Dreams

by Kathy Cannon Wiechman

We’re “celebrating the small things” before our posts. My list of small things to celebrate: A warm shower on a cold day; the sun after a rain; a handmade gift from a friend; a good lunchtime companion, which can mean a good book to read while I eat. These are all vitally important to me, so I guess there are no “small” things.

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My friend, Michele Beuerlein, had the longtime dream of being on Jeopardy! She’s super at trivia and wanted to compete with the best and brightest.

We all have our dreams, some more realistic than others, but our dreams can keep us going, keep us trying and working to make them come true.

For more years than I care to admit, my dream has been to have a published novel, a book with my name on the cover, a book I can hold in my hands, a book where the story is my creation and the words are the ones I have chosen to put together in the way I want to convey the story.

But most of all, my dream is to have a young reader hold that book, to turn its pages and be transported to another place (and perhaps another time) and enjoy the experience of characters I created. That’s what authors and books did for me when I was a kid.

While Michele tried out for Jeopardy! more than once, I began dozens of novels and completed eleven of them. I revised, rewrote, eliminated characters, added others, and polished the words to a shine. But the publishing world has been a tough nut for me to crack (not that publishers are nuts—not always anyway). A few of my poems have been published and three of my short stories have won prizes, but that elusive novel contract remains out of my reach.

But, as Michele did, I keep dreaming. And I keep trying. Maybe this eleventh novel will be the one that makes my dream come true. Or maybe Number 9 or 10 still stands a chance. Maybe it will take until Number 12—or Number 27. I try not to think about the possibility that it might never happen. I have to believe in my dream.

Michele's official Jeopardy photo!

It takes more than believing. Dreams rarely come true from mere wishing. It takes work. It takes the determination to keep trying, to keep writing, to keep creating and putting those words on the page. Michele didn’t give up, and on January 4, 2013, she appeared on Jeopardy! She didn’t win, but she competed as one of the best and brightest, and it was every bit as fun and exciting as she had hoped. I am proud of her. Her dream came true. She worked to accomplish it. She’s an inspiration for what can happen when you pursue your dream.

Like Michele, my dream isn’t to win. I don’t need awards or even great reviews. I just need that reader, who is transported to another place and enjoys the experience of reading that book.