Crystal Grant is a daydreamer who adores freshly-baked cookies and anything with fur or feathers. During the day, she strives to instill a love of books and learning within her young students. As a hearing-impaired, home-school graduate, she found her voice in writing and has had multiple short stories and poems published. When she’s not reading or writing stories that sweep her away to another time and place, she watches classic movies and TV shows that do the same. Or she works on jigsaw puzzles. Crystal currently resides in small-town Missouri, where she is always looking for space for another scented candle.
Is Writing Your Dream or Fantasy?
I’m going to date myself here, but one of my favorite sitcoms is The Facts of Life (1979-1988). I love the character relationships and dynamics, as well as how they tackle real life issues—always with a big dose of humor and TV cheesiness. LOL!
The mother figure, Mrs. Garrett, is one of the best things about the show. She’s enthusiastic, compassionate, and an absolute hoot. In one episode, she was talking to her son, who had long-held a dream to be a musician. But years had passed and that dream was still that. A dream. Nothing had happened see that dream become a reality.
Mrs. Garrett finally confronted her son about what he was doing to reach that goal. Come to find out, he had not done much. Instead of growing his career, he spent his time on other interests, such as carpentry. But he still talked big about his future as a musician.
That was when Mrs. Garrett got serious with him. She explained that his dream was not going to come true if he did not pursue it. Specifically, she said, “There are dreams, and there are fantasies. With hard work, a dream might come true. A fantasy is when you sit back, put up your feet, and pretend. So far, your dream of being a musician has been a fantasy. And if you want it to become a dream that might come true, you’re going to have to stand on your own two feet and work for it.”
In the end, her son decided that he did not want to pursue music. Instead, he chose the completely different path of carpentry, one that brought him joy to think of working at.
Now, I hope you don’t take that ending to imply that you should pick a different dream, because that is not what I’m going for here!
But her explanation really struck me at the time. And I found myself thinking. Was I treating my writing goals like a dream or a fantasy?
The answer was pretty clear. For most of my life, I dreamed about writing, but for many years I did very little to make it happen. Oh, I wrote stories in my free time, to be sure. But that was it. The rest of the time I spent complaining because I didn’t have the resources or connections that I needed to further my career path. (In my defense, in my teenage years, there were FAR fewer resources available than there are now.) So, I did next to nothing.
It was in the last decade or so that I really started taking my dream seriously. I joined ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers) and began working with a critique group, which led to author friendships that I still have today. I attended an online writing conference that finally put me on the path to publication. That conference opened up so many other doors, even though it was “just” a virtual one. I took courses from other fiction writers that helped me hone my craft. I hired an editor to get my book query-ready.
Yes, it was a lot of work. But I realized that if I really wanted this dream (and I did), then it was going to require some effort on my part. I couldn’t sit back on my couch, with my feet on the coffee table, and fantasize about how it would be. I had to get up and do something to make that dream happen.
And it worked. My epic fantasy novel, Shadowcast, releases next month and is the result of all the time, work, money, and heart I put into it. (It is not my first published novel, but that’s a story for another day. LOL!)
So, what are you doing about your dream? Maybe, like me, you’re feeling limited or unsure about how to get started. Maybe you haven’t pushed yourself to write more or improve your craft or make connections with other writers. Maybe you’ve spent more time fantasizing than dreaming.
Or, maybe you’ve been taking that dream seriously. You’re already taking a step forward by reading the Go Teen Writers blog, so, Yay, You! Maybe you’re taking classes, attending conferences, following veteran authors on social media, getting your hands on every craft book available.
The good thing is, if you’ve found you’ve wasted more time than you’d like to admit, it’s not too late! There’s no time limit to a dream. Tomorrow is a fresh, new day, with no mistakes in it (to quote Anne of Green Gables.) Decide now if this writing goal is a dream you’re willing to pursue or a fantasy you prefer leaving in your mind.
Either choice is okay, really. If you decide, after all, that you’d rather not pursue writing, that’s fine. But since you’re here, reading this blog, I’m going to assume that you choose to go forward.
So, let me give you a few ideas I’ve learned over the years.
Keep writing. Even if it’s just for fun or really bad or too personal to share. Just write.
Support other authors. I learned so much from seasoned writers. And I loved celebrating their successes. These people can become a support system for you as well.
Learn all you can. Attend conferences (in-person or online). Take courses. Watch webinars. Listen to podcasts. Read writing craft books. Not only will they help you improve your writing, but they will light the fire of excitement within you.
Do your very best with the things you can control, and don’t focus on what you can’t control. If you’re a person of faith, pray and give it to God.
And (in the words of Jill Williamson ?), respect your dream!
I’m so excited for all of you and can’t wait to see where your writing journey takes you! Feel free to reach out to me at crystalgrantauthor@mail.com or find me on Instagram @crystalgrantauthor.
In what ways have you treated writing like a dream that you are actively pursuing? Have there ever been times you’ve treated it like a fantasy? Share in the comments where you are in your journey.
