I had a conversation with a former boss many years ago about why it is that some people seem to have no problem obtaining their dreams while others just never quite get there. He told me something that has always stuck with me.
"Never say if only when."
Believing may be the most important part of accomplishing any dream. I like to think of it as positive brainwashing. No one likes to be rejected and it's a fact in this business that you WILL be, but it doesn't have to be soul crushing. Because it's not a question of if, only when.
Another great piece of advice was about knowing what it is you should be doing with your life. If you wake up every morning thinking about your story, then you're supposed to be a writer. Case closed. This advice is either from Stephen King-On Writing, or Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act II. Both valid sources.
But in the meantime, there is no other community I would rather be a part of for the long haul than this one. I have never seen a more supportive, friendly, and generally hysterical (read=crazy in a good way) group of people than writers, whether published or aspiring.
May we all live happily ever after...at least through the words.
Hear hear!
ReplyDeleteSo, so true! I remember reading a quote by children's author David Almond about how he used to visualize his novel on store shelves long before he was published. He said having that image in his head worked like a positive reinforcement of his goals.
ReplyDeleteCheers to WHEN and not IF!!
Completely concur. There was a banner that fans held up when the Red Sox were hoping to finally win the World Series (which they did) that said: You have to believe it to see it.
ReplyDeleteI believe, and I always say when, not if.
Sometimes I wake up thinking about bacon. Is this a bad sign?
ReplyDelete