In part two of her series that will empower you to create writing success, Sophie Hannah explains why believing in seemingly impossible dreams can lead to unbelievable results
Everyone has dreams. That would be wonderful if our dreams brought us joy. A lot of writers, however, allow their dreams to make them unhappy and are therefore tempted to give up on them. There are two reasons why this happens: either our writing dreams haven’t yet come true, which we take as a sign that they never will, or because we decide we’re unworthy, and huge success is something that can only happen to better writers than us.
Most writers also believe that in order for our dreams to come true, agents and editors must help us by representing and publishing our work. How surprised would you be if I told you that any of us – all on our own – could immediately access the Dream-Coming-True experience, and that the experience begins, in an enjoyable and fabulous-feeling way, when we follow a few simple steps? Most people wouldn’t believe that, I’m guessing – but it’s true, and I’ll explain later why and how this works. First, though, let’s clarify what a dream is and isn’t.
A dream isn’t necessarily a goal we set ourselves, though it can be. In my Dream Author Coaching programme (dreamauthorcoaching.com), I make a distinction between goals and dreams. A goal is something we know we can and will achieve if we do the necessary work. A Dream Goal is a result that we have to work hard for, but that’s also not entirely within our control. For example, if we want to be a Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller, we can control certain aspects of our attempts to get there – we must write the book that we’d like to see in that Number 1 slot; we can also send our book to a talented agent, or choose to self-publish and design an amazing advert campaign. But once the book is out in the world, all the things we can’t control (other people, mainly) enter the equation.
So, winning the Booker Prize might be your Dream Goal, and it’s something you can’t make happen unless the Booker Prize judges also want it to happen. Far from being a downside, it’s this uncontrollable, non-guaranteed element that makes a Dream Goal so inspiring to have: we know how to do our part, and we know we’ll do it – it’s the other uncontrollable bit that provides the adventure. We must recognise our not-yet-achieved Dream Goals for the desirable and exciting treats that they are.
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