What It Feels Like To Be Published

The first time one of my short stories was published in an anthology I felt like I was on drugs. Unable to sit still, too warm, my limbs tingling. Although I had known it was accepted, signed a contract, emailed back and forth with an editor, and was told it would come out and when, it was entirely different to see the physical book that contained my story held by another person.

I didn’t tell everyone I knew that my story had been accepted before it was published. I had this recurring nightmare where they forgot to include my story, or spelled my name wrong, and nobody could find me. When the book came out, I was not the first to get it, and one of my writing mentors got hers before I did. This led to a text conversation that will forever be seared into my memory.

Me: Oh my gosh!!! I can’t believe you got it before I did! I hope it’s good.[...]

Her: It’s excellent.[...]

Me: Does it have my name in it? I keep having dreams where I told them how to spell my name wrong or they forgot to put me in it.

Her: I’m going to post it on social media too.

Me: [...] Omg my name isn’t in it is it

Her: What do you mean, your name isn’t in it? It is in the book

(Later one of my housemates would inform me that my name is on the back cover, a cover that was visible using the Amazon link I had posted and seen. Ooops!)

Anyway, that’s what it’s like to be a writer.