DREAMING MY LIFE AWAY...

To all my current and future #DCSPeeps (DECIDE, COMMIT, SUCCEED), welcome to my new series in my continuing effort to inspire, amuse, and entertain you! Each Monday I will select a new word to analyze how it might apply to our writing lives and also give you a peek into my childhood growing up in the swamps of southern Louisiana, so kick back, put your feet up, and check out my story about TODAY'S WORD:


DREAMING



When I was growing up, I had a very vivid imagination. I still do. But sometimes my imagination would get the best of me and I would step beyond my DREAMS to blend fantasy with reality by sleep walking or sleep talking. 

I wouldn't do it often, but my siblings enjoyed seeing just how far they could take a conversation with me until I woke up and realized I was somewhere different than the place my imagination had led me. 

I've walked into my clothes closet thinking I was walking into another room.

I've gone into the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon during a nap and tried to cook breakfast because I thought it was time to get ready for school.

I've even had DREAMS of frightening events that continued to play out in front of me long after I finally woke up. 

DREAMING...good or bad...has always been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.

Now, as a writer, my DREAMS take on a very different meaning. 

I DREAM out the plots of my latest picture book stories like the one I woke up to yesterday about the magic to be found on a teeny tiny corner of one teeny tiny town.

I DREAM to work out a tricky part of my fantasy novel revision that I've struggled with during the day time. Now, the answer to my problem seems so clear.

I DREAM of the day my name will appear on another published manuscript. That one might not be too far into the future as I currently study the details of my latest offer of publication.

DREAMING is what we writers do and if we are really lucky, some of those DREAMS might even come true!

Children's book author, Donna L Martin, has been writing since she was eight years old. She is a 4th Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo by day and a 'ninja' writer of children’s picture books, middle grade chapter books and young adult novels by night. Donna is a BOOK NOOK REVIEWS host providing the latest book reviews on all genres of children’s books. She is also a book reviewer for Harper Collins, and a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators. Donna is a lover of dark chocolate, good stories, and an adoptive mom to 20-pound guard kitty in Knoxville, Tennesse

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Dream Big

When I was little, I had little dreams.  Dreams about getting my first bicycle.  Dreams about getting a puppy.  But as I got bigger, my dreams got bigger.  Dreams about becoming a writer.  Dreams about seeing my name on the cover of a children's book.

No matter how big the dream might have been, I knew if I can dream it I can do it.  

Twelve years ago I walked into a martial arts school.  I had a little dream of maybe learning a little martial arts.  I worked hard even though I was scared that I might not be able to get it right.  I even managed to break my little toe the first week I started my training when my toe turned one way and the rest of my body turned the other.  But still I kept the dream.  After my first belt testing came along and I didn't die from fright, my dream got a little bit bigger.  Maybe I can make it all the way to probationary black belt.  If I can dream it, I can do it.

The years passed, my training continued, and I discovered every time I replaced my belt with a new one, the dream continued to grow.  I wasn't held back by the confines of my limitations.  Instead, the challenges to overcome my "disabilities" only served to feed my passion until this past October I tested for and received my Fourth Degree Black Belt in TaeKwonDo.  My dream stayed big enough to carry me to a place I almost didn't believe I could reach until I actually did it.

Writing is like that black belt to me.  A dream that means the world to me.  Something bigger than I ever thought possible.  But if I dream it, I can do it.  And there is nothing wrong with a little dreaming...

A Soldier's Salute

In honor of the poetry tournament so many of my fellow 12 X 12ers are participating in, and for all the heros around the world who gave their all to help make a world a better place for everyone, I dedicate the following poem...

THE HOMECOMING

by: Donna Martin

Walk softly through the creeping vines,

And never lead your heart astray;

‘Til the last dancer touches the floor,

And the fiddler has had his pay.

Play softly ‘til the golden sun sets,

And never let the rains come;

‘Til the last tune sings no more,

And at last they bring you home

Lie softly on your bed of green

And never give up the fight;

‘Til the last flower has had it’s bloom,

And the day leaves with fading light.

Sleep quietly in your darkened abode,

And never stop casting a stone;

‘Til all the stars have lost their shine,

And you find yourself all alone.

Dream sweetly in your world of dreams;

And never let them out of your sight;

‘Til the last mourner has shed a tear,

And at last you welcome the night.

Live forever on in the hearts of men,

And never stop ‘til warriors roam.

‘Til the last hope is cast away,

And they finally bring you home.