My thanks are overflowing this year, as it is most years. I am thankful for my family, my friends and words. Yes, words. I love how they come packaged in stories and books. I love how they change and combine. I love that they have nuance and texture.
This Thanksgiving I am committing a few words of thanks for the things I love the most and sharing some of my favorites:
Authors: First up, as an obsessive reader, I am thankful for great authors who inspire me, make me think and laugh, and those who take me someplace new. I attempted to compile a list of my favorites, but it was too stressful. I love too many and could not narrow down the list. Although I will say Kevin Hearne. Just one name. A good one. Okay, perhaps a few more: Peter S. Beagle, Neil Gaiman, Tolkien, Dickens, Robert Crais, Lee Child, Erin Morgenstern…and every other author in my library, which totals more than 7,000 titles. (Just to be clear: I am a collector, not a hoarder.) Thank your favorite authors by buying and gifting their books. Find new authors by giving newbies a chance.
Blogs: I am thankful there are so many great blogs about writing out there. We need to share our love of words, books, writing and the writing life. I highly suggest following (if you do not already) grammargirl.com, brainpickings.org, terrible minds (aka Chuck Wendig), goinswriter.com, janefriedman.com, everyframeapainting.tumblr.com (film-based entry, but a great one with amazing insight into the craft), and redpenofdoom.com. There are many others that are wonderful. Turn to AllTop.com to find some that speak to you.
Stories: I am thankful for stories in general, whatever form they take: Picture books (thanks Mo Willems and Rob Scotton), films (thanks Marvel, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart), music (all of it, from Chris Young to Kamelot), short stories (especially those read aloud at Symphony Space, available on iTunes and on their web site), novels (see above), and even tales shared around the fire pit. I am sending a special thank you to David Tennant for his special brand of storytelling (Doctor Who, Broadchurch, Jessica Jones). His Hamlet was sublime and his latest villain, Kilgrave, is creepy wonderful.
Words: I am thankful for the way words feel when I speak them, especially biscuit, magma, parapluie (French for umbrella) and koosh. I love onomatopoeia. It’s impossible to say them without smiling: crash, bang, whoosh. Somehow turning a sound into a word is magical. I also love that there is a word for everything, from the little plastic covering on shoestrings (aglet ) to describing the urge to do something inadvisable (cacoethes). There is a word for every situation and sentence. I admit to wallowing in them until I find the right one. I even indulge in books about words. One of my favorites is Vex, Hex, Smash, Smooch: Let Verbs Power Your Writing by Constance Hale, which dives into the power and history of verbs. It’s more exciting than you might think.
Context: I love how context changes everything from words to action to how we interpret events. The backstory and surrounding details can change sentences from positive to negative. Context is everything, which is why it infuriates me when it is missing in nonfiction and news.
Poetry: I believe that poetry is the exalted form of writing. Poets are masters at combining words for deeper meaning. Their words flow from the tongue and change everything. I am thankful for the works of Billy Collins, William Carlos Williams, Octavio Paz, Pablo Neruda, Keats, Yeats, Shelley, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare, and so many others.
Writing: I am thankful that I get to make my living writing. It is the only job I can imagine doing because it allows me to live so many lives. I get to dabble in a variety of fields. I learn new things and get to follow my curiosity. Could there be anything better? Not that I can imagine.
Support: I am thankful I have a great support system. My husband encourages me, as does my son. My friends act as Beta readers (by choice) and cheer me on in new endeavors, like my novel. My clients are interesting and friendly. I am blessed with the people in my life. Admittedly, as an introvert, there aren’t many people, but they are well-chosen and cherished.
Ideas: I am thankful that I never run out of ideas, only time. It’s a good thing the world is such an interesting place. Seek the wonder.
Readers: I am thankful for readers, not just mine (which are admittedly few), but everyone who reads. We make the world more interesting by sharing ideas and spreading stories. Readers are the best kind of people.
Thank you for reading this blog and for loving words too. I hope you all have a joyful Thanksgiving.