A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Once upon a time there was a little girl who loved to read, daydream, and make up stories. She dreamed of growing up to be an author, making her stories come to life.

It was me. I was that little girl. After so much of life got in my way and I had insecurities built up that rivaled the Great Wall of China, I started chipping away at them one by one. I started replacing those dusty old bricks of doubt, fear, shortcomings, and discouragement with solid stones of pride, encouragement, challenges, and joy.

Then I finished a novel. Now, I’m wrapping up another one. I have written for other people, but this is different. That’s taking someone else’s idea, flushing it out, and helping them mold it into their vision. This one is mine.

It should be that simple, right? You have an idea, you write the idea, and your book is born. Only, it’s not that simple. Especially for an author who takes a non-traditional path that current technology affords.

There are websites to build, editors to find and hire, beta readers to come by, social media, marketing, photos, videos, and so much more to learn and figure out.

Because I have a great team of people around me, my path hasn’t been so treacherous. The most difficult part has been of my own doing, when I let those old insecurities creep back in. That’s when I tend to walk away from my project. I go deep down into a rabbit hole and dwell there for a bit.

Then, I refocus and shift my attention back to the light. It’s a never-ending process, but it’s getting easier little by little. I make it harder on myself. So, I put off certain things that I know need to be done to move the project to the next phase.

I wrote a freaking book! An entire novel. All from the deepest depths of my mind. And I will be launching it into the world soon, for people to read and express their opinions. I’m sure some people will love it. And some people will hate it. And that’s okay. Because I did it!

One process I had to work my way up to was my author photo session. It made everything real.

I know an incredibly talented young lady who enjoys photography. She offered to take my author pictures. (Shout out to Arianna Andrews @photography_with_ama on IG)

The day of the photo shoot was an incredibly intense roller coaster for me. One of my best friends and my lovely photographer helped me get ready. I’m not much of a girly girl, and my relationship with makeup is incredibly juvenile, at best.

They helped me put together a couple of outfit selections, style my hair, and add the finishing touches to my makeup. (Thank you Britt and Ari!) We were ready. We headed out to a couple of spots near downtown Las Vegas and took several photos.

As we got on with it, I relaxed. We laughed and joked. We had a great time. So many of the pictures turned out so nice that I had a difficult time choosing which ones would represent me, both on the actual book and on my website and social media.

If you’re chasing your own dream, whether it’s writing a book or something completely different, please keep going. Find people who love, support, challenge, and encourage you. You can do it! You can create your dream. Let’s stop chasing, and start creating. One step at a time. 

If you find yourself backtracking, that’s okay. Life is a continuous cycle of change, and hopefully growth. We will revisit some things several times from several angles. That’s okay. Just keep pushing forward.

What have you always wanted to do or accomplish that you have either done or in pursuit of doing?