I have big dreams as a writer, and as an entrepreneur.
But I often try to squash those dreams down because they feel too egocentric or too ambitious or too unreasonable. Not sensible at all. And I have always been a sensible girl, taking everything very seriously! I try to be practical and pragmatic and realistic.
But today I read this passage from the brilliant Julia Cameron in The Sound of Paper, an excellent book to dip into for creative inspiration.
“A great deal of the time we dismiss our longings on the grounds that they aren’t reasonable – and often they aren’t. Where did we get the idea that life was intended to be reasonable? … We have very little evidence that sensible and frugal are actually qualities cherished by the Great Creator … Most of us have a dream that we could set sail if only we dared … Rather than act on these dreams, we often shoo them from our consciousness, saying ‘I need to be sensible. I would never be able to manage that.’ But perhaps we can manage more than we think.”
This passage challenged me, so I am sharing my big dreams with you. Please share yours with me in the comments. Maybe together we can make some of them come true – even if it takes this writer’s lifetime.
- I want to be a brand name fiction author – which means becoming an excellent, commercial fiction writer and all that entails
- I want to be a New York Times bestselling fiction author
- I want to write a James Bond book – maybe be the first women to do so – and have a book launch with a fantastic sports car and hot guys in tuxedos flanking me in a scarlet dress (inspired by the launch of Carte Blanche by Jeffrey Deaver)
- I want my books to be made into action adventure movies, preferably featuring Angelina Jolie, and I want to walk down the red carpet at the premier
- and yes, I want to be on the Forbes list of the highest paid authors
Nothing too ambitious then?!
These dreams may be crazy and ambitious, but I also know the difference between dreams and goals. My current goal is to get the third novel in my ARKANE series, Exodus, finished before July. I know I can achieve that goal.
But our dreams feed our goals, inspire us and keep us focused on the future. I’ve always wanted to be a brand name fiction author, that’s a little guilty secret from years ago, but I am definitely closer now than I was 3 years ago. Back then I didn’t even have one novel. Our dreams have to start somewhere, right?
I’d love to hear what you think in the comments [below the original post, here].
This is a reprint from Joanna Penn‘s The Creative Penn.