"Writers can be grateful for readers."

Writers can be grateful for readers. Too obvious? Perhaps. As Cynthia Ozick reminds us, "When something does not insist on being noticed, when we aren't grabbed by the collar or struck on the skull by a presence or an event, we take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude." And readers certainly do deserve an author's gratitude. Without them, what is the point of writing? Besides the end reader, you can also be grateful for the "intermediate readers"--friends, relatives, writing partners--anyone who reads your rough draft and helps polish it. These people are worth their weight in gold for their insight and encouragement; for the criticism that makes a piece better, and the suggestions of a better way to get the point across.

Writers can be grateful for autumn. If you live in an area where the trees turn color, then this season is one of special beauty. Autumn brings a fulfillment, the ending of spring's promise, and the harvest. It is a time to be grateful for the bounty of the land, to recharge your creative batteries. In a practical vein, autumn brings cooler, rainy weather, when staying indoors and writing is much easier than in summer's inviting sunshine. Autumn can also be a time of beginnings, time to pick up that manuscript you put down in the spring, dust it off, and get to work again.

"Writers can be grateful for autumn."

"Writers can be grateful for things to do."

Writers can be grateful for things to do. Although it can sometimes seem like there is far too much to do, it is far better than the opposite. Having deadlines and goals keep you writing when you do not feel like it. Having responsibilities tells you you are needed and wanted. In a book of short stories called Azazel, Isaac Asimov writes about an author who is given the gift of an interruption-free life. Soon the poor man cannot write at all, because having to snatch those precious moments around life's demands was exactly what gave him the impetus and inspiration to write. Do you have more work to do than time to do it? Be thankful.

Writers can be grateful for computers. It is so much easier to make corrections on a screen than having to retype an entire page or chapter, particularly if you are not a good typist! But even more than a superior word processing tool, computers let writers have access to a wider world through the Internet. Research has become much easier, and communication with other writers is possible in a way only dreamed of in the past. Emailing articles back and forth has become commonplace, and so much faster than "snail mail." Electronic journals have grown up--like this one--which give new opportunities for publication, and a place to gather ideas to hone your skills. Web pages announce your writings, or provide pointers to pages of helps for authors. I am able to reach nearly a thousand people each day with an inspirational quote, something that was impossible just a few years ago. Yes, computers have been a boon to writers.

"Writers can be grateful for computers."

Quotes about Thanksgiving

So stop and take stock. What do you have to be thankful for today, and this season? If nothing else, "If you can't be thankful for what you receive, be thankful for what you escape," as someone once said. Here are a few more quotes on the benefits of gratitude. "Thanksgiving is a sure index of spiritual health." (Maurice Dometz) "One of life's gifts is that each of us, no matter how tired and downtrodden, finds reasons for thankfulness." (J. Robert Maskin) "Gratitude is the memory of the heart." (Massieu) "Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes of which all men have some." (Charles Dickens) "Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel." (Anonymous) "No longer forward nor behind I look in hope or fear; But, grateful, take the good I find, The best of now and here." (John Greenleaf Whittier) May your heart be filled with thanksgiving this season.

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