That's what Stephenie Meyer did.
In case you live under a rock somewhere, Stephenie Meyer is the author responsible for the very delightful and obsessive Twilight series of books. (Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse) The books revolve around Bella, a wonderfully normal, clutzy, somewhat insecure teenage girl and the boy she falls in love with, Edward. Edward is no ordinary boy, however. He is a 100+ year old vampire in the body of a seriously beautiful 17 year old boy and he is madly in love with Bella. These books have it all - adventure, romance, humor, heart pounding tension and profound sadness. They are a roller coaster of emotions so excruciating that there is really no way to just read them once... you have to go back and experience them again... and again.
I could go on and on about the books and the stories contained but what I really wanted to talk about it the author herself. You see, I first became aware of Meyer and her books when I was just beginning a dramatic new journey in my life - quitting my 18 year career and starting my little downtown jewelry boutique. I read Twilight at the urging of a close friend and loved it. As I was learning more about the author I was intrigued to learn that the idea for Twilight had actually come to her in the form of a vivid, lovely dream. In fact that dream is fairly well preserved within the book as Chapter 13, Confessions (one of my faves!).
What I love and admire so much is that instead of having this lovely dream, thinking about it for a few days and then moving on with the day to day life she had already established, Meyer began to write. She had written only a few stories previously and nothing in a long time and was a happy wife and mom. But she found the time - spare moments when the kids were asleep and other times. Bella and Edward became a part of her, speaking to her. She shared her new "hobby" with her sister who encouraged her to pursue it. It is a lovely story as told by the author herself on her own website here but the end result is that in 3 months she had the first draft of Twilight complete and in another 3 months she had a book deal.
Re-read that. 6 months from a lovely dream, she has managed to change her life, and arguably many other people's lives, forever.
Changing your life in this way is scary. There are always parts of your old life you miss... it may be the quiet moments that no longer exist - I have seen the book tours wear on Meyer and feel certain she sometimes wonders if the madness will end! In my case, the lack of security, constant learning curve and , oh yeah, the investment of my life's savings in my business give me many moments of fear and angst. Still, there is so much more to gain by literally chasing your dream and Stephenie Meyer is a great role model for that.
Throughout 2007 as I was putting my store together, I was thrilled to watch as Meyer's popularity grew... as the books continued to sell more and more building to the great release of Eclipse which knocked the final Harry Potter book off the top spot on the bestseller's list. I saw Stephenie at a book signing and again was in awe of this woman. Remarkably down to earth, funny and just normal - she is the epitome of "every woman" except that she had simply chosen a new path one day and never looked back.
Her example inspired me on days where nothing went right (her book was rejected many times before her eventual deal - I would hate to be the names on those letters!) and all the times I questioned my decision to chase what I wanted to do over the career that I knew would support me. And her stories helped me escape now and then when I needed it as well.
I am now 6 months into running my shop and things are going remarkably well. We have had very positive feedback from our customers and we continue to grow. I am enjoying learning new jewelry making techniques and seeking out other great artisan jewelers to introduce to my customers. I am loving almost every minute of it and the good by far outweighs the bad. In a way I feel like Stephenie along with Edward, Bella, Jacob, Alice and all the other wonderful folks of Forks, WA have been along with me for the ride and I will always remember this journey as being intertwined with them.
I recently introduced a new fun line of jewelry - charms made from a variety materials including paper, crystal, metal and resin - that capture some of the fun and joy of the Twilight 'verse. You can check them out here. My favorite, by far, though is the one I made specifically for Stephenie. It says "It all started in the meadow" which was the location of that first dream. To me, it's a tribute to what a person can achieve if only they just do it and my way of saying "Thanks for the inspiration, Stephenie."
Meg
Remember to Sparkle whenever Possible!
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