CHASING THE DREAM
As I mentioned yesterday, unless you're living under a rock, you know the Olympics are going on right now in Beijing, China. I've watched the Olympics for as long as I can remember. (Insert memory joke here) As a child, I was always amazed by those who competed and wondered what that must be like. Since there was nothing I did that would have put me on that path, those were bittersweet thoughts.
Then when I was the age that many Olympians are, I remember thinking that I hadn't accomplished enough in life because these people were traveling the world, winning medals or just competing on that level and I could barely get to school or work on time. Now I can watch the games, enjoy all the human interest stories, and understand the commitment and dedication it takes to reach that level without beating myself up or feeling inferior.
What does this have to do with writing? Everything. I've only been in pursuit of this publishing dream for less than two years. In fact, I probably only admitted to myself just last year that I really do want to be published. The birth of this dream happened when I met a group of talented women on the Eloisa James (then sans Julia Quinn) Bulletin Board and a bunch of us took part in the Avon Fanlit contest back in 2006. Some of those women have gone on to finish multiple manuscripts, final in and win contests, and even sell their first books.
In comparing my progress to these women, again it's as if I'm watching those Olympians achieve their dreams while I sit idly by on my couch. But this time I know it can be different. Fortunately, there is no dream age for achieving that published status. The only person who can shut me out of this game is me.
Publishing is my Olympics. I've started my training by attending workshops and conferences. Taken courses and received feedback from others that can only serve to make me better. But this is only the beginning. There is a huge amount of work ahead of me.
When did you take up the dream of publishing? Are you early in your training or are you a veteran in the field? Have you given yourself a deadline to reach your goal or are you content to keep at it for as long as it takes? In writing or anything in life, what dreams have you chased and how did it feel when you reached your goal?
Books by the Crew
36 comments:
You know, it took me a very long time to take up the dream of publishing. In fact, I hated the idea of becoming a writer. I had always been told I could write but I ran from it like the plague. I was going to be an actress.*g*
But once college started, after years of telling myself I wouldn't, couldn't, I decided to put pen to paper and figure out if I could write a whole novel- this, of course, was after I'd read my very first romance novel.
I think you're going to make it all the way, Terri! Maybe one day we can compare gold medals!:)
dream of publishing came to me in the last few years.
I wanted to be a writer when I was young... like 12... my high school English teachers had a way of crushing that desire out of my heart for a long time.
I give myself deadlines for the projects I'm working on, not for publication... though the sooner the better on that one *g*
I know I can write two books or more in a year... so I push myself to do it, I'm pretty driven to accomplish personal goals... comes from all those years of being an apt music disciple.
Well, I could tell you I took up writing cause I was pissed at my husband and wanted to create the perfect guy. I don't think I took up the idea of actually getting published until the Avon contest. It really served as a catalyst, gave me focus and more organization, such as it is.
I'm also more aware of the business side of writing, and know the end of the Olympic pool can be a long, long way off. Since you want my memoirs *g*, when I passed that swimming test that was required to graduate from college (see below, and check out Phelps's package), I had mononucleosis and didn't know it. I thought my arms and legs had lead weights on them. I was going to drown,could barely haul myself up out of the pool after it was over (and I was a lot lighter then). I sometimes feel the same way writing. I think we all do, which is why it's fabulous we found an online community to blow the whistle and coach us to the faraway finish line. My Speedo days may be over, but I'm not dead yet.
I've always been a writer, but I never really thought about publishing until after finishing my first book. I guess it was because I'd been working on it for so long and my husband just kept asking me "why". Why are you writing this, why are you sitting here every day doing this, what are you going to do with it when you're done? So I think I said I'd try and get it published just to shut him the hell up. :)
Kelly - I don't see why you can't be both a writer and an actress. And I would think acting would give you such great material for books. Those artists types are always interesting characters. :)
Tiff - I remember always writing and loving it, but I have no idea why making a living at it never occurred to me. Well, I did consider journalism when I was in HS, but knew that I'd need a four college for that pursuit and that just wasn't an option back then. And your discipline is the stuff of legend.
Maggie - I was lucky enough never to have Mono, but since it's called "kissing disease" (though that's not really how you get it) and I never got kissed, that's really not a big surprise. LOL! And yes, I would love to read your memoirs!
J.K. - Then you've certainly shut him up for good now haven't you? LOL!
Hey Ter! Great blog!!
Well, I decided to write last year. As most of you know, I'm a stay-at-home mom and prior to that, I taught high school. Last year, after DS was almost one, I decided that I really wanted to give this writing thing a lot of attention and get serious about it. I started thinking about what I wanted to write, changed my mind a couple times, and I finally started writing His Bewitching Guardian at the beginning of this year.
Wow, attempting to get published? I guess that's always been the ultimate goal. There just seem to be more hurdles between deciding to write a novel and publishing. We'll see. Someday I hope.
Ah, yes, the hurdles. Wouldn't it be nice if there was some smooth path from writing to publishing? But then maybe the win wouldn't be as sweet.
