(no subject)

[febobe]

A friend's post got me thinking about something again that's been on my mind lately....

Success.

Define creative success.

I define it as - I create, therefore I am a success.

But even in the world's view I am successful.

Money? Eh, haven't made that much off writing - it's in the hundreds of dollars rather than even thousands, much less any more than that.

Copies sold? HA HA HA HA HA.

But...

*I could list many writing print success notes here, though I won't, b/c what I'm about to say fascinates me more.

*My fanfic?

Let's talk about that for a minute, shall we?

I've not pub'd on ff.net, my primary site, in about two solid years, IIRC.

Just...life, general busy-ness, all that jazz.

And as we know, no new chapters or tales tends to lower your hits and your place in the search results, right?

Well, even at that I have had, during that time, readers from the likes of...

-the USA (yay!)
-the UK :)
-Canada! O Canada!
-Israel :)
-Malaysia
-Gibraltar
-India
-Sweden :)
-Finland
-Estonia
-Romania
-Germany
-Austria
-Australia
-New Zealand :D
-Spain
-Chile

and so very many more....

How many writers would give their right leg for that kind of widespread exposure?

An awful lot, let me tell you.

I can't tell you that all those readers read everything I wrote and loved it; based on the stats, I seriously doubt it. ;) That said, at least one, often more than one, soul in those countries was interested enough to peek at at least one chapter of a tale I wrote, or one one-shot fic, however briefly.

o_O

Guys, I'm utterly floored.

Floored, I tell you. Floored.

And in all this, it hit me: I am LIVING MY DREAM.

It really is true that sometimes we don't recognize our dream when it's right within our hands.

I know I didn't. I truly didn't, not until recently.

But I have had readers, at least lookers, at least people doing the equivalent of picking up one's book in the library or bookstore and at least opening it, from all around the globe.

And that blows my mind, absolutely astounds and delights me.

So I haven't made a million or five from my writing. So I'm not Stephen King or Danielle Steel. So what?

I have done everything in writing that I dreamed, and there's more ahead for me.

I am sorry I didn't recognize this sooner, but I'm glad I do now, and I say this all not to brag or boast, but in an effort to inspire hope.

Sometimes the reality of our lives does contain everything we've ever dreamt of after all.

Maybe it doesn't always happen the way we PLANNED it once upon a time.

But that doesn't mean it isn't happiness and dreams come true after all.

Thank you all. Thank you for making *my* dreams come true. Without you nice folks, I wouldn't have this in my hands...and I know that. And I'm dedicating my two Big Bang fics to my readers everywhere, everyone. Because without the readers, I'd just be singing my solo alone in an empty house. That wouldn't mean it isn't worth singing...but there's something magical about knowing there are faces out there in the dark...even when I can't always see them.

May you all know the wonderful feeling of happiness I have right at this moment. I wish that for each and every one of you, my dears. :)

Love always,
Febobe :)