Thanksgiving Blessings

Thanksgiving in the United States is just around the corner. Cornbread for dressing is baking in the oven. The big bird’s thawing in the frig.

It’s time to focus on thankfulness.

As a writer, I’m thankful for so many things.

• A supportive spouse who is my walking research resource and also happens to be the best critique partner, plotting budding, and editor ever.
• Writing friends who support, cheer, and listen to my rants.
• Non-writing friends who ask how’s my writing is going and accept that deadlines can interfere with get-togethers.
• Family members who let me talk about my characters as if they are real and always answer my wild questions.
• The imaginary friends and their voices in my head. Without them, I couldn’t do what I do.

Then there are the uniquely writerly things

1. I get to work in pajamas.
2. I always have a blank page to start fresh.
3. Life is filled with funny stories, daily struggles, and multitudes of blessings, so there’s always be something to write about.
4. My first-try draft doesn’t have to be perfect. Think about it. Professionals like doctors and dentists can’t say that.
5. Edits and revisions do, in fact, eventually end.
6. My Google searches haven’t gotten me arrested…yet. (I’m probably on watchlists, but so far no one’s come after me.)
7. I can escape into other worlds – ones I create, and the ones other authors have created for us to read.
8. Reviews! Even one or two-star reviews mean a reader’s read the book.

So many blessings in my writer world. What’s in your world that makes you feel thankful this Thanksgiving?