When I think of achieving dreams I can’t help but think of achieving my own, becoming a world class archer… Wait. No that’s next year’s stuff. Writing! That’s what I do! The dreamer is always focused on their dreams and I am no different. Most of my knowledge about pursuing dreams comes from my experiences trying to write Fantasy and Science Fiction novels. I yearn to write, to explore the wilds of my imagination. To bring forth what once only I could experience and translate it onto a piece of paper.I want to have others read and enjoy the stories I wrestle onto the page. I may not be an accomplished author or even very learned in the subject, I have had to learn on the job. So with NaNoWriMo fast approaching, lets spend a bit of time talking about that. Writing.
There is something about words. Their simplicity gives way to a wide and varied world of possibilities. A skilled author can draw the reader into their stories where they turn words into colors and people and things. I seem to have always been drawn to stories. Reading was always a cherished past time, reveling in the creations of others imaginations. I climbed Mount Doom with Sam and Frodo, watched helplessly as martians trampled our cites and cheered with the heroes in countless victories. Eventually I began to tell stories of my own. I came to realize that words were the best way to communicate my vision to others. Worlds that I couldn’t quite get right in sketches and paintings, were brought to life with words.
There are no rules about who can and can’t write. Words are free to everyone who knows how to wield them, language is ours to shape and mould as we see fit. You don’t need a fancy degree, you don’t need a certification to write a story. If you have an opinion you don’t need to seek anyone’s approval first. Our words, our stories are our own. If you want to have a voice no one can stop you from writing it down. The power of words can be commanded by anyone with the desire and the will. There is nothing stopping you, all you need is a little bit of imagination and a pen and some paper. That is how things started with me. Sketching soon turned to writing, short blurbs grew longer and longer with each new project. Now I write until I can sketch my characters then I turn back to writing their stories, the Creative Loop in action.
Listen, every one of us has a story to tell. If you sit down to write down a story, you are joining an unbroken tradition that has existed since humanity first learned to write. No one can tell you what you can write, no one can tell you what you should not write, your story is your own. You might think you don’t have the talent, the skill or the time, but you do! Every great novel, every fantastic story, what are they? They are simply words. Who cares if you can’t write like Tolkien or Wells, you don’t have to! All you have to do is tell your story. Do the world a favor and tell it the best you possibly can. Then find another story, and another. Keep learning. Keep writing. Keep dreaming.