A Writer’s Thanksgiving
This week will be a short post, but an important one, and relevant for the holiday (at least, here in the U.S.): gratitude. For me as a writer (and listening to many writers I know), it feels like we often focus on what we lack: motivation, time to write, a good agent (or any agent), visibility in the marketplace, stellar sales… there is always something. If anyone does mention something positive, they often do it with a ton of self-deprecation, as though it is – well, maybe not a crime, but certainly rude to call out your own good fortune in the midst of others’ misery.
Okay, I jest. But only slightly. The truth is, we build a ton of community out of our mutual kvetching. And that, right there, is something to be grateful for.
So, a short personal list of some writing-related things I’m grateful for in 2020:
Books, in general – BOOKS. They have entertained me, enlightened me, made me wiser and more thoughtful, made me laugh, and influenced me as a person in ways I probably can’t imagine. I could call out particular books, but really, that would be a post in itself. We all have them, so think about yours. Maybe re-read them. The mere fact that someone invented books, so I’m not at the mercy of waiting for an oral storyteller to come around, is a great miracle. The fact that I get to write them, in the hopes that someone will read them and be touched, entertained, or made wiser by my words, equally so.
Writers – the ones whose work I return to again and again, not just in fiction but nonfiction of all kinds. The ones I have yet to discover.
Writing teachers and coaches – Like many people, I’ve had ones that were discouraging or potentially damaging in some way, but I’ve also had some amazing ones that truly helped me develop my craft, among them Pat Lowery Collins, David Elliott, and Jennie Nash. And as a writing coach myself, I am very grateful for my clients, who allow me to do what I love while reading amazing stories!
Agents and editors – these people are sometimes seen only as the gatekeepers, the enemy that keeps people from getting published. But most of them do what they do for the love of good books (and yes, for the money too). Agents undergo a long apprenticeship when they don’t make much money at all, and many only work on commission so they need to not only love your book but see a way to it being published and making money. Editors also tend to undergo a long time at the bottom of the ladder, navigating complex business structures to bring books out into the world.
Bookstores and booksellers, libraries and librarians – the wonderlands of books and the people who love them and work hard to get them into the hands of readers. Special shoutout to the librarians of my small-town public library growing up in Baldwinsville, NY, who let me take out as many books as I wanted (or at least, could carry) as a kid. (One actually called my mother to ask if I really read that many books. Mom laughed and said yes, I read them all. Not only that, I always got them back on time. I prided myself on never have to pay a late fine).
The writing community – the communities I’ve found from being part of an MFA program, including my amazing writer’s group; the communities on social media that support and encourage each other; the ones that create and attend book festivals, readings, and other events, and keep writing and reading alive. In this I also count the book coaching community, who are passionate writers, readers, editors, and teachers. Also podcasters, bloggers, and others who strive to help writers at every stage be better at the writing and selling of books. Writers have a greater access to education, ease of research, and community than ever before, thanks to the internet.
And finally… all the books on my bookshelves; the piles of books yet to be read; the notebooks, full and empty; the pens, of all colors; my well-used laptop; my desk… all the flotsam and jetsam of writing and editing that fill my living space and make me feel rich as a writer and a person, no matter how much money I make. The sheer luxury of pulling a book off the shelf, a fresh notebook and pen, opening my laptop and embarking on a new day of writing… these are things I love and can never imagine not doing, and I’m grateful every day that I get to do them.
What about you? What are the things you are grateful for, writing-wise, this year?
