An Ode to WRiTE Club

We talk often in the blogverse about how supportive writers are of other writers, and it's true.  We're all very blessed to have found each other.  And then there are those who take it a step further and not only cheer us on, but give us a platform in which to share our writing and receive useful feedback. One such person is D.L. Hammons, who's turned his Cruising Altitude 2.0 blog into a stage for writers---or more accurately, a fighting ring.  But it's the friendliest fighting ring you'll ever see.

Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday D.L. pits two anonymous writing samples of under 500 words against each other and anyone who signs up on this linky gets to vote for the one that knocked them out.  We're also invited to offer constructive critiques of both pieces. It's a highly educational exercise just to scroll through the comments. 
So what does all this have to do with the Insatiable vixen above?  Welllll, I dusted off an old short story and polished a small sample to enter into the first iteration of WRiTE Club under the penname Art Gallery.  I made it to the final 6 and along the way received such positive feedback that I decided to give the rest of the 2,000 word story a fresh edit. I recently found a literary magazine that I thought would be a good fit aaaand---they agreed!  I'm ecstatic to announce that my short story, Impressionism 101, will be included in the debut issue of Insatiable Magazine, a new publication of White Cat Pubications.
I'm quite certain this piece would still be gathering dust if WRiTE Club hadn't sparked me with the desire to share it with a wider audience and if all the lovely commenters hadn't been so enthusiastic.  Thanks D.L. for all your hard work and to every single person who takes the time to read and comment on the entries. If you haven't participated in WRiTE Club yet, the door is always open (just remember to sign up at the linky).

***Regularly scheduled programming for The Next Big Thing will resume next week, in which I'll answer TWO questions to make up for skipping this week. Ooooooh***