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About that vision board … an update

Wide awake and it’s 3:00 a.m. So I pull my fancy night light out of the drawer in my bedside table and read magazine articles that might otherwise never see the light of day. I always enjoy Martha Beck’s perspective; she jogs my imagination. Her column in the May issue of “O” magazine on vision boards pokes at my curiosity, although I admit to a twinge of resistance, too. Do I still have confidence in such things? It’s been a while since exuberantly assembling images in pleasing arrangements on poster board, all while focusing positive energy on life changes and big dreams.

One phrase in her vision board how-to tickles my curiosity. “Forget about it,” Martha advises the reader. Success seems to include setting aside the collage, not hyperfocused vigilance. Interesting. This starts me thinking about my “get published” vision board from 2008, a collage that has been stashed away for months. At the time that I made it, I had committed to telling everyone — and I mean everyone — that I was looking for a literary agent for my historical young adult manuscript, “Safe Harbor.” No matter how out-of-context such a declaration might be.

This soon led to a fortuitous introduction to Diane Les Becquets, author of young adult fiction and recipient of a PEN American Fellowship. Looking back now, the events that followed seem so natural. But I am convinced that none of them would have come about had I not been willing to step out of my comfort zone. The person who introduced me to Diane is the husband of a woman I met at a craft fair. Yes, that’s right. I told a virtual stranger that I was looking for a literary agent! Just so happens, her husband is an English professor and colleague of Diane’s. He agreed to read my manuscript (talk about risk!) and if he liked it, he would speak to Diane about /for me.

Now here’s the part where you have to have faith. Diane wasn’t gaga over my manuscript. She thinks the voice is too antique for today’s young reader. But she did think my writing showed talent and promise. She offered to write a letter of recommendation to the MFA program at SNHU. The English prof wrote another. Two months later I was officially accepted into the program and arrived on campus for the summer residency. A year later I was awarded the Graduate Assistant position. And today I have in hand a strong manuscript draft of a teen-age memoir. Not bad for a high school drop-out.

But getting back to the vision board … I don’t have a literary agent and as of yet, there’s no publisher for my historical manuscript on the horizon. However, the MFA program comes with an advisory board of publishing professionals who are genuinely interested in helping fledgling writers. So I am closer than ever before, within conversational proximity. Now that I have spent the past two years honing my writing skills, perhaps it’s time to return to the manuscript that led to the MFA. Who knows what revisions and improvements are now possible. But first, I’m going to take my chances and test the waters with a submission to the Salem Literary Festival writing contest.

What do I know for sure? The story is not yet finished. My story, that is. The one told in images and phrases and captured on the poster board. The good news? Vision boards don’t come with an expiration date. I sure can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings!

Do you have a story about a vision board? I’d love to hear about it.

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • oppotasof September 9, 2010, 4:12 am

    What a post!! Very informative… Looking for more posts like this!! Do you have twitter or an RSS feed?
    Anyway thank you for this info.

    • myartfullife September 16, 2010, 10:05 pm

      So glad you enjoyed the post. You can subscribe to the blog and receive email updates. I think there’s an RSS feed here, too. Will check and get back to you.

  • leilasummers July 9, 2010, 4:46 pm

    Hi Lisa
    I love making vision boards! I have several up on my bedroom wall. The last one I made has been the most incredible. Within two weeks of finishing it, things began to happen that catapulted me towards the life I had created for myself on the board. Phonecalls out of the blue, offers from friends, conversations with strangers and an unexpected holiday offer to a village that was similar to the one in my pictures! I am now selling my house and considering moving there! And although I am not there yet, many seeds have been planted that I believe will bring me to the life that I have already created for myself on that board, one way or another.

    Like you said, sometimes the way we get there is on a different road to what we expect, but when we look back, it’s amazing to see how all the pieces fell into place along the way.

    Thanks for sharing.
    Leila

  • Carol June 28, 2010, 11:05 am

    I want to make one too. Thanks for introducing us to Martha Beck. Her article was really interesting. So was the next one: http://www.oprah.com/spirit/10-Life-Lessons-You-Should-Unlearn-Martha-Beck-Life-Coach-Advice_1/1

  • Heather Elizabeth June 27, 2010, 9:43 am

    Well, I have the day off, and I’m going into the studio to make one today! Will let you know what happens!

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