Hurdles and milestones

I am trying to write a book. Surprise surprise, it ain't exactly been easy, but at least I can say I'm moving in the right direction. Today I overcame a ridiculous but nonetheless real mental block: the inability to share my work. I submitted a story titled "Wipe the Sleep from your Eyes" (a small section of said book) to be considered for publication in several literary journals.

So what was holding me back? I doubt that my "reasoning" was terribly different from any other insecure creative type:
-The stories aren't quite done yet
-I don't know which venue would best suit me
-What are the chances of a big-bad editor choosing a story by an unknown?
-I can't let go...!
-How do I know it's good enough?

That last one was most daunting. But I finally realized that I am probably never going to write a perfect, immortal story--especially not on the first shot--and I let it be enough that I like it, hoping that someone else will like it, too.

 My secret weapon in managing the submissions can be found at the website Every Writer's Resource; it's a list of the 50 most respected literary journals in the country... And no, I did not submit to The New Yorker... I'm more working my way from the bottom up, and looking forward to the many rejection letters at that. Now, back to the churn.

http://www.everywritersresource.com/topliterarymagazines.html