MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Dreams & Doubts

MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: Dreams & Doubts

The term Middle Grade Fiction is not only a genre for children’s books, but an idea of how a thought can be a work of fiction sometimes.

When I first thought about this post for Saltwater Taffy, I gave it the title: “Dreams VS. Doubts.”  Then, I realized the topic is NOT a battle, but a choice.  When you battle something, you give power to the other side, which is why we now have a title of MIDDLE GRADE FICTION: DREAMS & DOUBTS.  Doubts had nothing to do with capturing my dream of writing my book Saltwater Taffy.  I simply made the CHOICE to tell the story no matter what.  That’s the dream — doing what it takes to finish something — the desire to do it NO MATTER WHAT.Have you asked yourself the question, “what is my dream” lately?  You know, the one thing that makes your heart race and fills your eyes with wonder?  The one thing that you know you should do, but for some crazy reason…you don’t?

In order for us to get where we want to go, let’s figure out what a dream actually is.  A person’s ‘dream’ is a direct connection to their souls desire.  For some reason, dream catching has been replaced by America’s fascination with shopping.  In Minnesota, they have the Mall of America.  At this point, I don’t think it would be a far stretch of the imagination to say that America IS a mall.  You think I’m kidding?  Look on every corner in every town and tell me what you see?  That’s right, you see the strip mall.  The quick mall.  The stay all day mall.

Here’s a novel idea, what if we stayed home, saved some money, got out of debt, and began to work on something that will actually make us feel better about who we ARE, not what we can BUY.  Imagine sitting home and reading a book on a Friday night.  Sound boring to you?  I beg to differ.

Imagine the joy of sitting back one day and say to yourself, “I have actually lived my dream.”  Isn’t that better than wondering what would have happened if you had simply given your dream a try?

SEARCH YOUR SOUL AND LISTEN

Listen to what it would feel like if you captured your most deepest desire.  Can you feel it?  Now, never let that feeling go.  That’s the secret to getting what you want out of life.  Every emotion, every desire, every waking moment of life must come from this place of your true self.  It is a place of truth about you, not a lie based on DOUBT or FEAR.

The idea here is that your dream must now become the law of all thoughts, words and actions in your life.  There can be no place for negative thinking and DOUBT.  If you have a mentally that defeats your cause, cast it aside, and come back to the center of your feeling that this dream is already yours.  Each moment is a closer step to the realization of your dream.

The biggest killer of dream catching is the ugliness of doubt.  You must, right now, let go of any doubt that you cannot achieve what we have set out to achieve.  Imagine if I doubted my own ability to write SALTWATER TAFFY?  I would be left with a sense of wonder around “WHAT IF I WENT AFTER IT AND WROTE THE THING ANYWAY?”

Step into the flow of all things that are working on your behalf and accept the good that is always there.  Yes.  That’s right.  All that is good is always available.  You just have to see it.  You have to come “in tune” with what IS.  And what is, is YOU.  You are an undeniable expression of excellence.

Eric DelaBarre is an award winning filmmaker and the author of SALTWATER TAFFY