The Thing About Dreams (and Some GREAT Deals on books)

I’ve been thinking about dreams this week, and what people will often do to achieve them. How far we travel, how hard we work, the sacrifices we willingly make, all for dreams that may—or may not—turn out the way we hope.

That’s the thing about dreams. They generally don’t work out the way we plan them in our heads.

If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you probably already know I’m a dreamer. My dreams tend to be grandiose and maybe even unrealistic on some levels, and yet on other levels, I openly acknowledge that sometimes it’s the ability to dream, the hope it inspires, and the journey I’m traveling that makes me truly happy. And I’m really very okay with that.

I want to be a bestselling author who makes millions of dollars. There. I said it. Seriously, I don’t know a single author who would turn that down. But that’s not why I write. In fact, it’s not why MOST of us write. Some friends of mine have posted beautiful thoughts about dreams and how they change over time. How some dreams might have to be retired to make room for new ones, and how one friend realized she writes to share a bit of her soul with others.

I don’t write to make money, and that’s a good thing. If that was why, I would have been forced to quit years ago. I don’t write to please others, teach a lesson, push an agenda. I write to tell a story. I write because the very act of creating soothes me, makes me whole. I write because it’s part of who I am.

I will always dream. I will always hope that someday I’ll write that book that takes off. Someday, I’ll make enough money to buy my vacation island in a tropical somewhere. Or a yacht. Or, you know, pay off my house and send my kids to college.   

But if that never happens, it’s okay. I may have to make room for other dreams that can be more lucrative, but I don’t think I’ll ever truly be able to stop writing. And so the dream lives on.

What about you? Why do you dream?

PS. This week, you can get a boxed set of seven romantic suspense books for .99 here. This is a SERIOUSLY great deal. Don’t miss out! Also, if you haven’t grabbed your copy of Elana Johnson’s latest release, Elevated, it’s not too late. And if you haven’t snagged your copy of DESCENDANT yet, better hurry! BIRTHRIGHT comes out in a little over a month. 

Elusive things and Infinity

I’m back! After several months of my brain rolling around at about 50% past capacity, turning it off for a week was a much-needed, long overdue occasion. 

While I was gone, I had the opportunity to stand on a balcony and gaze over the ever-moving, ever-changing ocean. I’ve always wanted to see a whale in the wild. Always. In my small mind, I keep thinking that one of these days I’m going to be in the right place at the right time and an enormous whale is going to pop up and show itself to me, posing while I snap postcard-quality pictures with my conveniently present camera. I’ve held onto this hope for years, and though I’ve crossed the ocean a number of times (and been near it, on it, close to it, etc.) I still haven’t been in that perfect place and time. Yet.

I’ve seen dolphins, sea turtles, flying fish, and crabs. Pelicans, cranes, and a bazillion other cool birds. I’ve seen alligators, too. But no whale.

It’s like this elusive thing that I just can’t reach.

But as I watched the water stretch out in all directions, broken by nothing but the horizon, I realized something. The ocean is freaking VAST. It’s infinite. There are places where it’s so deep it can’t even be measured. And no matter how many whales live in it, the chances of me being in the right spot to see one are slim. There is just so much space and one single whale is such a small thing comparatively. I mean, yes, I understand that there are known places to go whale-watching. But even then there’s no guarantee. It’s still about timing. And that timing isn’t just up to me.

But I know that if I keep looking, one day I’ll get to see my whale. And if I don’t, at least I’ll know I never gave up trying.

I think that’s true with a lot of our life goals. The world is vast. In many ways it’s infinite. Dreams are sometimes elusive things that feel out of reach. But we will never know how infinite we are until we unfurl our sails and make for the horizon.  

Maybe we’ll find a whale, and maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll find something else entirely. Like, I don’t know, a new continent that will be lauded as the promised land and named after us. The point is we have opportunities and choices and chances. Enough to fill an entire ocean. It’s up to us to decide if we have the courage to sail.

What is something you’ve always wanted to see/do/try? 

The Best Outcome Starts with a Hard Choice

Last weekend, my family and I flew to Texas to scope out the city where we will be moving, and to look for a rental house to live in until our home in Utah sells. It’s a beautiful place, close to the water (I’ve always dreamed of living near the ocean) and small enough to not be overwhelming, while near enough to a bigger city to not make us feel isolated. Sort of the best of both worlds.

