THERE'S A THING…
- Sally Somerton
- Aug 15
- 2 min read
There’s a thing.
An opportunity.
A submission call appeared from Fresh Words - An International Literary Magazine with a tight deadline.
And immediately, that familiar little voice appears:
Are you sure?
Is your work good enough?
There'll be hundreds of better writers.
Only a few days until the deadline?
Really? Perhaps leave this one…
Hello, Imposter Syndrome. 👋
This time, I told her to shut up!
Well… not entirely. 😂
She was still there, muttering in the corner, but I decided she wasn't in charge.
Because instead of letting the opportunity pass, I thought:
Right. Let's give it a go and see what I can create.
So I sat down and wrote.
Five haiku for the theme: Rain & Roots, a nature and earth anthology, inspired by the island beneath my feet, its rain, wind, ocean, volcanic earth and endless cycle of growth and return.
Then I wrote a piece of flash fiction for the theme: Things Left Unsaid, a darker story about intuition, self-doubt and the things left unsaid.
From scratch.
No dusty manuscripts pulled from a drawer.
No previously written pieces conveniently waiting for their moment.
Just an idea, a deadline, a blank page and a willingness to have a go.
And now...
🌧️ Three haiku have been accepted for Rain & Roots!
🚗 My flash fiction, The Next Exit, has been accepted for Things Left Unsaid.
Four pieces. Two anthologies. One very happy writer.
And perhaps that's the bit I really want to celebrate.
Not just the acceptances, though I'm rather chuffed..
The fact that I submitted.
Because I nearly didn't.
Imposter syndrome doesn't always disappear before we do the thing.
Sometimes she comes along for the ride, muttering:
Who do you think you are?
And sometimes we just have to answer:
“I'm the writer who's going to find out.”
So here's my little reminder, for me as much as anyone else:
There's a thing.
There's an opportunity.
Don't reject yourself before anyone else gets the chance to.
Do the work.
Send it out.
Let someone else decide.
And if it gets accepted?
Happy dance absolutely compulsory. 💃🏻😂❤️
Sally x
Sally Somerton - Island Writer
©sallysomerton2026
All Rights Reserved
Comments