Following Your Dreams

Sometimes success comes from keeping your eyes open, and taking on opportunities when you can find them.

Several years ago a friend told me about the writer’s guild, they met on the first Saturday of the month at the public library.  I have been working on my great epic fantasy novel for years, so I went to the meeting, and the next one, and the next one.  I enjoyed meeting with these talented people.  Then I got a job that required me to work the first Saturday of every month.  So I couldn’t go to the meetings, but I kept getting e-mails, and I kept tabs on what was going on.

Then one e-mail came in talking about submitting something you’ve written for an anthology.  I just happened to have something ready.

I am also a member of AQC, an online writing forum.  I have met some amazing, talented people there.  I joined the Speculative Fiction Group, every summer they run a Marathon.  I submitted my epic fantasy, with visions of everyone loving my work and getting some pointers.

Well, not everyone loved my work, and I got a lot of pointers, so many in fact that I relized the book was nowhere near ready for publication. 

After the Summer Marathon the group moderator had a short story competition in which the main character had to be an animal who had the ability to reason and such.  The animal could only give one line at the end of the story.

So I took the challenge and wrote the story.  It didn’t win the competition, but I kept it on hand because I liked it.

Then the call came for a submission for the anthology.  So two different places came together for me and I submitted my short story, and it was accepted.

Now the book is available on Amazon, and on the Kindle reading platform. 

Suddenly I have something published.  Opportunities presented themselves and I took them.  If I hadn’t written the piece for the competition I wouldn’t have had anything ready for the anthology.  If I hadn’t been going to the writer’s guild meetings, and stayed connected when my schedule kept me form attending I wouldn’t have known of the opportunity.

A lucky break some may say.  Well, in a way yes, but lucky breaks come from doing things you love, and finding ways to improve, no matter what your focus is, be it scholastic, sports, dance, music, or writing.

So, today I can say I am a published author.  Granted it is just one short story in an Anthology, but it is a start.  A step on a journey, a goal fulfilled, a moment of success.  Life is so short and not a lot of success has been coming my way, but perseverance and a good attitude go a long way in making things successful. 

So keep at it.  Keep working towards your goals, and let the failures be just setbacks, and not roadblocks that keep you from where you want to be.