Since it's Thanksgiving weekend for us up here in Canada, I'm following a family tradition and thinking a little about all the things I'm thankful for, both in the everyday parts of my life and in my creative life. Some of the things I am thankful for as a writer:
A supportive family. My husband and children are so understanding when the house is a disaster and my office is full of piles of junk that never seems to get cleaned up. They've had to put up with frozen pizza dinners, being late for school, waiting for me...the list goes on.
Insightful critique partners. The writers in my critique group, the MiG Writers, give me honest feedback on my work and are always there to help me reason through a stumbling block or to help me celebrate the tiny successes. And my picture book critique partners, Pam and Laura, are so good at pinpointing problems and finding all the confusing places in my stories. I'm so glad I connected with all of them!
Time and space. I've been able to arrange my time and living space so that I have a quiet place to work, and I'm very thankful I've been able to do that. I'm definitely an introvert who needs quiet time to think, process and "recharge".
Determination and persistence. I will keep working on something to get it right and hate to give up (thanks to Mom and Dad, for passing these qualities along). Even though sometimes my persistence is misplaced and I have to remind myself that the bigger picture is more important than the details.
Optimism. I do get discouraged sometimes, when I get another rejection, or when I get stuck on something in my story and can't seem to move forward. But after a day or two of feeling down, I usually bounce back with renewed enthusiasm. I'm really thankful to be able to look around and ahead, and appreciate what I have and the people around me.
What are you thankful for as a writer? Happy Thanksgiving, if you're celebrating!!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Your post struck a chord with me and made me pause. I guess my answer to 'what are you thankful for as a writer' is that writing is still fun. Even with recent rejections, I enjoy trying to put the words together. So I can relate to your thoughts on optimism :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm thankful for great critique partners, my awesome agent, and the internet - because how else would I do "research" when I was procrastinating? LOL I'm also thankful for those slutty ideas - because they remind me to get busy and finish the darn book because other characters are waiting for me...
ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving (a little late)!. This is a sweet post. It's lovely that you have a supportive family and the time and space you need for writing.
ReplyDeleteThese are all great points, especially the supportive family. I have one, too, but I know writers who don't, and it's sad.
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