I want to be a novelist and I want to run a bookstore, but I tell people that I want to be a librarian. I do this because people see a librarian as a reasonable and stable job. I don't want to be a librarian. I have nothing against them; I have the uttermost respect for libraries and librarians, but I'm just not meant to have a reasonable job. I don't tell people that I want to be a novelist anymore, because when I did, I got what seemed to be a fully prepared speech on why writing is the worst possible field that I could go into.
They would tell me all about the astronomically small chances of being published and the even smaller chances of being read. I was lectured on the poor state of publishing and on the sheer amount of people like me in the world all fighting for one of the dwindling number of book deals left on earth. Then they always got nasty when that didn't phase me. They told me that my genre was dead and that if I wanted to write so badly then I should write for a newspaper or maybe do business writing. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and that I had a lot of hard work ahead of me, but I didn't need to be reminded of every hopeless aspect of my dream job every time I brought it up. These responses made me feel like I was stupid for having the aspirations that I did. So, I began to lie.
Of course, there were supportive people too. People who were thrilled to hear about my writing and who thought the world definitely needed another good bookstore. These people were rare, but their words stuck with me and every bit of encouragement helped. I realized that for every ten people that told me that my dream was impossible, there was one person cheering me on. That one person makes all the difference.
Now, every time I tell someone that I want to be a librarian, I think about the people who believed in me and I feel like a coward. I've always admired other people in similar positions that proudly exclaim their passions when asked what they want to do for a living. It always gives me so much hope to hear someone like me being proud of their dreams. So I have decided to try and be brave.
Whether you're a writer, an actor, a painter, a poet, a musician, a singer or any other “unreasonable” thing, know that there are many people who experience the same struggles as you and that it is so important to support people like yourself. We have to help each other out, because at the heart of things, we have so much to offer the world.
When you find yourself feeling defeated or hopeless or when anyone tells you that your aspirations are impossible, remember that without people like us, there would be no books, no movies, no plays, no music. Without people like us, the world would be more desolate and sad than it already is. So don't get discouraged because what you're doing is making the world a better place and no one should discourage that. Be brave and don't let anyone make you feel like you can't do it, no matter what the odds are. Do what you have to and do what you love, but above all else, don’t ever give up.
