Sep 09 2009
Pursuing Our Dreams
Normally my output would be greater than it has been but lately it has hit a slump and everyday it feels like I am climbing up hill. I’ve got many ideas in my head but I’m not sure how to bring them to fruition. One at a time is the best advice I can give myself and anyone else’s who has a similar problem but even though I know this, something is holding me back.
Over the past few weeks I have seriously wondered whether writing is the appropriate passion or career for me. Whether when whoever upstairs was deciding on my dreams and goals, made the right decision in giving me writing as something I can’t imagine living without. The doubt in my writing ability and in the future of my success has been rather depressing.
Last night I watched ‘In Pursuit of Happiness’ starring Will Smith. It’s a film I’ve been meaning to watch for a few years now, and I wish I had done so earlier. The thing is that life does sometimes kick us in the butt on numerous occasions, but we always have a choice as to how these kicks or bumps in the road affect us. The film sends a good message, regardless of where we start in life, with hard work and determination we can get lucky and achieve even what may at first seem like the wildest dream.
In the film, Will Smith’s character could have given up and forgotten about selling the scanners to doctors surgeries and hospitals, he could have left his family and the responsibility behind, he could have become a drunk, a thief or a wanderer with no future. But he didn’t. Even though the odds were constantly against him – no money, car, home – he worked his butt off and didn’t let any of it dissuade him, instead he persevered, more determined than ever to achieve his dreams and become a success regardless of which part of town he came from.
Some might say say he got lucky. Yes, he was lucky. But he created his own luck first. He created his luck by being aware that something had to change, by applying for an internship in a stock broking firm, working harder and harder for no pay, making sacrifices, and getting himself out there in order to attract luck and success. If he hadn’t done the things that he did, than he probably wouldn’t have achieved all that he had. As most know, this film was based on a true story.
We can all be lucky, and we can all make many of our dreams come true. The ones who fail are the ones who give up too easily. So while I’ve had second thoughts about my writing ability and future as a writer over the past few week, I refuse to give up. Looking back at the past two years, I can say that I’ve made progress in the right direction. A year ago my writing brought in no money. This year I receive some income from my writing. This is luck combined with hard work. If I hadn’t completed the work and sent it out to prospective markets, I wouldn’t have been lucky and landed writing assignments in the first place. Luck and hard work, alongside one another are going to help you achieve your dreams, whether they are as a writer, stockbroker, doctor or entrepreneur.






Hi Olga
I apologise for my late response, have been sick with a nasty cold all weekend.
When I first started writing finding markets seemed impossible but after surfing the internet and reading other writers blogs and advice I managed to find some of those prospective markets. If you know who your audience is than it’s much easier to locate a market for it.
The books, Writers Market US & Writers Market UK offer thousands of markets for writers. The blog that really motivated me to start sending out my work was www.mridukhullar.com, she has lots of really fantastic advice on forming query letters and finding suitable markets for your writing, and really good for motivation.
The best way to approach a market is to write a query letter if it’s for an article. For essays and short stories you need a cover letter and the full manuscript usually pasted into the body of an email. Most magazines provide editor details on their websites. You can find it by clicking on ‘contact us’ or ‘about us’ or alternatively typing in ‘writers guidelines’ or ’submission guidelines’ into the search box.
I hope this information was helpful. Good luck with your writing and finding those prospective markets.
Katarzyna