Writers are a grouchy bunch. We complain. A lot.
I’m no exception. I don’t think I’ve ever known a writer who didn’t grouse about his or her lot in life. But then, we have a lot to be grouchy about.
Writing is lonely, difficult work.
It’s hard to get published.
It’s next to impossible to get noticed.
Almost none of us make any real money.
And yet…this is Thanksgiving. A time to be thankful for what we have.
Despite all our grumbling, we writers—all of us—have many things to be grateful for.
Here are four of them:
1. The Internet.
Say what? Can I be serious? Absolutely! The Internet has given us enormous opportunities authors didn’t have before. For example, because of the Internet, I have:
Connected with writers from around the world.
Reached readers who would never otherwise have heard of my work.
Shared my passion online through my blogs and social media.
Done research in a few minutes that would have taken weeks in the days of card catalogues and the print version of the Reader’s Guide to Periodical Literature.
Read hundreds of articles and blog posts that have aided my writing.
Become part of a global community of writers.
Yes, the Internet comes with a down side for writers, too. But there’s no denying that it has given us opportunities we would never have had thirty years ago.
2. Other writers.
The writing group you meet with every week to share your work.
The two or three good writer friends you have who are the only people in your life who really get it.
The writers who share tips, ideas, and advice free online through blogs and articles.
The writers who offer invaluable services—teaching, editing, coaching—to other writers.
The writers we read—the ones who entertain, teach, guide, challenge, and transport us.
Don’t forget them all when you give thanks today.
3. Libraries.
Free books. Need I say more? Books. Free.
4. The opportunity to write.
774 million adults in the world cannot read or write, 64% of them women. Of those who can, many have no access to writing materials or teachers or even a few moments to write after long hours of backbreaking labor.
We who have the physical tools to write with, access to guidance and help, and even ten minutes a day to scribble down our thoughts—we are blessed. Let’s remember that.
We cranky, complaining writers all need to take a step back and remember what we have. What better day than Thanksgiving to turn our grumbling to gratitude?
What are you thankful for in your writing life? What do you do to remember gratitude?
Thank you for a thought-provoking post, Jill. I’m thankful for all the things you mention but especially the opportunity to read and write – which as a woman I never take for granted. To remember gratitude, I try to be mindful of opportunities to ‘pay it forward’ as and when I can. I’ve been helped by many generous people in my writing career to date and although I may not be able to help them, there are times when I can help others.
You are so right, Jen. The best way we can show gratitude is not only to remember the ones who’ve helped us, but to help others. Thanks for the reminder.
Thank you for this post. Great reminders 🙂
You’re most welcome, Kelly! Thanks for commenting!
Yes we all moan. Most of us have a “day job” and we moan about our day job because it takes up time that we would rather spend writing. Sometimes we need to spend a lot of time on the day job and writing gets pushed into the background. Yet I’m almost certainly not alone in admitting that my day job accounts for 99% of my income.
I’m being made redundant from my day job. Ideally, I would like to say that my payout (FMP in the USA) will give me almost enough to live on and I could make up the difference by writing. Yet in these troubled times, we sometimes forget we are lucky to have a day job and that most of us would starve to death if we had to rely on our writing income.
You are so right, Philip. In an ideal world, we would all be writing full time and making plenty of money–at least enough to live on–from our writing. But at least we have jobs, and some time to write. You hit the nail on the head.
Wonderful post, Jill. Thanks so much. You certainly put things in perspective. It’s sobering to see the statistics about illiteracy. I enjoyed Jen Gilroy’s reply, too. As writers, we receive so much support from other writers and it always feels good to be able to pay it back by helping somebody else.
Thanks, Sue. I’m really glad you liked the post. It’s so easy to forget there are still a lot of people in the world who cannot read. And I agree. Paying it back (or forward) is probably the best way to show gratitude for the help and support we’ve gotten.