Read all of the local litmags—support them and local authors and literary organizations.
Attend all the local events I can—definitely the writerly ones, but not limited to those. Lit mags want art, other artists tell stories, and all of that exposure will only help my art. Besides art is not a zero-sum game. What’s good for the arts is good for me—support my arts community and give it a reason to support me when my work gets out there.
Read lots of literary mags and story/essay collections. Pay attention to where authors I like, and maybe write a little like, get published. Read those mags; support and signal boost them; support and signal boost the authors I like.
Look for opportunities to improve my writing, whether in classrooms, with groups, or from reading stories and craft books.
Find good potential homes for my stories, establish rules for where I want my stories to appear and under what circumstances.
Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write. Write.
Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit. Edit.
Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit. Submit.
Make room on the book shop’s shelf for my name.