Bruce Springsteen, working on a dream

Bruce Springsteen Working on A Dream – Margaret Duarte

ByMargaret Duarte

In a 1996 interview in The New York Times, rock star Bruce Springsteen spoke about feeling isolated in his convictions. He’d started writing songs so people would get to know him. And by doing so, he hoped to find others who cared about what he did.

Bruce Springsteen, working on a dreamTo Bruce Springsteen, this was more than about selling records. He wanted an audience that was a reflection of the community he imagined in his head. A community that lived according to the values and ideals he held.

His songs got leaner and were more carefully drawn, cutting across religion and class lines and reflecting his growing intellectual and political awareness.

The press and critics weren’t impressed with his new songs, and their reviews were negative. They wanted him to go back to what he knew.

But Bruce Springsteen stuck to it—“I’m working on a dream, though it can feel so far away”—becoming one of the world’s best-selling music artists.

VISIONARY FICTION authors also need to stick to it—

  • dare to defy pre-conceived notions of genre

  • dare to revitalize genre and make it their own

  • dare to work “on a dream, though it can feel so far away.”

And in the process, they too may find an audience that cares about the things they do.

Yes, this is more than about selling books. It’s a reflection of the community that VISIONARY FICTION authors imagine in their heads, a visionary community that dares to imagine a positive vision of the future through STORY. A community that works together on the dream of making the world a better place.

ARE YOU IN?

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6 Comments

  1. “Springsteen spoke about feeling isolated in his convictions.” During this potent time of transformation in our world, VF authors work is even more relevant. Like Bruce Springsteen, we can work on our dream of sharing our stories of expanding consciousness.

  4. You’re so very welcome, Rea. It’s so tempting to give up when we don’t immediately see the results we envision. It’s good to read that someone as successful as Bruce Springsteen didn’t give up on his convictions regardless of the initial negative reviews. Only to become one of the world’s best-selling music artists.

  5. Thanks, Margaret. Thanks, Bruce. I just realized that my life motto from Thoreau’s Walden, and even on my coffee cup–Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined–is VF in the proverbial nutshell!!!

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