Just be your dream
I always wanted to write what I thought was just one novel. I started thinking about this at age 13, when the mother of my best friend put Taylor Caldwell’s A Pillar of Iron in my hand and told me I could write a book like this. I didn’t start writing it until I was 44.
Now, in my 60s, I have published the first of four novels in what turned into a speculative fiction series. I have completed two more books in the Green Stone of Healing series and have started the seventh novel.
In 1985 when I was 31, my grandmother would call to check on me. ‘What are you doing,?’ she’d ask. ‘I’m sitting and working on my novel,’ is how I answered her.
Writing my novel is what consumed my thoughts. I had to try to find out who my characters were. If you’re writing a book that’s believable, the plot comes out of the characters, not the other way around. You have to get to know your characters as human beings. For me, that would take decades. I couldn’t get past the beginning of the novel because I didn’t know the characters.
I read a lot of books to figure out who these people were. I spent a lot of time reading and thinking. What broke the logjam for me (from 1986-1998) was stumbling upon Sunan Therapy. I traveled from Dallas to Ft. Worth to learn how to use my soul senses.
On a Saturday morning, July 25, 1998, I sat upright in bed. I finally knew what the story was and I knew who the characters were.
What were the specific obstacles that you faced?
How do you have time to pursue your passion when you have to work? By the time I was ready, I was freelancing. The time it took for me to commute, I now use to work on the book.
We have this tendency in our society to swap on victim labels. You are so much more than a disease. I am more than my sexual orientation…more than my skin color. They are not the totality of my being.
Fear is generated out of self-judgment. There are feelings of vulnerability, isolation, guilt, helplessness, unworthiness and anger. Working through so many of those energies removed all the crap in me and I was able to access the information about the past lives that I lived.
The Sunan method helped me realize that it’s not one thing you work through and then your life is perfect. It’s a process. A lot of people get discouraged, let criticism stop them, let people talk about them.
What helped you get through them?
I went to where I got the feelings of self judgement and released it. I deserve to be rich, famous and successful!
One of the reasons we have so much difficulty receiving what we intellectually know we deserve and allow ourselves to receive success is because we focus on the doing at the expense of the feelings and beliefs. Feelings are the key.
Were there people that tried to discourage you?
Not necessarily discourage me, they just didn’t encourage me. There were nasty letters from agents. I learned to filter the criticisms. Can I use it? I take it for what it is… one person’s opinion. It’s not the end of the world. They may have an absolute valid point.
I saw the positive…I received free professional editing. I only see the glass half-full and don’t get frustrated and angry. What I got was a vastly improved manuscript that was suitable for a general audience. It’s all about healing the emotional wounds that you have.
How did you feel when you finally accomplished your lifelong dream?
It is extremely fulfilling. I loved writing it and telling the story. I want to reach into people’s hearts and spirits and I want them to be happier. I want them to live the life that fulfills them.
What advice would you give to others that are contemplating finally living their dream?
Be practical, balanced. There are practical realities. Take it step by step. You can leap off into the deep end and sometimes that works. I had to take it step by step and put one foot in front of the other. That worked for me. I am the plodding tortoise instead of the hare. When you have success, you are far more emotionally and spiritually prepared for it.
Do what you love and the money will follow.
Do not give up. Find another way. It wasn’t perfect. I had so many mistakes. I took care of resolving as many emotional and spiritual issues and limitations that I was willing to face.
Just be your dream. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Be at peace. Love. Be generous and caring. Joyful. It is not something you do. It comes from within. It’s who you are. We give a passing nod to the spiritual and mental and we put a lot of emphasis on the doing, yet it is only one-fourth of who we really are.
To learn more about C. L. Talmadge and her Greenstone of Healing series, click here.
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