And if it weren’t for all the comforts and people we’re leaving behind, our decision to move there would have been a no brainer.

But we are leaving behind people we love, and a place where we’re established and comfortable. Where my kids have friends and we all know what to expect of things as small as seasonal changes, and as big as cultural expectations. And I’m not going to lie. It’s not an easy thing to do. Even with all the benefits to our family (there’s a really good job involved) it’s hard.

So why are we doing it?

Because we know that the best results usually start with the hardest decisions. And though I know I’ve said it before, it bears mentioning again. We can do hard things.

We. Can. Do. Hard. Things.

These are the things that make us strong. That define us. That determine our future. And as much as we humans might wish otherwise, this is the way dreams are discovered.

This move isn’t an easy one. There will be tears and heartache and grief. But it’s nothing we can’t handle. Because we’re dreamers, and it’s just what we do.

What about you? What hard thing are you doing this month?

Do It Anyway

I've always been into positive thinking. You know, that whole believe in yourself and you can do anything...thing.

And I do believe it. I believe I can, and you can, and my kids can. We all have opportunities to succeed, to do big things, to become better people. We all have the opportunity to succeed, even if that success is preceded a thousand failures.

But we have to take those opportunities, and we have to be willing to fail. We have to try out before we can be cut from or make a team, and audition before we can get the part, and we have to apply for a job before we are hired.

We have to be okay with learning how to pick ourselves up out of a hole of destruction and rebuild our lives. Or our self confidence. Or whatever. You know what I mean.

I am willing. Always. Because this is the way dreams are discovered.




What are you willing to do for your dreams?

The Beauty of An Open Mind

When I first started writing, I had grandiose and rather naive dreams of how my newly chosen career would go. I’m sure you know them. They go something like this:

a. Write a single book in one draft.
b. Publisher falls in love with single book and offers buckets of money to publish it immediately.
c. Agents fawn over author, fighting over who gets to represent her.
d. Author makes so much money, husband can retire and together they can travel the world while the author writes more bestsellers.
e. Fans go so crazy that author has to hire personal security to follow her around.
f. Movie directors snatch up the gem and turn single book into multi-million dollar series of films.
g. Etc, etc, etc.

All right. I must admit, I wasn’t quite that disillusioned. But I won’t say I haven’t wished for similar scenarios. All authors have dreams like this. (And if you don’t, you’re either lying to yourself or crazy. Just sayin.)

But the reality is so very, very different. What’s more, each author’s journey is vastly different from that of his or her author friends/ acquaintances/ peers. In a market that offers so many levels of success, it would be impossible for two people to have the same experience.

My personal journey continues, and while I am probably still a long way from that story of wild success, I’m happy with where I am because I’ve opened my mind to all the new possibilities and levels of achievement. More, I’m learning to adjust my hopes and dreams as I discover new realities and potential I never before considered.

And I’ve come to realize that the one thing—the MOST IMPORTANT thing—is that no matter where I am in my career as an author, there will always be another level for which to reach, another skill to learn, and another book to write. The best thing I can do to ensure my own success is to learn how to keep an open heart and mind.

That, my friends, is a beautiful thing.

Things I Love, Day 4: Dreams, Goals, and Aspirations

You know that famous speech by Martin Luther King Jr.? I have a dream...(Yeah, okay, I know. Everyone knows about that speech.)

But really, I do have a dream. Lots of them, actually. And goals, and aspirations and plans. Not just for myself, but for my family, my friends, the world. I dream that my children will find and follow their passion, discover their place in life and the universe. Me too, but in a different sense. I've found my passion, my calling. Unlike my teenagers, I'm finally to a place where I know what I want. And I'm learning how to get it.

I create goals, follow through, move forward. And as I find success--whatever the size--my children are watching me, learning. Growing from lessons I'm being taught .They're seeing first hand what happens when you aspire to do something, be something, and allow it to drive you.

My dreams are what drive me. And because those dreams include my family and our future, the fire that burns in me, the passion for my goals is passed on to them. They may not become authors, but it is my hope that my kids will grow up knowing that it is possible to follow a dream. That dreams are worth fighting for, worth sacrificing other wants and desires.

We don't know what will happen tomorrow, or next week, or even next year. But today, we can work diligently, knowing that if we keep at it, eventually, our hard work will pay off.

