Othello Bach: Don't give up!
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By Othello Bach
Do you have a hope, a dream to succeed in a particular area? Do you imagine winning awards for fulfilling your dream, or do you accept that it is just a dream and not likely to become real?
There will always be those who are quick to tell you that your hope to achieve your dream is not likely to ever become reality. They’ll say the road to success in your chosen field is long, hard, and tedious, and most people give up before they make it. At that point, stop listening, because you’re listening to a quitter.
To succeed in reaching any goal, don’t listen to those who give up on their dreams; listen to those who fulfilled them, because they learned how to avoid the pitfalls.
You wouldn’t expect a kid who couldn’t read until the end of 7th grade to become a writer, but I did. I thought I was just stupid and had no choice but to cheat if I wanted to pass from one grade to the next, so I became a cheater, always copying someone else’s work.
I was grown before I realized that I was probably still in shock from watching my mother burn to death when I was seven, and supposed to be learning to read, and therefore, was unteachable. So, it wasn’[t until the end of 7th grade (while cheating on a spelling test), that the teacher called three words that all began with the same sound – the sound of “ch” that I realized letters had sound assignments.
I counted the letters in my name and saw that I had 13, and with the sound of “ch” too. I had the sounds of half the alphabet, so I swiped a flashlight from the kitchen warehouse, hid under my covers at night and taught myself to read. Of course, I was largely guessing at first. So, the next day I went to the school library and checked out a first-grade book: “The Mystery of the Little Green Turtle.” It was a happy story because the lady found her missing turtle in her pocket.
The next day, I checked out a best-selling novel: “Rebecca.” Was I surprised to see four- and five-syllable words! It took a lot of grunting and groaning to sound them out, and to my astonishment, I became terrified. I felt as if a monster was hiding under my bed and about to kill me!
So, I asked myself, “Why am I so afraid? All I’m doing is reading!” The words scared me! Then I thought, if words create feelings, then I can tell myself good words that make me feel good, strong, and smart, and I began doing that immediately, that very night. I told myself I could become anything I wanted, and I wanted to write stories.
My first novel sold to Avon Books three years after I graduated from high school. It was a thriller. My second book was also a thriller. It sold to Zebra Books and became a bestseller. If I did it, anyone can! Do what you love!
I also love to draw, and now I illustrate most of my children’s books and create the covers for my novels. I do it because I love what I do, and you can, too! Just don’t give up, even when what you love is difficult. Do it to please yourself!
I sold my first novel, “House of Secrets,” to Avon Books when I was 22. Today, I have 28 books on Amazon, and a movie being produced on my book, “Simon Sees.” Recently, my first stage play, “The Missing Heirloom,” was presented at IU Kokomo’s Havens Auditorium.
So, if you have a dream, don’t sit around wishing it weren’t so hard to achieve it; get busy doing everything you can to make it come true! I’ll leave you with the line my 7th grade teacher wrote on the blackboard, because it’s the line that inspired me to keep trying:
“Sitting and wishing makes no person great. The Good Lord sends the fishing, but you must dig the bait. Go make it happen!”
Othello Bach is an award-winning, best-selling author, playwright, and composer who has chosen Kokomo as her adopted home. Learn more about her by visiting www.othellobach.com.