It's possible to become so comfortable with one's style and structure that one ceases to grow.
One of my great passions is the collection of historical trivia.
That bedrock faith that I could write was what blinded me to attempts to discourage me.
Editors of open anthologies actively seek submissions from all comers, established and unknown. They are willing to read whatever the tide washes up at their feet.
There is nothing that compares to an unexpected round of applause.
For me, writing a short story is much, much harder than writing a novel.