The law of averages

July 21, 2011Gwen HernandezWriting Lifegoals

Average people don’t go after their big dreams. Average people don’t accomplish extraordinary things. Average people don't become published authors.

And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I decided years ago that I don’t want to be average. I want to be fiscally secure, I want to be physically fit, and I want to be a published author. Which means that I can’t just do what the average person does.

It means I budget my money carefully, work out regularly, and do something writing related nearly every day.

The average person might dream about becoming a writer, but she doesn’t do anything about it. She doesn’t take a class, read a craft book, and most importantly, she doesn’t sit down—or stand up—and write.

(I used to be that person.)

And yet, often that same person is certain that someday her dreams could come true. If only she had more time, more money, no job, no kids at home. It never occurs to her that she has to create the time to make it happen.

(That was me.)

Even those who are actively pursuing their dreams can get off track, and before they know it, they’ve spent years writing without any progress.

(I've been there too.)

Supposedly, Albert Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

If you’re not making progress toward your dream, stop and look at your results. Have you finished the book? Are you querying agents? If you’re getting nothing but form rejections have you tried revising your query letter? If you’re getting rejections with feedback have you made revisions, found a critique partner, or hired freelance editor?

Have you started another book?

Average people don’t pursue larger-than-life dreams, and if they do, they easily give them up when the road gets tough. After all, who wants to give up time with friends, time in front of the TV, maybe even time with family, in order to write?

Who wants to spend years of their life writing and revising books that might never be read?

It turns out I do.

And whatever your passion is, I hope that you’re willing to do what it takes to make it happen too.

Because really, how many of us aspire to be average?

—

Tell your friends!

0 Comments

Andris Bear

Reply
21 / Jul / 2011

LOVE this, Gwen! Very motivating–something we all need every now and again. Thanks for posting. 🙂
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  21 / Jul / 2011
  
  Thanks, Andris. Half the time I’m just trying to motivate myself. 😉
Kari Lynn Dell

Reply
21 / Jul / 2011

OH!! So maybe this is what my husband meant when he said I wasn’t exactly what he’d consider normal.
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  22 / Jul / 2011
  
  Yes, go with that, Kari. 😉
  
  No really, it’s true. If we were “normal”, we wouldn’t be writers!
Curtis

Reply
22 / Jul / 2011

Gwen, your post reminds me of Thoreau’s statement:

If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.
——Henry David Thoreau —-

Sounds so calm and serene doesn’t it? Almost to good to be true. I believe if we listen to the spirit of this age we will come to think Thoreau’s statement is a motivational bromide rather than a truth.

I think cynicism and dreams can’t occupy the same imagination at the same time. Our spirit can’t entertain both. I came to this conclusion by experience. 🙂 It was not fun. It was very unproductive and more than just a little painful. But, we try a lot of things along the way. I’ve decided on passion, imagination and dreams.

My favorite faith statement — ” Jump and the net will appear.”

It doesn’t hurt to be loved either. 🙂 Know what I mean?
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  22 / Jul / 2011
  
  What a great quote, Curtis. Even if our imagined idea of success never comes, I think we are better off for having endeavored toward our dreams. Happiness comes partly from hope and from the pursuit of things that matter to us.
  
  Thanks, as always for your “seasoned” perspective. 😉 I definitely know what you mean about being loved. Loving ourselves and knowing the love of others makes it a lot easier to reach out beyond our comfort zone.
  - Curtis
    
    Reply
    22 / Jul / 2011
    
    Gwen,
    Do me a favor. If you don’t mind, please pick out one of your favorites in your genre for me to read. I would like to see how they are structured.
    
    Preciate it.
    - Gwen Hernandez
      
      Reply
      22 / Jul / 2011
      
      Okay, let me think on that and get back to you, Curtis. And you know I’ll want a break down. 😉
      - Curtis
        
        Reply
        22 / Jul / 2011
        
        I’ll be glad too.
        
        This has become a real fascination for me. Writers who do things like “The Help”, ” ” Catch-22″ are much more subtle with their structure. A movie like ” Broken Arrow” ( 1996) a box office record breaker at the time at 150 mil after the second weekend, virtually rattle their structure. The critics didn’t necessarily like it but paying customers did. 🙂
        
        BA is a great movie to demo. foreshadowing. Every major event that happens is foreshadowed more than once and on an escalating scale.
        
        A cool wrinkle– the antagonist has an antagonist. The big bad guy has a lesser bad guy giving him grief. The big bad guy first manages the little bad guy with an insulting lecture. Then he lectures and pops the little bad guy in the chest. ( a military thing. i.e. “don’t poke me in the chest”) The last and third time the big bad guy takes grief from the little bad guy he crushes his wind pipe with a flashlight. Foreshadowed by the earlier hand slap to the chest. Had he shot him or had someone push him off a cliff there would have been much less or even no real closure to the situation/relationship even though we all knew the big bad guy had to whack the little bad guy.
        
        If he was going to whack him with a gun he would have needed to point one at him at some time earlier before the event ala Western style. Of course this would have been a cliche.
        
        Well, anyway. 🙂
      - Gwen Hernandez
        
        Reply
        23 / Jul / 2011
        
        Okay, Curtis. Now I have to put BA on my Netflix list and watch purely for structure. Haven’t seen it in ages. Love the note about foreshadowing and consistency among the interaction with the two bad guys. You should teach a class on this stuff!
Anne Barton

Reply
22 / Jul / 2011

Great post, Gwen! Also loved Thoreau’s quote in your comment above. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  22 / Jul / 2011
  
  Thanks, Anne! It’s great to have you stop by. 🙂
Rich

Reply
22 / Jul / 2011

Great post, well said.
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  22 / Jul / 2011
  
  Thanks, Rich. For the comment and the complete lack of snark. Are you feeling okay? 😉
  - Rich
    
    Reply
    22 / Jul / 2011
    
    To be honest, I read this last night right before I went to bed and I said, that was a well written piece that is spot on. I made a mental note to comment on it today.
    - Gwen Hernandez
      
      Reply
      22 / Jul / 2011
      
      Thanks, Rich. 🙂
spleeness

Reply
22 / Jul / 2011

What a wonderful post! I’m inspired to spend my weekend writing now (perfect timing for a Friday, lol). 🙂
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  22 / Jul / 2011
  
  Thanks, Holly. Go for it!!
Maura Troy

Reply
22 / Jul / 2011

Once again, a font of inspiration. Thanks for keeping me motivated!!
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  22 / Jul / 2011
  
  Aw, thanks, Maura! You inspire and motivate *me*!
Aaron Crocco

Reply
23 / Jul / 2011

Wow, this is VERY inspiring! I’m actually going to print this blog post and keep it next to my computer. This really struck a chord with me: “Average people don’t pursue larger-than-life dreams…” Love it.
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  23 / Jul / 2011
  
  Thanks, Aaron! You’re not even close to average, and I mean that in a good way. 😉
Author Mary J. McCoy-Dressel

Reply
23 / Jul / 2011

Thanks for the wake-up call. I needed this. And I definitely don’t want to be average! I want to be published–with more books than two.
- Gwen Hernandez
  
  Reply
  23 / Jul / 2011
  
  You and me both, Mary. 😉 Good luck!
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