My life's dream is to become a bestselling science fiction and fantasy novelist.

That's it. That's the big dream. It's got a bazillion little side-dreams branching off it, like having at least one book turned into a Steven Spielberg-directed, Hans Zimmer-soundtrack-having blockbuster film, but those are moot. I want my books to be out there and I want them to have readers all over the world. It's not that I really want my name to be famous (I'm considering pseudonyms), and I certainly don't want public attention on my personal life--it's that I want my stories to have audience. I sink a lot into my books, and to have someone else enjoy them as much as I do would be beyond joyous.

So now to my current reality. I've been out of school a little more than half a year. I've got a Communications/Writing degree, I work in an office part-time, I freelance the other part-time and I'm still waiting to hear back about an internship for which I interviewed over a month ago. I have nineteen novels (written between 2013 and now) which still need editing. I have never published a short story.

The writer front is a little grim.

But the flip side is that I'm still working toward that ultimate dream. One cannot be a bestseller without publishing, and I've been editing my one science fiction novel like crazy for about two years straight now. I'm submitting flash fiction and short stories to publishers periodically (about one every three months). I'm reading a lot more now that I'm out of school, and in another couple weeks I plan to launch an online serial on a new platform that can hopefully get me some new readers. Oh, and my blog has 104 followers. I love those followers.

My dream may be wild and one-in-a-million, but If I wasn't actively working towards it, there would be no chance of its reality whatsoever. I've used this argument before when talking about writing in general. First drafts are important, writing at all is important. Otherwise you'll only have the dream with nothing working to make it happen.

People will tell you it's hard to make it as a writer. They're correct. I've had people laugh when I tell them what my ultimate goals are, but I haven't let it stop me. I'm using my skills in the most useful and logical ways I know how while I drag myself through the mires of trying to get published. I mean, come on. Words are my battleground--it'll take a lot more than a few critics' opinions to keep me from pursuing my passion.

So to sum: dream big, but dream smart. Finish that writing degree in a world that lifts its eyebrows at the arts. Pound out those short stories about weird worlds and strange characters. Sink entire years into books. When you reach your success, whatever its measure, you will smirk at the notion that you once might have given up.