Hi All! Welcome to the April issue of Dream Chasers! I'm so happy you're here!

You know what I've been thinking about this month? Talented vs. taught. This is a debate I’ve seen floating around my tiny corner of the Twitter-verse lately, and apparently, it’s a debate nearly as old as time. One I wanted to learn more about. So I dug in!

I had questions. Is it possible that anyone can be taught to do something well? Is there an argument that ability is genetically encoded? Is there something else that determines success? I think the answer to all of these questions is yes.

In my research I found an article titled “Is Innate Talent a Myth?” by David Hambrick, Fredrik Ullen and Miriam Mosing (Scientific America, September 20th, 2017). Now stay with me on this one. The article analyzes a book titled Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Poole. At first, it seemed like Hambrick et al were supporting Ericsson’s and Poole’s assertion that talent is a myth, and that with enough practice anyone can become an expert at anything. The examples given in the book refer specifically to athletics and musical ability, but the conclusion, as I understand it, is that this theory that talent doesn’t exist applies across the board.

I was relieved when Hambrick, Ullen and Mosing began to point out flaws in the experiments and analysis and pointed to contradictory studies that suggest talent and skill, to varying degrees, are, in fact, heritable. But one element that was briefly glossed over in the article, but that I think is an important part to any success, is the element of passion.

Whether or not talent is encoded, or if acumen can be taught, is completely irrelevant if either is not accompanied by passion. Athletes like Michael Phelps and Simone Biles, who are repeatedly used as examples in the Hambrick et al article, were not born Olympians. They may have innate talent, but if it wasn’t for the hundreds, if not thousands of hours of training, they would not have achieved the accomplishments they did. And they certainly wouldn’t have endured the training and sacrifices they surely made in the name of their goals if they weren’t passionate about them.

This brings me to writing. Sure, there are writers out there who are naturally gifted with words, but that doesn’t mean they love it, or even like it. I’ve been told on numerous occasions that the very idea of sitting down and writing is boring and exhausting. That’s how I feel about other jobs.

The point is, a person can be good at something, but if there is no passion for it, it is unlikely that person will ever become a superstar at it. Likewise, you can give a person with no inherent talent for something, and if they work hard enough and are passionate enough, they can excel. But combine talent with hard work and you’re almost there.

I don’t know if I’m a naturally talented writer. But I’m comfortable enough to say I’m a good writer. And I’m lucky enough to be passionate about it. I’m currently mixing the final ingredient – hard work. I am the recipe for success.

So, here's my update for this month:

I, rather unfortunately, did not make it to Round 2 of NYC Midnight’s Short Story Competition. I did, however, receive valuable feedback and encouragement from the judges. And lucky for me, it was input that can be applied to all my writing, not specifically to Serving Size. (Let me know what you think of the story! Read it here.)

Last month I set the goal of having 50,000 words written in my latest manuscript. I am thrilled to announce that I have written 50,196 words (as of 4/12/19)! The story is developing nicely, and I’m hoping to complete it by May 1st! Your encouragement means the world to me, so keep me going over on Twitter at @KristineDonahu7 and and on Facebook!

I wanted to get a hard-copy of my newsletter into at least one place, and I’m happy to say I have. A special shout out to Kristin Vilardi (you may remember her from my first newsletter) for allowing me to do this at your dance studio, D.A.N.C.E. by Kristin! I have another place in mind that I hope will be willing to help support me. I’ll keep you posted on that!!

As always, if you have a book you’d like to me read and review over on my blog, Kristine's BRF, please feel free to reach out on Twitter or Facebook, or contact me via my website! I'd love to hear from you!

April is a very transitional month for me, where I’m finishing up my beginning of the year goals. I have many things that I’m excited about for the summer months, so look out for what’s coming soon!

Photo for this section courtesy of Ian Schneider via Upsplash.

And now it’s time for my absolute favorite part of the newsletter, the Peer Highlight!

This month I am so honored to present Heather B. Habelka! I also met her via the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference in 2018, and she currently makes up the final third of our little Connecticut-based writing group. I have never met someone so strong, smart, and creative, and she has such a brilliant and honest outlook on life!

I like to ask people when they knew they wanted a career in writing, and Heather’s answer is too perfect to paraphrase. Here’s what she related to me: “I hold two distinct memories from my childhood. First, I remember telling my first grade teacher I was going to be a writer. Second, I was constantly running 'pretend' businesses. My parents, grandparents, and my dolls were my loyal, and patient, customers. Honestly, I don’t think anyone was surprised when I went on to study journalism and business before settling into life as a writing entrepreneur!”

And an entrepreneur she is! Heather owns and operates her own freelance marketing, copywriting, and nonfiction editing business, of which she is celebrating 10 years of success. Her clients range from advertising and marketing companies, to digital agencies and non-profit organizations. When asked about her experience building and creating this career for herself, Heather had this to say: “I get to spend my days creating and collaborating with an inspiring group of clients!”

In her spare time, Heather enjoys tennis, playing with her niece and nephew, and, along with her husband, is an avid Patriots fan. She also makes time to contribute to our monthly writing group! And whether it’s work or it’s play, Heather lives by her late father’s personal motto, “If you’re going to do something, do it right – or don’t do it at all.”

Knowing at such an early age what you want to do, and actually doing it, is rare. And for Heather to have held that dream so tightly, and to make it into a successful career, is truly inspiring. I’m am so fortunate to be surrounded by such amazing colleagues and role models!

For more information about Heather’s services, visit her website www.heatherbhabelka.com.

Know someone you'd like featured in the Peer Highlight? Send me a recommendation by clicking here!

A man and his dogs. What better recipe for good news?

Thomas Panek is a 48-year-old man who lost his vision in his early 20’s due to a genetic condition. But he didn’t let that stop him from figuring out a way to participate in a sport that he loves – running. Featuring his team of beautiful guide dogs - a black lab named Westley, Westley’s yellow lab sister Waffle, and an unrelated yellow lab named Gus – Thomas became the first blind NYC Half Marathon finisher who ran the race guided entirely by guide dogs. He and is team finished the race in two hours, 20 minutes, and 56 seconds!

If that’s not awesome enough, Thomas’ passion and love for running, and determination to overcome anything life throws at him, goes even further. He is the President and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a non-profit developed in 1954 that breeds, raises and trains guide dogs for the blind and visually impaired. And in 2015, Thomas developed the Running Guides program, a progroam designed specifically to train dogs for blind and visually impaired athletes, giving these athletes more freedom and independence than ever before. I don’t know how a story gets any better than that!

I came across Thomas’ story in an article titled “A Team of Guide Dogs Paced This Blind Runner to a History-Making Finish in the 2019 NYC Half Marathon”, written by Jenny McCoy and featured on March 20th, 2019 on SELF’s website. Click here to read the original story.

To learn more about Guiding Eyes for the Blind, click here.

Photo for this section courtesy of Jon Tyson via Upsplash.

If you have a good news story you’d like me to feature, I’d love to hear about it! Click here to send me a story!