunity to share a part of my writing life with you and hope you find snippets of inspiration that you can adapt into your own writing life.

A freelance writing life is absolutely possible if you want it enough.

Lisa J. Jackson is a New England-region journalist and a year-round chocolate and iced coffee lover. She loves working with words, and helping others with their own. As Lisa Haselton, she writes fiction, co-blogs about mystery-related writing topics at Pen, Ink, and Crimes, has an award-winning blog for book reviews and author interviews, and is a chat moderator at The Writer’s Chatroom. Connect with her on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter. 

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Empowering Submission – guest post by Naomi Shafer

Regular Live to Write – Write to Live blogger Deborah Lee Luskin recently posted Raising a Writer. Here’s a post by that young writer, who by changing the language, offers a new way to think about sending work out.

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It’s hard to get excited about submitting. Submission Opportunity sounds dirty. As a twenty-three year old, just starting out, I have far too many opportunities to submit in my personal and professional life. And I work in a literary office, so I know the odds: they’re grim. But working on the other end of the submission spectrum has offered me a new perspective: as much as I’d like to believe that the gatekeepers to literary success are ogres, this job has taught me that the opposite is true. Each work is read with compassion and dedication, read by people who have dedicated their lives to soliciting new work. So, regardless of whether I like the lingo or not, to assert myself as a writer, I have to bite the linguistic bullet and submit my work.

I offer this: Instead of submitting to a competition, agent, or publisher, submit for. Submit for the opportunity to start something new, to clear your head, to know the draft is done.  Submit for the personal satisfaction of having done your best. Or, if you really need to spin it, submit for the person who will read it, for the opportunity to share your work with a stranger, to make someone else’s day a little less lonely. Because it will. Reading new work gives me hope to know that there are so many writers brave enough to share their work.

My evaluation is only one step in the process of how work is chosen. I can’t guarantee anything, certainly not fame or fortune, but what I can give each writer is my undivided attention while reading her work. I step into the world she has created and then ask what it taught me about myself. That’s a gift I can never repay, certainly not one that can be quantified with a royalty check. The authors who crafted these stories may never receive validation from my office (although many, even those not selected, do), but their characters step away from the page and inhabit my day. Some of them accompany home and keep me smiling all week. Others visit unexpectedly, months later, and remind me the enduring power of stories.

Submitting your work is an act of generosity. You give someone the chance to read a story they’d never heard before. And you create an audience, even if it’s only one person. Now, my submission is empowered with the knowledge that my work will be read. For now, that’s enough. . . But still really hard.

I’ve made a submission schedule with the goal that the more I practice it, the less scary it will become; submitting my work will feel less like submitting my whole self. The added perk is that the schedule keeps me moving forward.  Having an outside deadline helps for the days I’d prefer to clean my toilet than write. And sometimes it’s fun to write within parameters I wouldn’t have thought of for myself.

But it’s not foolproof. This past month I chickened out.  Frustrated by the contest I should have heard back from weeks ago, I let myself slump. Then, angry at the judges for not giving me the courtesy of a response, I invited six friends over to read the play I’d submitted. I was one chair short. My attempt at gluten-free baking was a catastrophe. But the play came to life. Best of all, I got feedback and encouragement from the people I care about most. It taught me that there will be other opportunities for this play, ones I can make for myself.

And in the meantime, I remind myself that each work I submit is a gift for the person lucky enough to read it.

How do you get yourself to submit your work?

Naomi Shafer is a Dramaturgy/Literary Management Intern at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, where her play Lucid is about to premiere in a festival of short plays. She is the editor of the Intern Company Blog and a contributing writer for inside Actors, the theatre’s newsletter. Shafer holds a B.A. in Sociology and Theatre from Middlebury College.

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