How a Writer Faces Thanksgiving

By DiAnn Mills @DiAnnMills

For some people, Thanksgiving is about the food. For others, Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and friends. Some can’t wait to finish the meal to tune into the football games. Some look forward to everything Thanksgiving. Then there are writers. Oh, we love the food, family, football, and friends, but what about the inevitable questions that shake the foundation of our self-confidence? I’m talking about the statements that cause us to wonder who is the real turkey.

How a Writer Faces Thanksgiving

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Comments like:

Let me introduce you to our family writer. He/she hasn’t sold anything, but writing is a nice hobby.
How many hours do you spend on your computer?
Aren’t you neglecting your family with that crazy dream?
Aren’t there meds for OCD people like you?
Made any money yet?
I heard a writer must be on drugs or drunk to publish stuff that sells. Where do you fit?
Are my taxes supporting you?

I could go on about our loving family and friends who really do mean well, but they often take a vicious stab at our hearts at a time when we should be concentrating on the most wonderful time of the year. Instead of sinking our hurt feelings into another generous slice of pumpkin pie, why not memorize a list of all the writer blessings received during the year?

Creativity! We have the artist touch of communicating through the written word. We see the world in unexpected beauty and share our adventures.

Opportunity! We have so many ways to share our gift. All a writer has to do is find a need and write it.

Joy! Writers love what they do. We can’t wait to hit the computer keys. How sad to spend hours on a craft we don’t enjoy.

Imagination! The unique personalities sitting around the table allow our characters to have those special quirks. Don’t be a turkey and explain to critical people where we find our impressive characters.

Fruitfulness! When everyone is watching football, napping, or eating again, we plot our next story.

Preparation! This is my favorite. A writer who prepares a holiday feast can imagine her characters are coming to dinner—what they’d like to eat and of course the conversation.

Shopping! While everyone else hits the 5:00 a.m. shopping malls and fights crowds on Friday, writers waken early to sip coffee and in the quiet hours, their stories come alive.

As the year ends, we writers can learn from our past victories and challenges, update our bios, dust off our proposals, commit to learning more about our craft, explore new publishing trends, and seek a determined writer to mentor. Writers enhance the world so we can be a blessing to others—even those special family members and friends.