A Whole Month of Thank You

 For those who live in the United States, we celebrate one of the biggest holidays of the year this month -- a feast (based on a series of feasts in early American history) to celebrate friendship with the native people who fed locals and KEPT THEM FROM DYING when they first settled in the land and DIDN'T know how to survive.

It is now celebrated with too much food and expressions of gratitude.

Which, really, can you get more epic than that?

I live off gratitude these days. It keeps me sane. It's a power that brings positivity, LITERAL changes to the body's chemistry, and a kindlier response from the world around us. 

My BIG 5 for today:

1. Getting to share MUSIC VIDEOS. (And so, SO much more.)

Check it out!

I've been living with these songs in my head for ages. Glad to finally be sharing.

2. Laughter.

Part of our recent online campaign has been about sharing the funny moments, because life gets WAY too serious and heavy without them.

3. Memories.

Some days I live on the moments when life was awesome and things just felt good. They're enough to make it through the tough days.

4. People.

Friends who support us, the kindness of a stranger, likes, comments, pick-me-ups from other humans. They keep me going.

5. Writing.

Writing keeps me sane--mine or other people's. Grateful for good stories (the ones I get to pen, included) that give my brain a place to go when life gets heavy.

I'm participating in a month-long gratitude challenge on social media. Join in, eh?

How about you? Can you list 5 things you're grateful for today?

The awesome co-hosts for the November 5 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove!

The question for this month:

When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

... Was there ever a time I wasn't writing?

Um, no.

I started telling stories with pictures when I was old enough to hold a pencil (in pictures) and that eventually evolved to cartoon strips, then just words. It wasn't a question of what I imagined my life of writing to be like (because it had ALWAYS been) -- more of, how do I share the stories that ARE my life? I dreamed of publishing my first novel at age 16 and although I'd written my first two novellas by age 13, I took a break in my teenage years to focus on living, picking up the pen again when I was married with a baby. It was always just a question of WHEN and I didn't care about money or noteriety or any of that. How naive I was!

The industry is not all about writing. Mostly, it's about marketing--since publishing houses DON'T do that for authors anymore (unless you've magically found your audience already). If you aren't a marketing genius (or willing to grow into one), writing probably isn't the right field for you. That's been the biggest lesson this journey taught me. Every industry boils down to the almighty dollar, and this one is no exception.

I LOVE writing. I LOVE tellings stories.

I do not LOVE all that goes with publishing.

How about you? What 5 things are you grateful for? What was your writing vision? Will you join me in the gratitude challenge?