Thanksgiving 2016…well, “as near as makes no never mind,” to use an old colloquial expression that, while it isn’t grammatically correct, is very expressive.
Thanksgiving 2016. It’s been a turbulent year, but if I don’t get into politics here—and I won’t, I promise—that excludes most of the turbulence and most of what everyone is still talking about weeks after the election.Whether or not your candidates, national and local, won, though, I’m sure you have much else to be grateful for, as do I.
But aside from the things most of us are thankful for—health, a roof over our heads and food in our stomachs, the people in our lives, and simply being alive—what does a writer, specifically give thanks for? I suspect many other writers have lists similar to mine.
First, I thank God that I have the gift of being able to write well. Not everyone does. Of course, others possess gifts that I lack. Much as I would wish for a good singing voice, for example, mine is horrible. Neither can I play any instrument, read music, or write music (although I do write lyrics). I can only be a music appreciator…an audience.
Which brings me to the second item on my list: the writer’s equivalent of an audience. Readers. I am thankful for the readers who buy my books, the readers who give me good word of mouth, and those few readers (I wish there were more!) who take the time to leave a good review on Amazon.com or elsewhere.
Third, I am grateful that I have not yet run out of ideas for books. I’ve had over 100 books published, many of which are still in print (check out my website for a list at www.cynthiamacgregor.com), and although I admit I’m slowing down, I recently finished a children’s picturebook (fiction) and am working on an adult motivational (nonfiction).
Last but not least I am thankful for the fellow writers with whom I am friends, who understand what I am griping about when I complain about anything from a bad experience with a publisher to poor sales on a book, who help me when I can’t think of the right word I need, who let me unload writing assignments from clients (I do other types of writing than just book-writing) when I get one that isn’t a good fit for me or when I am too swamped to take more work on, or pass assignments to me when they are in similar circumstances, and who give me advice or other help when needed.
As in years past, I have a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving 2016.
Whether you’re a fellow writer, an engineer, a bricklayer, a student, a pilot, or a homemaker, I hope you can say the same. And may this be the start of a wonderful holiday season for you, right through the start of the New Year. And, while we’re at it, may your 2017 be simply glorious.