Now, even if you’re not an author, but believe in following your dreams, hopefully you’ll enjoy this blog post.
When I released How My Life Became Chaos, it was quite a daunting experience. Reading is so subjective, just because one person loves a book it doesn’t mean the next person will. I’m all for this, as how boring would the world be if we all loved the same things. We’d all wear the same clothes, drive the same cars, have our houses decorated in the same design and colours … can you imagine? Stepford wives eat your heart out!
Just imagine if no-one had achieved anything amazing! Something great! Something that changed the world. Can you imagine if those people blended into the background and allowed society to rule who they should be!
However, although I’m up for individualism, this made the release of my book very scary. I was very lucky though (and relieved) to have amazing feedback & recently after my book tour I received awesome feedback from book bloggers.
Although, I’ve had great reviews, it can still be quite a lonely place; you work endlessly on your book, you’re involved in a whole new world, creating characters, developing plots (this part I don’t, as many other writers, find lonely), but then when you’re back to your real world, you then have to be subjective about your own writing. Editing can be a lonely place; pulling your own work to pieces … it’s not the nicest side of writing. I love my editor Jenny Drewery but when I received my first manuscript back, I could have cried. There was so much red pen, I nearly threw the whole thing in the bin.
While interviewing other authors you get to see that they too have been through it. Joanna Penn mentions the ‘red-pen from editors’ in her book, ‘How to Market a Book‘. Interviewing authors like Joanna helps me realise that I’m not alone, that other authors have been, and are going, through exactly the same thing. I’m a huge believer in, ‘Never giving up’.
Following dreams and goals is a huge passion of mine, I believe everyone should follow their destiny. So even if you’re not a writer, if you’re struggling or have lost your way, I find the best way to keep focused is to associate with people who believe in you and believe in themselves! Maybe you can chat to people online who are having similar experiences to yourself. Maybe your goal is harder to reach than you initially realised, research people who have done something similar to you. If your goal is something that no-one has ever achieved, then research all the greats in the world: Alexandra Bell, who invented the telephone, Frederick McKinley Jones, who invented refrigeration systems, Patricia Bath, who invented a form of eye surgery using lasers … the list is endless. If you need encouragement do some research on the amazing people who have developed or invented something new. Read biographies … you will find things didn’t happen overnight for most people.
It’s hard work following a dream, but you’ve got to make sure you’re enjoying the journey. This is just one of the reasons I love interviewing other authors, not only do I feel like I’m connecting with people who have the same dream as me, but I’m finding out about them. I’m finding out about their books, what has inspired them to write, what advice would they give to other authors … it’s so lovely speaking to other people who are passionate about what I’m passionate about.
So if you have a dream you want to achieve, seek out others who have the same passion as you.
And remember: NEVER GIVE UP!
‘You need to associate with people that inspire you, people that challenge you to rise higher, people that make you better. Don’t waste your valuable time with people that are not adding to your growth. Your destiny is too important.’ Joel Ostee