Friday, May 3, 2013

Dream a Little Dreamlet

by Jemi Fraser

If you're reading this, you have a dream. At one point it started out as a little dream - a dreamlet if you will. Cute, cuddly, soft, sweet. But...

Like all other living things, dreams have a growth cycle.

Yours might be in the diaper stage - in constant need of an overwhelming amount of care and attention. As a first time caregiver of a dreamlet, you're unsure of the steps and worry you'll never be good enough. The learning curve is steep but when things go well, there's nothing better in the whole world.

Soon your little dreamlet is taking those first steps and you're creating that incredible first manuscript that will fill you with wonder and joy as those steps combine to create a whole.

After a while, your dream is filled with confidence and joy and making friends of its own. You've found other caregivers (I highly recommend Agent Query Connect for this!) and you are learning how to take care of their dreams as well.

Then your dream hits those unruly adolescent times and starts to rebel. You've learned enough as a caregiver to realize how amazingly little you know. You try to enforce curfews and rules but your dream laughs in your face. Control me? I don't need control! You think you know what I need? Think again.

Sigh.

But don't give up! You're so close to having your little treasure out in the world. You need to learn new strategies, integrate what you've learned with new techniques, polish, shine, trim, tweak, change, rework and rework again while you talk to other dreamers to see how they nudge their dreams out into the world.

I know sometimes those little dreams can be nightmares (mine is currently giving me the same heebie jeebies I got reading my first Stephen King novel), but if you want that dreamlet to achieve its full potential (really deep down want it!), then don't give up. Keep learning. Keep loving it, nurturing it and inching it towards independence.

And when your dream is standing proudly on its own, reaping its own glory, stand back and let the moment fill you with joy. But don't stand for long - another dreamlet is waiting.

So, what stage is your little dreamlet at?

Jemi Fraser is a dream wrangler and aspiring author of contemporary romance. She blogs and tweets while searching for those HEAs and encouraging her dreamlets to mature.

14 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

If I'd really had to change a diaper, my dream never would've made it!

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I think I'll be sad when I get to the point when I think I've fulfilled my dream! You're so right...another dream should always be waiting.

Jemi Fraser said...

Alex - teehee! Not as hard as you think!

Elizabeth - exactly! We can never outgrow our dreams :)

Anonymous said...

My dreamlet (which started out as a literal dream, actually) is that college junior on the 8-year plan. -_- I need it to graduate already.

Megan said...

Well I'm in the query stage. I would mark that as an ugly adolescent age. (Who's with me on that?)
Being a little down & unsatisfied with my current rendition of a query letter, this is what I needed to read! Thanks!

SC Author said...

I hope very much my dream will come true :D

Jemi Fraser said...

Megan - that's definitely the ugly adolescent stage!! Glad I could help! :)

SC - I have no doubts it will! :)

Jemi Fraser said...

Debra - those 8 year planners need to move on for sure!!! Good luck with that one! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm working on being a multi-published author. I'll keep at it.

Jemi Fraser said...

Medeia - You'll get there - there's absolutely zero doubt in my mind! :)

Cynthia Chapman Willis said...

What a lovely post. My dreams are many. Some for my work in progress, some for my books already out in the world, some for my author goals... so many dreams. I think they keeps us focused and inspired.

Jemi Fraser said...

Cynthia - they do indeed! There's nothing quite like a dream to keep us happy and centered!

TerryLynnJohnson said...

It seems whenever I finally reach something, I have to force myself to acknowledge and enjoy it before I look ahead again. The goal seems to keep moving! But dreams keep us working! Great post!

Jemi Fraser said...

Terry - Thanks! Looking ahead is fun - but it can get in the way if we're not careful!! :)