Tomorrow is Leap Day — What Leap Will You Make?

One of the biggest complaints I ever hear writers make — and here I'm even being generous and including people who call themselves writers but never seem to, you know, write anything — is that there's never enough time.

Time is the one commodity that no one's making more of.  It does  slip through our ink-stained little fingers, if we let it — especially if you've got a day job, a spouse, kids, a home to keep clean, errands to run, and a three-hours-a-night television habit.  (Well, maybe not that last one.  If you're guilty of that one, go stand in front of your mirror for me, slap yourself in the face, and scream, "what the fuck are you doing?"  Thanks.)

Well, listen, I can't give you an extra day in your week, but tomorrow, you've got something to think about — an extra day in your year.  It's Leap Day, February 29th. You actually, for once in every four years, have some extra time.

I just wanted to say, let that inspire you.  Think of all the times you've said, "if only I had more time, I'd — "  What?  Drop those short story submissions you keep putting off in the mail?  Drag out that trunk novel and start revising it?  Toss aside your current manuscript, the one you're so bored with by now, and finally get started on that big new project you're really excited about?  Here it is!  More time!  Do it!

In fact, let's stretch this metaphor out a little more — since tomorrow is called "Leap Day," make a real leap.  Don't just do something you've been putting off — do something you've been a little scared to do.

Putting my money where my mouth is — I've been a little scared to contact book-bloggers about Slices.  "Oh, they're probably not interested in short stories, and it's hard to find reviewers who will take self-published books, or who are interested in horror, or — "  Blah, blah, blah, excuse, excuse, excuse.  Anything I'm making that many excuses about I figure I must be scared of, and that means the only way to face it is head-on.

So, I'm going to go out and put together a list of — oh, let's say ten book-bloggers, and drop them a line.  I'll let you know how it goes.

That's the Leap I'm going to make tomorrow.  What's yours?