The Dreams

Week of January 8, 2012—Jumping Into 2012 Feet First

Tuesday, January 10, 2012—The Dreams

Do you know the Everly Brothers’ song “All I Have to Do Is Dream?” Come on everyone, sing along!

Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream.
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream.

Ok, you’re not singing. How about Roy Orbison’s “Beautiful Dreamer?”

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me

Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee

Still not singing? Maybe you’re more of a show tune kind of person. How about Jason Donovan’s “Any Dream Will Do” from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat?

I close my eyes, drew back the curtain
To see for certain, what I thought I knew

Far, far away, someone was weeping
But the world was sleeping
Any dream will do

Excuse me. I hate to interrupt just when you finally started singing, but Joseph was wrong. Any dream won’t do. Why dream just any dream? Why not dream the dreams that are really the ones on your mind? Your secret dreams that no one knows, but that you so want to wake to find have come true.

Today I want you to dream. Specially, to dream about your writing. Dreams don’t have to be bound by SMART rules, or by the judgments of others. They don’t have to be realistic. They don’t have to make sense to anyone else. They are, after all, dreams.

I can tell you right now some people will disparage your dreams. They’ll say . . .

·        “That’s a pipe dream.”

·        “You’re dreaming your life away.”

·        “Dream on!”

·        “You’re living in a dream world.”

But you can still dream.

Imagine you are looking up into the clouds. You are looking into your writing future. Now answer these questions to begin to give words to your dreams.

·        What about your writing do you see in those clouds?

·        What do you dream will change about your writing this year?

·        Who do you dream will read your writing and love it?

·        What do you dream you will do to grow as a writer?

·        Where do you dream your writing will be/reside/live in the future?

·        What do you dream will happen with your writing this year?

·        What do you dream will happen to your writing this year?

·        What do you dream will happen because of your writing this year?

Dream big. Dream wild. Dream crazy. Dream.

Then you may be singing another tune . . . this one from Man of La Mancha:

To dream . . . the impossible dream . . .
To fight . . .  the unbeatable foe . . .
To bear . . .  with unbearable sorrow . . .
To run . . .  where the brave dare not go . . .
To right . . .  the unrightable wrong . . .
To love . . .  pure and chaste from afar . . .
To try . . .  when your arms are too weary . . .
To reach . . .  the unreachable star . . . 

This is my quest, to follow that star . . .
No matter how hopeless, no matter how . . .

(Lyrics by Joe Darion)

It’s Your Turn!

1. Dream your writing dreams today. Nothing is too crazy. Nothing is too far out. Nothing is impossible in a dream.