Dreaming Big

I am a big dreamer. I bet you are too. What are your dreams, hopes, desires for the future? Do you want to tell me?

Me, I have wanted to be a published author for a really long time. When I was in the ninth grade, my English teacher made us keep a journal. It was the first time I had ever written daily and I loved it. Suddenly, I could write freely, about anything. Keeping a journal helped me to understand the world around me. I wrote down on paper how I felt inside. This was amazing!

My English teachers at San Marcos High School noticed I had a raw talent for writing. They let me be as creative as I wanted to be for my assignments as long as I answered the questions concisely. If I had to do book report on Travels with Charlie, for example, I wrote in the voice of Charlie (the dog). Soon I was hooked. I LOVED to write. And I never stopped.

Even though I had many jobs, I kept writing and dreaming about one day having my books published. And now I can tell you that my dreams are coming true. Next year, I will see my first book published. YAY! It is a miracle. A gigantic dream come true.

How did I do it? Not alone, that I can assure you. I had a good support system of family, friends, teachers. I prayed a lot. Listened a lot. And wrote every day. I tried to learn from my mistakes and watched how other successful people reach their goals. No one is an overnight success. No one. Successful people set their minds to winning and don't quit until they do.

It sounds easy, right? It's not.

Really big dreamers will always encounter really big boulders blocking the path to success. Sometimes those boulders are inside us. You know, that little voice in our heads that say we can't do it? Sometimes the road blocks are good people who think they are doing us a favor, warning us how hard the road ahead is, how bumpy, how narrow. Very few people ever make it to publication, good folks warned me. To those people you must say, yes, but people do make it down this road. Who is to say that I am not one of those people? Life itself will throw its share of boulders at you. Unfortunately, you will have to climb over these, dig under, or find away to go around. But believe me when I say the effort to get past these boulders is worth it. They make you strong, build up your muscles and sharpen your mind. Not to mention how brave you will become. If you keep going you will one day reach the treasure at the end of the journey (or sometimes in the middle, for dreams can keep growing and getting better all the time). Trust me on this. You will never reach the treasure if you give up and go home.

Don't give up on your dreams. They are important. They make you YOU. Keep going, dig deep and grab your dreams with both hands. Then enjoy them for all you are worth.


What are you dreaming?

Happy Summer

Hi friends,

It's summer time and the living is easy. I love summer, don't you?

If I let my imagination go, I am a kid again hopping foot-to-foot across the hot sand, splashing into the freezing frothy surf, while golden-green seaweed wraps around my ankles, and the seagulls try to steal my lunch off my flowered beach blanket.

Or maybe I am floating on a turquoise raft in my pool, hat shadowing my eyes, the sun warming every speck of my skin with the exception on my legs dangling in the sparkly water. When I become too hot, I slip into the cool, quiet nothingness, eyes closed, bubbles blowing out of my nose.

Summertime is filled with barbeque parties, delivered pizza, friends, good movies, sleeping in late, walks after dinner without a sweater, running through sprinklers, gazing open-mouthed at fireworks, hot pavement parades, reading books for fun, watermelon, strawberry pie, and corn on the cobb.

Summer lasts forever.

Kachoo

I forgot to add one more thing about the Spring...kachoo. Bless me. Oh these allergies. If you have them too, so sorry.
But that is something else you could add to your writings about Spring. The tickly nose and the scratchy throat.
Kleenex anyone?

K.T. Hernandez

April Showers?

Not here. The sun's out, but we do have wind. Lots of blustery wind.

If you could hop on the coattails of the wind and fly away, where would you go?
Hawaii? Europe? California?
Would this, your dream place, be different from where you live now? Describe it.
Who would you take with you on this windy trip? Would you ever come back?
What would you learn? Or maybe, you are tired of learning in school at this moment and simply want to have fun. What would you do?
Send me a postcard from your dreamy place.

K.T. Hernandez

Longer days

Here's to the longer days of spring. Okay, it's not quite spring yet, but can't you feel it in the air?
I'm sitting at my computer with the sliding glass window wide open. The air smells fresh and sweet. Unlike foggy days, the sounds are sharp and clear. I can hear the loud caw of a crow and a the extraordinary run up and down the notes of a mockingbird. Bugs have joined into the act. Crickets are playing their familiar music, a cross between a saw and a tickling of a stringed instrument.
What about those sights? Amazing. Gone are the days of muted shades. With spring the color knob is cranked up high to dazzling. The dark, dusty greens become brilliant, and oh, what about the flowers? Everywhere the trees seem to explode with life and gifts.
Speaking of gifts, what does spring taste like? To me, spring tastes like fruit. Juicy fruit that we haven't had in our mouths for a while. Strawberries, tangerines, and the like, not quite as flavorful as summer, but getting there. Oh yeah, close enough to taste.
So, as you have probably guessed, it's your turn. What does spring mean to you?

Happy Valentine's Day

So today's the big day. I hope you have lots of love in your life. I sure have a bunch in mine, so I'm always willing to share. Here's a cyber chocolate Hershey's kiss for you from me.
So let's get back to writing.
This is my question--when you think about Valentine's Day what color comes to mind? Pink, red, brown (chocolate)?
Let's concentrate on the many shades of red. Can you picture the bold, sharp color of deep crimson? How about the softness of white-pink. Do any of these shades describe Valentine's Day for you, or is it a shade in between?
Now, think about love. If you were to write about the feeling of love, what color would you use? It doesn't have to be red, but if red came to mind, what shade was it? And why?
Go now, write about the color of your love.
And enjoy the day!
K.T. Hernandez

Tis the Season

Merry holidays to you all!

I love this special time of the year. The days are filled with family, friends, gifts and lots of yummy food.

As a writer it is a fun time to pay attention to our senses. Take a moment to smell, I mean really smell. Chocolate, egg nog, apple cider, baking cookies, Mom's special treats, fresh cut trees, rain on the pavement...I'm sure you could find many smells that remind you of this season. The neat thing is year after year, these aromas will always remind you of this time of year, of family, of love.

Now look around. What do you see? Colors, lights, ornaments, decorations, presents, smiley faces. The list is endless.

Do the same for the sounds and tastes you experience this time of the year.

Think of the traditions you and your family try to observe each year. Where did they come from? Why? Why is it important to continue them?

These are all things you could write about. And as you do, try to touch your emotions to feel what you feel when you smell, see, taste, and hear during this holiday season.

May your days be blessed,
K.T. Hernandez