Hi everyone, SrS here. I was outside letting my dogs do their thing when a crazy thought popped into my head. I was looking at the trees, now down to their last few and final leaves of the season. For me, that is a clock letting me know that my favorite time of the year to write was coming. I lit my cigarette, yes I smoke, and contemplated how many years I had wasted not writing. You see, I knew when I was in my twenties that I wanted to write a book. Now, I didn't know what kind of book I wanted to write I just knew that I had a wild and active imagination that could potentially amuse other people. I mean, I loved to read. Those hours nestled up on the couch, under a blanket, knee deep in a page turner. I wanted to be able to bring other people the same feeling I felt when I read a good book. Did I know that it would be a good book? No. And there was the problem, except I didn't know it was the problem. That's my point. I didn't believe in me. Not just about writing but pretty much anything I wanted to do. I was my own worst enemy. I was young and doing young things. Making my own history. Before you know it my twenties were behind me, the thirties were family oriented and finally in my late forties I sat down and wrote. And I haven't stopped. Maybe if I believed in myself back then I would be different today.
I recently watched a Hallmark original Christmas moving called Dollywood. A line from the movie really caught my attention. A young woman was a party planner talking to a man who was helping her plan the thirty year celebration. She was explaining to him that in her spare time when she was younger she loved to write but didn't move forward with it and chose a different career path. She considered her writing to be nothing more than passing time. His response to her was "it's a hobby until it's not". That statement floored me.
It shouldn't matter what other people think of your passion to write. Will it be your life's income. Maybe. Or maybe not. For me, the pleasure I get for putting my mind's movie down on paper and being able to share it with others makes me happy. I wish I could turn back time and tell myself to believe. Believe in yourself, it doesn't matter what other people think. Now I look at the four books I have written and I smile. I did it. And so can you!