Happy 2014!

I'm back and ready to write in 2014. I have kept meaning to blog but time got away from me and I was focused on other writing projects, then in December I vegged out after an intense November of cramming 50,000 words of novel writing in 30 days. Now I'm at work on rewriting this novel that I really want to get published this calendar year. But first, I have something else that I want to get published first. Right now I'm keeping mum on that. I enjoyed blogging about my thoughts on dreams and what to do to make them come true. I don't know if I have anything more to write on that. What comes to mind right now is when your dreams are put on hold. I know we all have had specific dreams for our lives but they don't always come true. Could one reason be that the dreams are currently on hold right now? Why do our dreams get put on hold? Is it due to timing? Maybe our own laziness and lack of motivation? In my life I have experienced these two reasons for my dreams being on hold. The first one is timing. Ever since I was in my late 20s, I was anxious to meet the right man, get married and have children. Well, now it's been nearly a decade since I first had that desire and it still has not happened yet. I believe that's due to timing. Or maybe God has something different in store for me which may not include having children. As for right now that is not on my priority list. I'm in the middle or maybe at the beginning of the grieving process of losing my dad almost eight months ago. At this point, I don't feel that I'm in a place where I want to consider dating anyone or even look around for potential dates. So for now, I am trying to focus on my other dream: becoming a published writer. Almost a decade ago, I began to have the desire to write. Not just poems or short essays which I have done throughout my life. I have wanted to write books, maybe short stories. I have had one poem published in a poetry anthology in 2000 which is the most of any kind of publishing I've ever done. Timing could be a reason why this dream of being a published writer has not come true. Now that self-publishing has become more common amongst a lot of writers, there's no excuse for me to not pursue this dream. I admit that being lazy and unmotivated have contributed to my not actively pursuing my dream. I have taken several creative writing classes and participated in National Novel Writing Month (www.nanowrimo.org) several times. I enjoy the creative process of writing, but am not always thrilled about the rewriting or editing process. I may have only an associate's degree in library science and a certificate in children's literature but I know I'm capable of using proper grammar and sentence structure throughout my writing. I may not have the financial security of hiring an editor or a book agent, but right now I'm not interested in becoming the next best selling author according to NY Times. I just want to produce a work that I can be proud of hoping that other people around me will enjoy reading it. So in order for some of my dreams to come true, I need to get moving. I find that when I'm taking the necessary steps I discover motivation in going further along with the dream. I cannot sit around waiting for inspiration; I must perspire first then the inspiration will come. I usually don't make New Years' resolutions, but in order for my dreams to come true I am challenging myself to get something published in 2014.