The Undiscovered Country

Repeat Frustrations

In his entry "Invalid Entry"  David McClain discussed repetition, and how sometimes it’s difficult to avoid after a while.

Problems work the same way. At least for me, I run into the same frustrations again and again, and write about them again and again. Lucky you.

My subtitle for this journal came from a comment I left in someone else’s blog: Dreaming is a prerequisite to living.

Without dreams, how can we look forward to today and tomorrow? They’re what get us out of bed every morning.

There comes a point when dreaming isn’t enough. To keep those dreams alive, I must work toward them. Nothing will fall into my lap. Dreams don’t come true; I make them happen.

I discovered in walking this all-too-familiar Desert of No Words I expect my path toward publication to magically appear before me; all I need to do is walk it.

Life has proved to me I must blaze this path with my hands, blood, sweat, and tears. No one will do it for me. I’m sick of reading stories of writers about how, for example, through their blog, some publisher or agent took notice and voila, a book deal. Stories like that only make me dream I’m worthy of such miracles. I get lazy and expect it to happen.

Only to wallow in my disappointment.

I’ve mentioned before Randy Ingermanson’s new blog ( http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/blog/index.php ). I admit I expected to be noticed through my comments alone, or to impress someone with the first two paragraphs of my story. Ha! What audacity. I participated with impure motives - to be noticed, and not to learn.

I have no one to blame but me. I set my expectations too high for one, and for another, I still want an easy road with little to no effort on my part.

How spoiled I am!

My list of excuses hasn’t changed, either. For instance, Randy is discussing how a Super Article placed on the internet for free can help get writers recognized and could even lead to a book deal. He used a lady’s book idea as an example. She’s a forensic scientist, and her book is about a forensic scientist who stumbles upon a serial killer.

She has the expertise to back her up; and because of her background can create a super Super Article that will help other mystery novelists both write their books and increase their chances of publication. A win-win.

What happens to those with no expertise to offer other than a vivid imagination and an ever-growing pile of unpublished (as yet) books?

In Randy’s last entry, a gal named Valerie asked that question, and I had to echo her.

I have nothing unique to offer that will gain any positive attention. Again, I’m searching for an easy way. However, just because I don’t have a degree in physics doesn’t mean I can’t write decent science fiction; or just because I’m no minister doesn’t mean I can’t write Christian fiction. At least I hope not, because then I’m screwed.

Truth is, I need to work harder. I have so many articles and stories many have told me should be submitted, but they sit idle collecting computer dust. I have powerful tools available for market research, so I have no reason to think there’s no market for my writing, or I’m somehow unworthy.

I need to grab hold of my dreams, stuff them in my back pocket, and get to work