My dream is to become a published author of a novel, and if possible to become a well known author as well. I want to be able to quit my day job because my writing earns us enough money that I don’t have to do anything else.

I want to wake up at 5:30 in the morning, go for a run, and then walk my kids to school. I want to spend my mornings writing and my afternoons on chores and playing with my kids.

I want to be able to afford a babysitter for an occasional Saturday night date.

I would love to sell enough books to make any sort of best-seller list.

Making this dream happen has always seemed like luck, and something that would happen “someday”. I’ve never really thought about how to accomplish it aside from expecting I’d have to find an agent at some point.

But things – rules – are changing. Self-publishing no longer seems like a death knell, but now a viable option. A necessary option.

So what am I doing to make my dream happen? I only write once a year, for NaNoWriMo. I don’t edit my completed works. In fact, I’d be lucky to be able to find all the NaNo novels I’ve written (one a year since 2003) on my computer.

I need to write more. Writing here is a good start, I think. Writing daily (yes, I’m still trying to make it happen daily) is a necessary exercise for me. Once a daily 500+ word article/editorial is regular habit, adding a 2000+ word goal to my daily writing regime will be the next step.

I need to edit more. I have this nasty habit of thought – once I am done writing, I’m done. It’s good enough the way it is, and I shouldn’t have to do anything more to it. That’s wrong, I know it is. Not everything can be fixed, but everything should be reviewed for spelling, and I should get some help with my grammar.

I need to pick a work, anything from a NaNo novel to a collection of short stories, and publish it. I need to go to one of those self-publishing houses (I know of several), buy an ISBN, and get that sucker out on B&N and Amazon. Then I need to use my amazing marketing skills that I’ve picked up in my current career, and use them to promote myself and my writing.

I can do this, I know I can. If I never try, I’ll always wonder whether I could have done it. I’ll be old and gray and hate myself that I didn’t do it when I was in my prime (although I think perhaps my prime was ten years ago, not today).

What is your dream? And what are you doing to make it happen?