So, today I have what I consider to be a valuable word of wisdom to impart to you. As indicated in the post title, it's all about perserverance.
Going after you dreams isn't an easy undertakings. There are all kinds of obstacles that will get in your way, from self-doubt, to finances, to family and work obligations. For me, the things that could hamper my efforts are numerous- I have two young children, one with special needs; a husband in the military, a house to run, an another career as a freelance corporate writer. My days are hectic, filled with potty breaks, wiping noses, meal planning, cooking, cleaning, fielding what seems like hundreds of phone calls a day, attending to my freelance clients, and, somehow, writing fiction. When people ask me how I do it, I usually reply with this:
"I don't really know, but I don't sleep a lot."
Not a glamourous or exciting response, but it's the truth. :)
Chasing the dream of writing fiction full-time is something I must do. In order for me to deal with the things I deal with on a daily basis, I have to believe it's a dream that really can come true. Otherwise I'd have a breakdown and just completely lose my sh*t. So I pull the early mornings, trying to wake up before the kids so I can write. As soon as I get used to getting up at a certain hour, they start waking up earlier. Crafty little scamps, aren't they?
So I stay up late and write. Or I escape to the library or a cafe on the weekends and write while my darling husband is with the children. I write in the therapy clinic waiting room on Monday when my son gets two and half hours of speech, occupational and physical therapy. I write in the hospitals and clinics I take him to for his never-ending string of doctor's appointments. I write in a Moleskin book I keep in my purse, on my cell phone's Writer App, on a scrap of paper laid against my steering wheel in the car. (Not while I'm driving, though.)
I have so many stories to tell, I can't stop. I must write. It is as much a part of who I am as my love of music, or the colors teal and purple, or my attraction to chocolate and Japanese animation. I must write, for me, there is no other option.
Recently, a dream of mine came true. I sold a book to a publisher that I've been trying to get in with for years. Not only did I sell to them, I sold the book no other house would touch. The heroine is a runaway slave and that seemed to really make folks uncomfortable. This was my "impossible" to sell book, my one in a million shot, the story I could not just tuck away under the bed. I had seven rejections back to back before I sold it.
But I sold it.
Why? Because I am worthy, I am talented, I am good enough. And so are you.
You can grab Freedom's Embrace now on pre-order at Amazon, and it will hit your ereader on August 1st. Click the cover to get it.
You can also get it directly from Ellora's Cave. Add it to your wishlist here.
If you don't remember any of my ramblings today, remember this. No matter how hard and fast you have to run, a dream is always, always worth chasing.
Until Next Time,
Kianna
