Market the Dream

by Doyne Phillips, Managing Editor

Bruce Wilkinson in The Dream Giver told each of us we have been given a specific gift and a specific dream to fulfill. Wilkinson goes on to show us the challenges we must overcome on our journey to fulfillment. The Dream Giver was an eye opener for me. I read it from an advantage of having lived, struggled and achieved many of my dreams and could look back and see exactly what Bruce Wilkinson so accurately pointed out.

Writers are dreamers. They dream of a story to write, a career to follow and a glorious path to success. Very few of us dream of marketing our dream. Many of us feel uneasy with the thought of shamelessly taking our dream, which is such a personal thing, and exposing it to the world. We may experience the fear of rejection. This is common and I can assure you there will be rejection. It can stop many of us dead in our tracks.  You must overcome rejection and you can do so if you believe in your dream. My dear friend, author and speaker Byrd Baggett says, “Don’t quit before the blessing.”

When my writer's group needed an expert in rejection, I came to mind. I read agent’s rejection letters I had received. Having been in marketing for many years, you come to realize you can become callous to rejection. But you will find that rejection accompanied by constructive criticism is valuable. That was the route taken with the presentation. One agent had sent me a rejection letter then two days later he sent me a second letter. In it he said he had given some thought to my work and had referred me to an agent that would be interested. It turned out to be a valuable rejection indeed.

One of America's most gifted athletes, Steve “Pre” Prefontaine said, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Give your best to writing and marketing. Believe in your dream and enjoy the journey. As you will find in The Dream Giver, achieving that dream is just the first step to many others.http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159052201X?ie=UTF8&tag=southwritemag-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=159052201Xhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159052201X?ie=UTF8&tag=southwritemag-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=159052201Xhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/159052201X?ie=UTF8&tag=southwritemag-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=159052201X