My Dream Box

OK, so I have started something new. I call it my Dream Box.

I have a lot of dreams, goals, and accomplishments I want to achieve in my lifetime. So last night I emptied out a little box and started writing these things out on tiny slips of paper. Some I have to fight to make come true, like getting published and becoming a licensed physical therapy assisstant and others are ones that may or may not come true but I wrote them down anyway, like going to Ireland and meeting Leonard Nimoy.

I want to keep track of everything I want to happen in my life and my Dream Box helps me do that.

But what happens when one of my dreams comes true?

Then I will take it out of the box and write down what it was and the date it came true on. I want to be able to keep track of this so that throughout my life I can see just how hard I am fighting for what I want. It's also good to show that dreams can come true.

Of course, some dreams might get modified with time, I might add others, or remove those that I realize I don't want anymore. But I think this is a good practice and I look forward to logging all my dreams that come true. Because I know at least some will. :)

This Is For All You Unpublished Authors Out There

Have you ever wondered if you will get published?

I do. Sometimes I read what I have written and think there is no way that anyone would want to read it and no wonder that no literary agents have offered to read my work. I stare at it and think it's crap, wondering if I should shelve the whole dang thing.

Then I think, who am I kidding? Of course will be published one day, it's only a matter of time. So what if the agents don't want to read my work? I have to look at it as their lose and move on. One day I will be read and published.

I think every writer teeters between these two trains of thought. It's only natural. Sure, it can be frustrating, but that's part of what makes success so sweet when we finally achieve it. The road to publication is long and hard and the road won't get any shorter or easier even after all the contracts are signed, but yet we are willing to do it anyway.

Why?

Because some people are just born to do something. I know I was born to write, whether I get published or not. How about you?

Encouraging Words

My BFF just finished reading The Ultimate Evil and she loved it!

My friend offered a lot of encouraging words. She said that she loved my ending because I brought it to a complete closure, no cliffhangers. She found comic relief in the story (and some that I didn't even know was there, which was fun to discover!) and I even scared her at one point with Arvil. She knows that poetry is not my strong point, but she said that the two poems in my story are good.

On a scale of 1 to 10, she placed my book 7-8. She said it wasn't the best book she has ever read (obviously) but that if it were on the shelf she would buy it and recommend it to friends.

One thing my friend has always said is that she thinks The Ultimate Evil would make a great movie. What a compliment! She also loved the emotion I had in my story, saying I am an emotional person which makes me an emotional writer, and it shows.

I was completely flattered. I told her that for her to love the story this much, publication or not, I've done my job.

"But I so want to see you published, Madison!"

Me too, my friend. Me too. :D

Right Now, The Magic Number Is 26

As of right now, I have submitted Khaladin to a total of twenty-six agents. I have never sent a story to this many agents. Hey, there's a first time for everything! :D

So, out of that twenty-six, two agents have passed on my soon-to-be-NYT-Bestseller. Hahaha, just kidding! Hope I'm not, but..... :D

I'm in a new ballpark now. I have more determination to get this story published more than I ever have with any other. I guess that's a good thing.

Navigating the wonderful world of literary agents is not easy. I have run across several scammers. Having nearly succumbed to one, I can now spot one a mile away. I found one that was even boasting that they are the last agency accepting new authors. Pha! Now there's a scam if I ever saw one!

I'm Happy!

Why? Hmm, glad you asked that question. One of my friends finished reading The Ultimate Evil. He's the first person besides me to have read it from beginning to end. And what did he have to say about it?

Very, very impressive.

Seriously, I'm not lying, those were his exact words. He also called it awesome and cool. Well, he actually typed 'kewl', but you get my drift.

Do you know how happy that made me? SUPER happy! He's going to talk to me about it and hopefully he can help me make it even better.

I know I'm not published yet, but him loving the story was a dream come true. Why? I wrote a story that someone enjoyed. That's what I've wanted to do ever since I wrote my first story at the tender age of 6....for people to like what I do and enjoy it. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Imagine what will happen when I get that publishing deal! :D

More Ideas? Yep, I Got 'Em

*SIGH* I got even more story ideas now. Yeah, this time, it's a series about a pirate cat. Already got a dozen adventures for her. Now, if only the publishing process were as easy as getting ideas....