Article By Jami Gold

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Thanksgiving Candle

Today is Thanksgiving in the U.S.  The day we eat too much food, roll our eyes at the antics of our extended family, and think about all the things we’re grateful for.  Or in my case, have epiphanies.

So there I was, trying to think about my manuscript’s last-minute revisions while taking my shower, when my muse ambushed me with thoughts for this post instead.  (Yes, he’s a perv.)  I tried to ignore him, reminding him that I have a deadline for submitting my manuscript to RWA’s Golden Heart contest and that getting published is very important to me.

But then he said something that stopped me cold:  Do you know why it’s important? His voice was so smug, in a I-know-something-you-don’t kind of way, I scoffed with my reply:  Of course I do. (Yes, I have fully formed conversations with my muse, don’t you?)  The arrogant jerk laughed—my own muse laughed at me!—and said:  If you truly understood, you’d know why your blog is important too.

And you know what?  He’s right.  *sigh*  I’ll never live this down.

Why Do I Blog?

You.

My ultimate dream for my novels is that my words would touch someone and make a difference in their lives.  I want people to learn something about themselves, their relationships, their priorities—their life.  Maybe they’ll appreciate their family a little bit more.  Maybe they’ll feel happier about their circumstances.  Or maybe they’ll be a smidgen more forgiving.

However it manifests, I would be happy if people read my words and found them helpful in some way.  And my arrogant muse (who I really should name at some point) made me realize I’ve already reached that goal with this blog.  Because of you.

I haven’t had this blog for very long, and I’ve already gotten comments, tweets, and emails from people thanking me for helping them.  Me.  Little ol’ me.  I’ve been making a difference with this blog.

Well, call me stunned.  And touched.  And teary.  So if anyone wonders if I’m sincere when I talk about the awesome writing community, if I really care about the people I reach out to, if I mean it when I tweet my Yay‘s or *hugs*—or if I’m just faking it—believe.  Just believe.  Or I’ll have to get even more mushy.

So this Thanksgiving, I’m grateful to my muse, even though he’s a pain in the butt much of the time.  I’m grateful to my extended family, who try to be supportive, even though they think I’m crazier than I really am.  I’m grateful to my writing partners who push me to be better than I thought possible.  I’m endlessly grateful to my family for believing in me and sharing my dreams.

And I’m grateful to you for making this worth it.

What are you grateful for?  How has the writing community touched you?  Have they kept you from quitting?  Have they helped you reach your goals?

Originally Posted on November 25, 2010
Categories: Random Musings

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