You just might be one of those who make it look easy, Marn. Not that it is, but you sure make it look that way. :)
Ah Ter, there's no shutting up a man for good--not until he's dead...and I still have some uses for him yet.
Happy Belated Birthday to Kelly Krysten! Yesterday was her birthday and we wish a year of great success and huge assistance from her muse. :)
I'm just having so much fun. If I had known ten or so years ago that I would love the writng process this much it wouldn't have taken me this long to get here.
Gah.
I thought of myself as a writer from an early age. By junior high, I had won publication in some poetry competitions, and I wrote for both my high school and college newspapers. My college friends were all certain that I would write THE GREAT AMERICAN NOVEL. LOL!
Poetry was my first genre, and I did publish in literary mags. If academic essays count, I am published in that field too. But I had given up on fiction until that same group on the pre-JQ EJ board that you mentioned, Terri, challenged and encouraged me to join the fun. I haven't looked back since, and I now have one complete mss and bits and piecwes of two WIPs. I'd like to see these published some day, but even if I don't, I will still feel that I have achieved an important goal.
My deadline is: before I'm dead. Though I'm willing to be published post-homously if someone is willing to hawk my wares after I'm in the hereafter, drinking it up with the other pirates.
Happy Belated Birthday, Kelly! You're finally old enough to drink! LOL! Just kidding...sort of. hehehe
I do enjoy when the writing gets going. And I know everyone thinks it's an excuse but when life gets in the way, the writing takes a back seat. But soon (read: in a year!) there will be less life getting in the way. Which is another reason I'm willing to be patient with myself. At least until then.
Captain - as I'm older, I'm likely going first, so don't look at me. LOL! But I doubt it will take you that long.
Janga - that's the thing about writers and musicians. There are those who only do it to get the glory or make it famous, and there are those who will do it all their lives whether they ever get *discovered* or not. I think doing it because you love it is the best reason, then getting published so others can share in your work is just the icing on the cake.
If I can never get my stories down, finished and to the point where I'm proud of them, I'll be more than happy with what I've accomplished.
Great blog Terri! I haven't watched much of the Olympics except 5 minutes of water polo yesterday, for which my husband made fun of me so much I flipped it off *g* Did someone say they had found a way to shut husbands up, or was that just wishful thinking?
I've always loved to write, but it was always academic writings and speeches. I could lose myself in research and writing and I love the whole process of presenting and publishing academic writing. But it never crossed my mind to write creatively until I (on a whim) sat down to write a short fan-fiction story. And it just clicked in my head that this is what I love to do. Maybe I'll get published, maybe I won't, but I can't imagine stopping either way. I'll be the old lady with boxes and boxes of type-written pages shoved under the bed that will someday catch fire and be the death of me *g*
Hal - I was going to say good way to look at things, then you had to go and add the morbid part. LOL! And I can't help you on shutting up the husband. I read a blog the other day that asked how do the men in your life communicate. That's when I realized, there are no men in my life. Even my pets are female! LOL! So other than getting rid of them completely, I have no input.
Glad to hear that you've found what you love to do and that you'll keep doing it no matter what. That's when you know it's real.
Ter- oh come on, I couldn't finish on a sappy note!
And I think you're got a good plan going - surrounding yourself with only women. Smart! Though I'd have to wonder if it gets kind of dramatic at times - lol
Hal - I live with a 9 year old drama-queen. Drama is my life! LOL!
PS. Great blog, Ter.
It wasn't until recently that I even wanted to write and it wasn't to get published. The voices in my head were driving me nuts.
Okay, that makes me sound crazed. Which I am, but not clinically.
I suppose someday the goal is to get published. I'm not worrying about that yet. I don't like to borrow trouble before it gets started.
Actually, Sin, I think that makes you the most sane out of all of us. LOL! Finishing is the first priority. I should probably worry about the rest when the time comes. But then, I've always had the problem of getting ahead of myself.
Awesome blog, Terrio! I've often compared the Olympics to goals I've set for myself, physical, mental, or professional. Writing, for me, is one of those goals and I've been seriously working at it for 3 years now. (Though I should be thinking more about hitting the gym.) :-D
How do we measure success? One cannot succeed without shedding blood, sweat and tears along the way. Success loses meaning without the journey. Gazing forward to the end of the tunnel, or the end of the Olympic pool, keeps us focused, gives us purpose. Is a writer's journey to finish a book or get published? Or do writer's write to leave something more meaningful behind so that when they are gone, their stories, thoughts, loves, beliefs live on? If we,as writers, are indeed writing to share a collective consciousness, then the end of the tunnel, the Olympic pool, or the rainbow will never be in sight. There are always characters to write and stories to tell.
Your journey, my journey, his/her journey will never be the same. What we learn along the way affects each of us differently. That is what makes the stories we tell sing. That is what makes, IMHO, this process so magical. Each one of us is unique. Each one of us has a story to tell.
We return you to your previously scheduled program. "Arrrr!!!"
