“A Writer’s Thanksgiving”: Why are you thankful to be a writer?
In response to this post, Courtney was inspired to write the following:
“A message of hope…” Wow… thought it was about hard work and not giving up in the midst of economic implosion… where many aspiring screenwriters are even more concerned about their future… meaning, keeping the lights on and a roof over our heads… and least I forget… Thanksgiving only two days away. (at the time of this post) That message of hope was not what I expected.
I will continue to live the “tough” life… make it through until I can turn it around with my writing. Then praise others for giving me the chance to share the little bit of craziness that fills my tiny skull… and that’s all.
We live in a great America… because we are, great Americans… we, were, the underdogs but look at us now! (wish I had a Bill Murray pep talk vid to insert right now)
Tell YOUR story… forget about the rest. Why does it really matter if you’re left handed or like red cars… it’s all about the story. Period.
My hope is that folks here get their chance. My hope it that Scott continues to enlighten us… because his wisdom is priceless. And my hope is everyone is thankful for what they have… as little as it may seem at times. The rest… who really cares?
Trash me if you want… but it’s about desire and hard work. In this open-minded world… the rest really doesn’t matter.
Remember to be thankful Thursday!
I am quite touched by Courtney’s words. And it got me thinking: Thanksgiving is nice. But what about a day especially for writers — all around the world — to reflect about why we are thankful to be writers?
We all know how difficult it is to write. Conjuring up stories and wrangling all those component parts — concept, plot, characters, dialogue, theme, style — into a coherent whole can be tough work. Sometimes the words flow, sometimes they don’t. And then there’s the not so insignificant issue of getting the world to notice the fruits of our labor, hoping that someone will find merit in our words to pay us actual money for our efforts. Writers have to live lives of such a delicate balance, communing with our creativity, elusive as it is, yet somehow circumnavigating so-called ‘reality’ — work, bills, time (or the lack thereof) — all the while attempting to catch lightning in a bottle with a story that meets the always mysterious beast of Commercial Expectations. Yes, whether a vocation or avocation, writing can be maddening.
And yet we continue to write.
I know that for most of us, it is an impossibility not to write. Like moths to a flame, we are drawn to that creative light. But I have to believe it’s not all just obsession, that if we take a few moments, each of us could zero in on at least some aspects of the craft which give us pleasure, inspire us, bring a smile to our face, and cause us to give thanks.
That’s why I suggest that today, the Wednesday before the American Thanksgiving, we inaugurate an annual tradition here at GITS: “A Writer’s Thanksgiving.”
At some point today — and why not right now — stop your busy world and step back to consider your writer’s life. What about it causes you to give thanks? Anything from the mundane act of feeling your fingers on keyboards or paper putting letters into words into sentences into pages to the more transcendent experience of how writing provides a unique position for you to occupy in this flickering moment of time we know as a lifetime.
On this Writer’s Thanksgiving, why are you thankful to be a writer?
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