Celebrate the Small Things: Wishful Thinking

Ever slip into wishful thinking, where you need a good kick-start to get you moving again in your writing or other goals? Is it a problem with the goal? A motivation issue? Some of the arguments I have with myself border on the ridiculous. It goes something like this.......

"Okay, 'little quacks', listen up. I can't move and you can't move.

All the staring in the world isn't going to change anything!"

There are days I cannot budge. I stare at the screen, my fingers frozen over the keys, my mind locked in time and space on characters I have never really met before except in my mind. Yet they are real . . . REAL as the people I sometimes hear talking in my dreams at night or playing out in my mind during the day.

 

"But I like hanging out in the loft," a small voice says.

"There are no pressures there. No agents or publishers to

worry about, no critiques to fret over. No queries to write or

that synopsis I need to rewrite. Safe, comfy and warm."

 

 

"And besides, I can just dream and dream . . . and dream."

(Some days I'm Ferdinand the Bull, lost in wishful thinking).

Timing can be a bit strange when it comes to fulfilling dreams. As is typical in the arts, fulfillment sometimes comes posthumously. I read in the paper this morning of a local woman who has self-published her deceased husband's novel. He was 84 when he died. The article showed a sweet picture of the couple and emphasized their years together. It was done is such a warm manner, I would argue that his dream of publishing a novel was fulfilled in a better, grander way, for he gave his wife a reason to go on with her life.

So where do I stand on the dream-fulfillment meter? Writing has been the focus of my life for the past two-plus years. I had no idea I would love blogging as much as I do. In fact, I had no idea, I would gain confidence as a writer in sharing my life interests and dream of publishing a novel. I will get there, God willing, and if the world doesn't end tomorrow. And when I do, you will be the first to know!!

So.....celebrating holding onto my dreams this week and also the

big A-Z blog hop this April. I hesitated at the huge time commitment there, but last year's experience was so incredible, I just couldn't pass it up. Did anyone else sign up?

Happy Birthday to One of the Happiest People I Know

(One more post....
then officially on BLOG BREAK :)

Today is my husband's birthday, one of the happiest people I know. He is incredibly blessed to have achieved so many of his dreams. He really is a happy man, and he would be the first to admit this if you were to ask. I know I am in there too somewhere (blush, blush), but that's a another topic for another time. 

Favorite photo of Vince and me, and the RV8. St. Maries, Idaho

Foremost on his mind has always been his desire to fly and a passion for aviation, as a young boy, a teen, and as the man I married at 19 (he was 20). It was a long struggle getting his pilot's license, interrupted by jobs, school, raising a family, home repairs, remodels, car, boat and RV repairs, etc. He also reads and edits the fiction I am writing and hope to publish one day. He has a heart for middle grade and young adult fiction, especially for troubled youth who were unfairly treated and are struggling to overcome the odds. To give you some idea, he read the Harry Potter series twice!

So is it any wonder it took twelve years to build an airplane in our garage? (Yep....that's right, in our garage :-).

But as the pilot's license eventually became a reality, so too did the plane he labored over and eventually flew. He soloed in 2009.

Here is the RV8 in 2007. The wings are hanging upper left. I helped with the riveting and did the upholstery, but Vince did everything else. It is still amazing to me an airplane was built in our garage. The boys in the neighborhood would stop by to visit and just drool. One boy even went on to get his pilot's license and became an instructor. He is now training in Montana to be a missionary pilot 

 

Vince at 14

There have been other accomplishments of note . . . finishing his
degree in his forties, a university career (he is about to retire), teaching computers in Malaysia for one year, and playing classical guitar, but flying and owning an airplane have always been somewhere at the top. If you have ever doubted that dreams can be achieved, he is the perfect example they can be.  

Happy Birthday Vince!!

Copyright 2014 © Sharon Himsl 

Sharon M. Himsl

Writer/Author. Blogging since 2011. 
Published with Evernight Teen: 
~~The Shells of Mersing

Weekly Recap: Dreams and Writing

It is interesting how the mind works. I have taken a sabbatical from my novel for over three weeks now. No particular reason why, other than everything else going on in my life  has been more interesting. On the positive side, I have tackled some issues that needed serious attention. Household accounts are now more up to date, a tree and several shrubs have been planted, and my house is a lot cleaner (I have a new iRobot Roomba :-).

I am also back on Weight Watchers, which really isn't a diet in my book, but a lifestyle change that enforces eating a healthier, lean diet. I have never joined this organization for real, but found their books and figured out the system. It really works, although it too required some serious attention in the beginning. I have since pulled out the recipe books, charts, and points book. As a result, my husband and I have been slowly shedding pounds, about two pounds weeks.

However, I am still two and a half chapters away from finishing, a rewrite that incorporated new plot details and a change to two secondary characters, one that I had actually eliminated in one draft. My dreams reflect this. I have been dreaming a lot lately, something that happens a lot when you are dieting I guess. At any rate, I had a dream last night that made me realize my novel is still very much a part of my sub-conscious.

Apparently, I have been working through the role and importance of the character I had once deleted. In my dream I met an actress (best keep her identity a secret for now), and suddenly---in a blink, I saw her playing the role of Meagan in my book. Well, okay, that means my book makes it to the big screen, but this was a dream, right? 

I am still recording my writing and exercise hours. Holding myself accountable continues to have a positive effect, whether it shames me into being more prolific or applauds my success. I am human after all, and like everyone else, I have my ups and downs. All said, I am over the hump and moving forward again!

How do you deal with roadblocks in your writing career? Do you stop and clear the paths of distraction or climb over it? 

Copyright 2013 © Sharon Himsl