We all have dreams... at least, I hope that's true, because life without a dream would feel a lot like life without hope. But dreams can feel elusive and unattainable when they involve more than idle wishes.
I first dreamed of being a published author in 1984 when I began writing my first romance novel. I'd always known that I had creative urgings that were both distracting and hard to contain. I was artistic. I took art classes as a child and loved them. I played piano, clarinet, oboe, and guitar. I was athletic. I took gymnastic classes as a child – only until the teacher told my mother that I had a natural talent and my mother withdrew me from the classes, fearing I'd become a circus gypsy as an adult (which, admittedly, sounds kind of fun to me). And I've always liked to write a lot. I used to write poems and short stories all the time. I even wrote to-do lists just because I liked the process of writing things down.
I never finished that first book that I started. I met a published author who gave me some good advice: write what you know. So, I abandoned my first effort (about a baseball player- something I knew little about) and started a new story. It had a military theme, and as an army veteran, that made more sense to me. I also joined Romance Writers of America and met an author who had just published her first book (she's a very successful author today). That was inspiring to me.
Now, in 2019, I've published my first book. Dreams can come true - not always the way you hope or envision, but they can come true. It's been a long journey for me. Since starting that first book that I later abandoned, I've lived in Colorado, Oregon, Louisiana, California, and Germany. I've raised children and helped raise grandchildren (that'll be another blog!). I've attended funerals and weddings. I've laughed and I've cried. And through it all I kept writing. Not to be published (admittedly, I gave up on that dream for many years), but instead to let the characters inside me breathe and cry; they too, needed to laugh and raise children. And the process of writing gave me hope; it kept me hanging onto my dream even if it was only by the white knuckled grasp of my weakest palm.
And then one day I just decided to just put myself out there. It wasn't easy, but determination made it happen. And here I am… telling you that dreams can come true.
So now you try it… what's your dream, and what do you need to do to make it come true?