What did you want to be when you grew up? Many of us have dreams that were either unrealistic or abandoned.

When I was in high school I told my father I wanted to be a DJ. I loved music and while I adored singing I realized I didn’t have the chops to be a professional singer. So I figured if I could be the one who talked between the songs I’d be in heaven. My dad burst that bubble quickly. He told me that DJ’s don’t get paid much and work crappy hours. Apparently they used to have one as a neighbor. Later in talking with a DJ I discovered he actually used a different name on the air because people could be threatening to an on air personality. Wow. Hadn’t thought of that. Guess I dodged a bullet? Still I think I would have a good radio voice if I could kill the “ah” and “um” that pops up when I speak.

I still love music and age has tempered my dreams. God opened up a door for writing and I’m in a position where my husband loves that I’m working from home. While it would be nice to actually make more money with a 9-5 job, it satisfies my creativity and I am a homebody at heart. It does come with challenges like any job, because I do need to do things that are harder: sit down and focus to write, marketing, editing.

The best part is writing that first draft. There’s an exhileration in seeing the characters come to life. It’s easy to distract myself from the “work” part of that. I think sometimes it is because I don’t want to finish the story because then the harder stuff happens. Editing. Submitting. More editing. Criticism. Contract. Editing. Editing. Editing. Marketing. Marketing. Marketing.

It takes a lot of hours to produce a book which is why it can be years from completing a rough draft to seeing it in print form in your hand. When I read it again, I fall in love with the character and stories and am in awe of the God who called me to do such things. The gift of writing is from HIM, and not of my own design. I pray I’ll be a good steward until He tells me to stop. He’s also given me opportunities to teach about theology, leadership, and writing and I’ve discovered I love doing that even more than singing. Cool, huh?

How about you? What dreams did you have and have you found a way to perhaps live a better dream? If so, what is it?