Progress towards a goal I’m terrified of reaching.

Lately, I’ve been trying to get better about actually sharing my work instead of holding onto it until it’s “perfect.” I’ve realized that perfectionism can be a form of self-sabotage — if I never let my thoughts and ideas out into the world, they stay trapped in my head, and no one benefits from them. Hence the steadier pace of blog posts. Really though that’s just to keep the juice flowing.

So tomorrow, my number one priority is proofreading my short story about a soldier during the fall of Byzantium. It’s a story about desperation and regret — a soldier making a break for it, escaping one danger only to tumble into another. “Out of the frying pan and into the fire,” as they say.

Honestly, this story was about to go in the bin. I wasn’t sure it was worth finishing or sharing. But I’ve had a change of heart: I’m pretty sure I’m going to publish it. This project matters to me not just because it’s a story I’ve been working on, but because it represents a larger commitment: sharing my ideas, even when they’re raw, even when they’re not perfect. Every story, every reflection, every piece of writing is a chance to connect with someone else.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in reading, I’d love to hear from you. Once I get it polished and published — I’m hoping to get it on Kindle — I’ll share a link here. It’s my way of committing to putting my work out there and seeing where it can go.

Mic G