I love that. I love that by seeking out my personal goals I am setting an example for my children to do the same. But even more than that, I really just love that I'm able to dream. To picture something in my head and wonder what it will be like when that dream becomes a reality. I may be a fiction writer, but when I dream, I dream big. Real. Solid. Goals I intend to reach and surpass. There will always be something for which I am reaching, and my journey is a lifelong, never-ending one.

Yeah. I love that too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwkpihGwSj0
**I was going to post a video here, but it's disabled. You'll have to click the link. But it's worth it. This is a great, great song. 

Dreams, Motivations, and a Spotlight

Here it is Thursday, and already I'm lagging behind on a plan I made only last week. Don't worry, though, I have an author to spotlight and will get to her and her work short order.

I've been thinking a lot about dreams. Not the kind that come to us as we're asleep, (or while other people are asleep if you're Janie in the book, Wake by Lisa McMann. Great book, by the way) but rather, the kind that float into our minds during waking hours. The dreams we have for life and love, and that some of us set aside for other things once we get married and start having children. Or we set them aside for a job, or other obligations, thinking we'll get to them later.

Why do we do this to ourselves? What are we waiting for? There will always be lots of reasons why we should put off the things we want most in life. The trick, I think, is looking past those reasons to find the other list. The list that reminds us why we should get started right now. Now I'm probably sounding melancholy. I actually wrote a whole blog about this topic over at LDS Writer's Blogck. Click here to read it. Don't worry, I'll wait...

*hums a tune*

On to other topics. I've noticed a trend in the YA market lately, and it's one I love. I'm becoming addicted to books written in present tense. First person, third person--it doesn't really matter which. I like them both, depending on the author. I've decided that the reason I love it so much is because everything that's happening in the book feels so much more immediate, more pressing. And the immediacy makes me loathe the idea of putting the book down. So I end up reading present tense books super-fast. I get nothing else done. But I've read a lot lately. Hey, it's part of my job to keep up with the market. So, technically, reading = working. I also wrote a post about this topic at Writer's Fortress. Click here to read that post. Again, I'm willing to wait...

*Drumming fingers*

Are you back yet? Good. Now I have a quick question before I get to the spotlight. What motivates you to write? Or, if you're not a writer, what motivates you to do the things you love--or the things you hate but can't stop doing? (There are days I hate writing. Loathe it. But I still do it.) Does something drive you to continue on, even when you're continually rejected, frustrated and criticized? For me, it's my dreams of the future. Hope. For tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, five years from now and on. Not that I'm patient, mind you, I'm totally not. But I have all these hopes, and I know that none of it will happen if I don't do something about it. So I am driven to continue on. No blog post about this topic, by the way. Just a random stray thought.

Oh, but tomorrow, I'll be a guest blogger on the Daydreamer blog. Drop by and say hi! Maybe I'll blog about hope and drive after all. Or friendship. Something.

Today's author spotlight: Christine Thackeray

Who is Christine Thackeray?

The Short Answer

Christine currently resides in Newberg, Oregon and is the mother of seven amazing children. The oldest two boys are on missions. She graduated from BYU with a B.A. in English in 1986, thanks to her devoted husband (hah, long story and this is the short answer.) 

Daughter of author Jaroldeen Edwards, Christine has always loved writing, but more than writing itself she loves the sharing of ideas. As a young mother she was a frequent contributor to the local newspaper. Later she designed a number of brochures for the town of Fairview, used to welcome new residents. She has participated in a number of technical writing projects including a nation real estate study and several university studies. She has also written numerous Roadshows, Christmas Programs and Young Women's events.
     
After her youngest went to kindergarten, Christine decided to try writing her first novel. Surprisingly, it was accepted by CFI for publication in the spring of 2008 which has opened an exciting new chapter in her life. 


Her novels include:


The Crayon Messages:
A Visiting Teaching Adventure

and




C. S. Lewis: Latter Day Truths in Narnia

and

Her upcoming release:
Lipstick Wars (second installment in The Crayon Messages series.)


To learn more about Christine Thackeray, visit her website or blog.


**The author of this blog has received nothing, nada, ziltch for spotlighting this or any other author. No free books, no money, not even any praise. This program is done solely with my discretion and out of respect for the authors discussed, and sometimes friendship—but not always. Sometimes, it just feels like a good thing to do. Nuff said.