Be Sensible: Pursue Your Dreams

Recently I was listening to the audiobook version of Kevin Smith's Tough Sh*t: Life Advice from a Fat, Lazy Slob Who Did Good. Kevin Smith is the director/writer of such classic indie films as Clerks and Dogma. In this book he talks about how, in the early '90s, he went from a postal employee's kid in "lower, lower, lower middle class" New Jersey to a Sundance Film Festival wunderkind.

(A quick warning: this is a great book, but if you're not familiar with Kevin Smith's work, you may want to see one of his movies before picking it up. He uses some of the naughtiest language imaginable! But he always manages to do it with lots of humor and no malice, which makes him both loveable and engaging...if very, very coarse.)

At the beginning of the book, Kevin talks about how his father's sudden death influenced him to pursue his dreams. Although this is obviously a sad subject, here's one of the things that he took away from the experience:

"...there is little sense in not at least trying to accomplish

 all of your wildest dreams in life."

I don't know if that line will impact you the way it did me, but my personal reaction was one word: Wow

All of a sudden, I was looking at things from an entirely new angle. We're taught by a well-meaning society that pursuing dreams is nice, but sometimes a little foolhardy. We're told: "Be smart. Be sensible."

But what I realized is that the smart thing, the sensible thing, is to pursue our dreams. This doesn't mean that we can neglect the parts of our life that need tending, because the electric bill does have to be paid, and the kids do have to be clothed and fed (and hugged and listened to!). Sometimes day-to-day needs can overshadow our larger personal goals. It can be difficult to find the time and energy to chase our whimsies, and pursue our aspirations.

But in a way, the fact that it's difficult makes it all the more important. The universe doesn't typically open up a golden gate, unfurl a red carpet and say: "Okay kid, there's your road to accomplishment. Start walkin'!" We have to chisel out minutes, hours, days and years to follow our heart's desire. 

There is little sense in not at least trying to accomplish all of your wildest dreams in life. So let's be smart, let's be sensible, and let's pursue our dreams.

This little bit of inspiration came to me from a very unexpected place (the dirty-mouthed, sweet-hearted Kevin Smith). I'd love to know: have you found inspiration in unexpected places? And what helps you or inspires you to accomplish your goals?

Protecting The Dream

Somewhere between the age of ten and thirty we forget how to dream. Who really knows what the magical age is that all our hopes and aspirations, those limitless possibilities, vanish in the face of the harsh realities of life? One day you turn around and poof. They’re gone. But I believe it’s more important than ever for writers--and women, especially--to keep the dream alive. We have so many demands on our lives and responsibilities that can weigh us down and pull us in a hundred different directions that we often overlook or push aside those secret dreams and goals we’ve nurtured deep inside. Instead, we choose to sacrifice what’s good for us for that which seems best for our families and loved ones. However, I’d argue, it’s when you’re pursuing your goals, when you’re tasting the fruit of your dreams, that you become a stronger person and have more to offer those who depend on you. What are your dreams? And what are you willing to do to achieve them?

Here are five key things I’ve discovered are important to breathing life into your hopes and dreams, no matter what your age.

Believe in Yourself - If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will. Start there. Recognize your talent. Work hard to be the best writer you can be. Acknowledge you can achieve anything you set your mind to and then do it. Realize that no one else really cares if you finish that novel and they’ll all do everything in their power to make sure you don’t. It’s all up to you. You must believe in yourself and your writing.

Know What You Want - If you don’t set goals, you’ll never achieve them or know that you’ve achieved them. Are you afraid of success? Start little. Baby steps will get you moving in the direction you want to go as long as you know the destination. If you never have a destination, you’ll float through life. That’s okay if you’re a balloon. Not if you want to be a published author.

Keep Your Focus - When the rest of the world is frittering away time on x, y, and z, keep your focus. Write. Write. Write. Those pages add up. If you want to be a published author you need to write like a published author. No excuses. What are you willing to do without to complete your manuscript?

Take Risks - Don’t let your fear cripple you. Take appropriate risks to further your publishing career. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Push yourself outside your comfort level. Yes, it’s scary. But you’ll grow exponentially. Pitch to your dream editor. Corner that rockin’ hot agent at the bar. Take a class that will push your writing to the next level. Present a workshop. Courage and confidence will take you far.

Surround Yourself With Cheerleaders - The writing life is hard. It’s a lonely, solitary life. Find a group of writers who will help you grow and cheer you on when the process becomes overwhelmingly hard. We can’t do this alone. We need to know that even though writing is a solitary journey that there are others like us walking a similar path.

So, what are you prepared to do to make your dream a reality?

This Blog Post Has No Answers

There are big things going on in the world of publishing. If you're paying any attention at all you know who Amanda Hocking is and why unpublished writers of all genres are so avidly following her success.

But just in case you haven't been following all of it, the upshot is this: Amanda Hocking is an "indie" publishing phenomenon (aka self-published writer) who, according to a recent USA Today article, sold more than 450,000 copies of her ebooks in January. Just in January. Not through one of The Big Six traditional publishing houses (as J.A. Konrath calls them), but straight from her computer to digital bookstores like Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

I don't know how to explain what she's done. I'm not sure anybody really can explain exactly how it happened. But the fact that she—and lots of other independently e-published writers—have done it raises all sorts of questions. You know, little questions. Little easy questions like, Who am I? What am I doing here?

And my particular favorite, at the age of 48, What do I want to be when I grow up?

Questions I used to know the answers to.

Hi, I'm Yvonne and I'm a writer. Some day a publisher in NY will buy one of my books and bookstores will put it on their shelves and I will be able to hold it in my hands.

That used to be the answer.

For almost 40 freaking years, that was the answer.

But the economy sucks and publishing is adjusting and making cuts, just like any other business. And now you can self publish without having to buy cases of your own book and then selling it out of the trunk of your car.

 You can format it for digital platforms and upload it to Amazon and B&N where story-hungry readers are trolling for low-priced ebooks and depending on how much effort you put into promoting yourself, you too might become an indie publishing success.

The thing about answers, though, is that once you figure them out, once you've got them fixed in your mind, they're really really nice to hold onto.

And really really hard to let go.

That sound you're hearing out there in the world of writing, that low, sub-woofer-y, bone-rattling noise that you're hearing is the sound of our long-held dreams hitting the rumble strips as we take the exit ramps off the publishing highway.  We need to pull over and have a think.

Our dreams are in publishing. And publishing is changing. Do our dreams have to change with it? Or will the dream still, always and forever, remain the same?

We in the Rockville 8 are all—to varying degrees and in different ways—struggling with these questions. And so far, like the title of this post says, we have no answers.

What about you?

If you're a writer are you thinking about publishing straight to digital? Or is that too far away from your dream?

If you're a reader, do you pay any attention to who publishes the books you read? Would it make any difference to you if you found out the book that's been keeping you turning the pages wasn't published by one of the traditional publishing houses?

Inquiring minds want to know . . .


Image purchased from istockphoto.com