Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!!

I was thinking this morning about what I'm thankful for as a writer and was amazed at how much I'm actually thankful for. Here's my list, feel free to add yours in the comments.

1. I'm thankful for the vast number of writers in the blog world who share their experiences, the good, the bad, and the totally frustrating, so that a writer never has to feel alone.

2. I'm thankful for the experienced writers on SMFS who have taken the time to answer my questions on and off list and manage not to make me feel stupid at the amount of stuff I don't know about writing.

3. I'm thankful for editors and writer friends who have taken the time to comb through my submissions and make suggestions that take my stories to a higher level.

4. I'm thankful for people like Christopher Grant, David Cranmer, Chris Pimental and Geoff Eighinger who have taken the baton from people like DZ Allen and BJ Bourg to keep the crime zines alive and well in a shrinking short story world.

5. I'm thankful for Patti Abbott's flash challenges. They make me dig deeper to find a story that never would have crossed my mind to write.

6. I'm thankful for writer friends who lift me up when I feel like I never want to write another word. A kick in the writing butt is a needful thing at times.

7. I'm thankful for Gerald So and the editors at The Lineup who took a chance and invited me to write a poem. Then actually accepted one for their first issue. They showed me to never be afraid to try something new and different.

8. And finally, I'm thankful for all of you who stop by and read my thoughts and share a bit of yourself with me. While writing is a lonely profession, a writer doesn't have to be alone. By extending a virtual hand, we're surrounded by others who know exactly how we feel and don't mind sharing our joys and sorrows as we walk this writer's path together.

God bless and keep each and every one of you on this Thanksgiving Day.