Since this is my blog, I thought I’d talk about myself a bit. Yes, I am that egotistical. no, really… Okay, maybe not. At any rate, I started writing seriously when I was roughly eighteen. And when I say seriously, I mean I bought a typewriter (does anyone know what that is anymore?) and a stack of notebook paper and started pecking away. I had a dream then to become a published writer. What I didn’t know then, was that I was gonna bypass traditional publishing. I was probably like every other person who had stories running around in their head, thinking they’d be a best seller at some point.
I’ve written on and off since then. I stopped and started, took a year to finish a first draft of a novel that I thought was complete crap and didn’t send anywhere. And you know what? It probably was complete crap. But what it did was teach me. I began learning the craft, way back when. After that, I started and stopped another three or four that never got completed. I didn’t have a complete plot, just some basic ideas. Like some writers who get the infamous “Writer’s Block” I stopped because I had no idea where I was going with those stories. I gave up for awhile, went on to other things. I’m a musician,I also draw and dabble in digital painting. Then there’s the guns, martial arts, and a whole slew of other things I’ve dabbled in. I always came back to writing. I did that several times until I wound up here.
I think honesty is always best, so I’m gonna be honest. I decided to document this process, this journey because I want to be successful, and because I’m unemployed, and have nothing better to do. I won’t go into the gory details, or bad mouth my employer. That’s all besides the point, and in the past. forward and onward.
A child’s dreams are just that, dreams. that dream might change daily, or it might be something that becomes a goal and is pursued. One thing I have done, and it’s something I’ve never done in my entire life, is take something that started as a dream, and turn it into a goal. Occasionally I thought I did, but until you actually pursue that dream, it isn’t a goal. If you sit back, talk about it, but never take the step to make that dream a reality, it will always be just that. A dream.
Take that first step. buy a type writer, start pecking out pages, or do it on your phone, or a computer, or whatever. You might not think you have the time, but everyone makes that excuse. I’ve made it more often in my life than I care to think about. You can’t focus on the past, only the future. And that future is now.
Damn…love the idea of dreams turned goals. That’s a good way to put it.
Well said, Drew. That dreaded writer’s block hit me many years ago–so bad that I quit writing for many years, but like you, I learned a lot from it. When I came back, more mature, and had a better idea of process, I was able to finish a pretty good story. I’m following my goals too–its not just a dream! Thank you for posting!
Exactly what happened to me, dan. Now I am way more focused, and try to keep moving, keep writing. Thanks for commenting.