Thank you, oh motivational speaker of the day. LOL! That's very deep and very insightful, Kathy. So much so, I don't know where to start processing that.
The truth is, anything worth having is going to take work. Hard work. Whether it's buying a house, losing 10 pounds (or *cough*40*cough), or writing a book. It's HARD but you have to decide it it's worth the work or not.
Thanks for the Happy Birthday, girls! That's so sweet.
And, Ter, as for being an actor, I simply lost the desire to do it somewhere along the way. In some ways it was just a childish dream that stayed around a little longer than expected.*g* But thanks for the encouragement! You're the greatest!!
Hey happy birthday, Kelly!
Now
It’s funny that you brought this up today, Terri. Today I got an email from an Astrology site that asked
What is your purpose for this lifetime? Are you on the right path? Are you making the right decisions?
To which I answer… Hell if I know.
What I do Know is that I have no expectations … nor do I have any dreams… perhaps delusions is a better word… of getting published. I mean, really. Publish what? My giving poor Santa or some other poor WIT (Stands for Writer In Training) a hard time? I was just talking to a WIT on the phone. She hit me with a bunch of “s”’s. Not only did she fill me in on the mysteries of snard, she also accused me of being sneaky, stealthy, smooth and scary? Oh. And she said that my writing had an agenda. What can I say to that? Except… thank you?
Thanks to All of YOU. Thank you for letting me hang out while I pursued my personal agenda. Thank you for helping me to “hone’ my craft. The craft of Writing letters.
Honestly, I Hate to write letters.
I had never blogged before, nor had I written anything in 15 years, when I showed up at Squawk Radio. I had no reason to… until my son was activated.
I knew that I my writing skills were “rusty’. And I had never had any sort of writing training to begin with. While checking out some of Teresa’s books I discovered Squawk Radio. It was just what I needed. Squawk radio became my English 101 class. They asked questions. I answered. It was good practice. And by forcing myself to post my answers online I forced myself to put some effort into my post. You know, no effort = an embarrassingly bad bit of writing. There’s nothing quite as motivating as the risk public humiliation! Ha. I have no doubt that some…heck all … of my first posts showed my discomfort with writing…and grammar, spelling, sentence structure…. It did get easier as time went on. Figuring out how to use Word helped! In the end I tried to forget that I was writing and I just pretended that I was having a conversation with someone.
That someone being … you … all of You.
Julie - we are the ones who are honored to have you with us. And I have a good idea who made that phone call. Since she called me too. LOL! Only I'm at work and had to cut it short. Dang it.
Huzzah for having an agenda! Without that, we got nothing. I'm glad you found Squawk and I'm glad you found us too. And I love the idea of being a WIT. How cool?! Keep showing up and we'll keep asking questions and maybe together, we can all find some answers.
Yesterday afternoon I finally Reached my Writing Goal. I have no more deadlines to meet. No more letters to write. I am done. Finished. Finally. Thank God. My son will not be activated again… at least for now…. And I am grateful. More than words can ever express… how thankful I am…. That my letter writing days have come to an end.
I am not a writer, Terri. I was just a woman looking for something entertaining to put in a letter to her son. And before I sign off, I wanted to express my thanks to all of you real Writers & WITs for letting me practice my “craft” on you. You were good sports.
Kelly! I dunno how I missed it! Happy birthday dear!
Kelly - almost forgot to say thanks. You're too sweet.
Julie - I'm glad your original reason for writing those letters is gone, but I do hope you'll still stop by and play aboard the ship.
Gosh Terri… I don’t know if I can write without an agenda… not that I Even knew that I had one before someone pointed it out to me…. But if I was the kind of person who wrote for a reason, besides yah know, needing to write because I couldn’t call, then I might write something like that story that I just posted under Conference Afterglow…. Not that I’m trying to tell anyone Anything…. Because that would mean admitting that She is right… Which is just … Wrong! So yah. No. I don’t have an agenda. Nope. My finger must have accidentally hit the Submit comment button when I sneezed. Darn allergies. Life isn’t fair!
I came late to this dream of publishing. I've only been in the game for the past four years. Not bad considering I only just returned to reading for pleasure about two years before that, lol.
I don't have a time table for making this dream a reality. I can tell you that there are many people in my life who want me to get that particular part of my life in gear - myself included.
I'm amending that and setting 2009 as my year to get my books out there, fly them up the flagpole and see who salutes,lol!
Happy Birthday, Kelly! Forgot to send wishes your way earlier. Sorry. :-D
I didn't mean to sound too philosophical, Terri. :-) I blame art school (LOL) where I was taught to challenge everything and question anything.
Today's fortune cookie reads: Struggle as hard as you can for whatever you believe in.
I think that sums everything up, don't you? :-D
Kathy - never TOO philosophical around here. I went to art school as well but it was the Music Biz program which means I was just taught to say screw it and do as little as possible. LOL!
I want one of those fortune cookies!
Julie - I agree. With all of that. LOL!
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