Turning Dreams into Reality by Patty Blount

 This month's theme about dreaming big got me thinking about something my son said to me back when I was a baby author. 

He said I was the first person he knew who had a dream and made it come true. 

Not that "you had a dream come true" but "you made it come true." 

Those words stick with me. I'm proud of them. I'm proud of them not only because my son said them, but because they're true. For most of my life, I wanted to be a published author. First, my own fear got in my way but then I got serious. 

I made a plan.

I found a story I needed to tell. I wrote it. Polished it. Rewrote it. Polished it some more. Rewrote it again. 

Then, I found organizations I could join that would help me improve my craft, expose me to industry professionals, and help me decide which publishing track to pursue. 

I chose traditional publication and learned how to write query letters so I could find an agent, learned how to do elevator pitches so I could talk about my novel in 30 seconds or less, and began establishing an online presence so potential editors could find me or my work. 

I found an agent. I practiced my elevator pitches. And yes, I found an editor willing to take a risk with me. 

In 2012, SEND was released. It was a book I'd written probably six or seven times over before all was said and done. I joined RWA, the Romance Writers of America, specifically because they were the parent organization for LIRW or the Long Island Romance Writers. I'd been invited to a local chapter meeting, where I met some amazing authors I'm now proud to tell you have become friends. 

I've taught workshops, delivered keynote speeches, and proudly stood before a college class who selected SEND as their common read for the 2022 term. I stopped watching TV. I used every waking moment I wasn't working or tending to my family to write. 

Was it easy? Definitely not. I was still scared. In fact, I nearly deleted the entire manuscript at one point because I was certain it was awful. A friend I made online begged me to send it to her first. So glad I did because her feedback gave me the confidence to keep going. I'm proud of the fact that I recognized I was not capable of thinking clearly and needed an outside perspective. 

I've now got six Young Adult novels and three contemporary romances traditionally published, plus two more Young Adult novels I self-published out in the wild. There are some short stories in anthologies I've also been proud to contribute. 

All of this happened not because I had a dream of being a writer, but because I made a plan to turn that dream into reality. 

Damn right, I made it come true.