Jill here. Crystal generously offered to give away a copy of her upcoming fantasy novel Shadowcast to one lucky winner! (Thanks, Crystal!) Enter on the Rafflecopter form below. Here’s the story:
After witnessing the brutal death of his brother at the hands of the Steward Knights, Mason Grey turns to vengeance. Using his Gifts to read and control the minds of others, he climbs the ranks of the Dark Army, determined to earn the coveted Shadowstone-a powerful tool against the light-wielding Stewards. But when he is wounded in battle, he finds himself recovering in the home of a chatty peasant girl…without the use of his Gifts. Even worse, the girl mistakes him for one of the Stewards he despises.
Seria Gayle longs to be seen as more than the town washerwoman. When she finds an injured Steward in the woods, she welcomes the chance to use her healing skills and hopes it will earn her some respect. But as she nurses the sullen stranger back to health, she discovers he is nothing like the knights she has long admired.
When Mason’s true identity is revealed, Seria is devastated and humiliated. But she is offered a chance at redemption by the very prince that Mason hates. Now Mason struggles between two choices: accept the Shadowstone to avenge his brother or pursue this newfound light in the form of a peasant girl. With time running out and war looming, will Mason and Seria defy their own convictions for a chance at love or stand against one another like they’ve sworn to do?
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I think writing was easier when I was younger because I was more carefree and my imagination and creativity flowed more easily. Now I’m busier and have more distractions, so my creativity feels stifled and it’s easy to come up with excuses to not write.
I can totally relate to this! It’s hard to find time to write or to FEEL like writing when you do have time. I try to pick a day or time that writing is easier and make that my writing time. It will get easier when I stay consistent.
Pretty much all my teen years I treated writing like a fantasy. I was always studying about writing. I just wasn’t writing much. In my mid-twenties I realized that writing was indeed a calling God had for my life, and as such I needed to DO IT. I joined a local writing group that has been an enormous blessing to me. I did more studying, but more geared towards writing as a lifestyle. I participated in some writing challenges (I completed the first draft of my first novel during 100-for-100 2022!). I am in the middle of the first draft of my second novel, and in the process of polishing up a short story I can offer for free on my website. I am hoping to attend my first conference next year. We’ll see what God has planned. 🙂
This is a great blog post. More people need to hear about living the dream vs dreaming the dream. Thank you for sharing!
I love this! Good for you for taking the dream seriously!
Super helpful post, really reminded me to commit to my goals!
I’m glad you found it helpful!! Reminders are good to keep us on track.
Thanks for the advice, Ms. Crystal!
Wow, Crystal, I love this! You admitting to yourself that you weren’t working toward your dream of being published takes a lot of bravery.
Congratulations on your upcoming release! Your cover is gorgeous!
It was not easy taking responsibility for my own actions! Lol. But once I did, I found it easier to commit. Thank you so much! 🙂
Very encouraging. Thank you.
I’m glad it encouraged you!
This is such an inspiring post that reminds me to take my writing seriously. It also reminds me that sometimes writing helps me feel better when I’m exhausted or upset instead of making things worse, so those aren’t always excuses not to write. I love this post and will definitely be coming back to it at times!
That’s a great way to look at writing! I’m happy you found this helpful!
Thanks for this inspiring and thought-provoking post!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
I love that a virtual conference put you on the path to publication! I was thinking about virtual conferences the other day. Is it one they have regularly or was it bc of covid? I’d love to go to a writers conference in person, but there’s a lot of things that have to fall into place for that. Virtual is a little more accessible.
As for dream or fantasy, I’ve been through both. As a teen, it was fantasy, I thought about but also stalled out over how to do it. I didn’t believe I had ideas. I still struggle a lot with early parts of writing, but I am finding ways to work with it. Therefore, turning my fantasy into a dream 🙂
A lot of conferences went virtual during the pandemic, but many still offer virtual alongside in-person. Try researching your genre for conferences that might be available to you online. I love how you said you’re turning your fantasy into a dream!
Great reminder to treat our writing seriously!
Thank you!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for this great post, Crystal! I was totally living in a dream world, even while attending my first conference. But that event snapped me to my senses, and that’s when I learned I hadn’t been respecting my dream, and if I wanted to succeed, I was going to have to get serious about the hard work piece. And it is a lot of hard work. But it’s super fun too.
Your statement about “respecting the dream” stuck with me when I first heard it a few years ago! Thanks so much for having me! It was great to be here!
Wow…one of my dreams is to write a novel…but enjoy reading others more!! (A tad lazy…) Thanjs for the giveaway!!
I can relate to this problem! Lol!
My writing is a dream… but my family thinks it’s a fantasy, 🙂 I love this post! Your honesty is incredible, thank you so much!
That’s always a challenge! Keep taking the dream seriously, and maybe someday they will as well!
All great advice! In writing, as with anything, you have to put the effort in if you want to actually accomplish anything. And even in seasons when you can’t actually write, you can still put work in by connecting with other writers, reading with an eye to craft, etc.
Yes, this is so true!
My dream is to write a novel and publish it . So inspiring blog post!
That’s a great dream! Thanks for reading!
Oof, this hit a mark! I’ve definitely treated my writing dream as a fantasy…I will grant that I’ve been in a season of life the last couple of years that is super busy, so I haven’t taken much time to write because of that. But I want to change that now! Thank you for this post! I love the premise of your book too.