10 Reasons To Be Grateful You’re a Writer
Hello Writers All,
We have many reasons to express gratitude during the holiday season, but have you considered all the reasons you’ve got for being grateful you’re a writer?
Writing can be a challenging career, with lots of ups and downs. But be it a good writing day or bad — don’t forget to STOP, take a deep breath, and express your gratitude for being a writer!
Hey, maybe lately you’ve discovered a great creative gush of words flowing out of you. Congratulations! All the more reason to celebrate! But wherever you may find yourself along this utterly unique, sometimes frustrating but ever fascinating journey as a writer, there is always joy to be found.
Join me in celebrating your experiences as a writer! Because:
1. Writers Touch People’s Hearts
Maya Angelou noted, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
As writers, we have the opportunity to impact the lives of readers and viewers in a very real way. People we will never meet can be touched by our work! Your script or novel might help someone through a difficult time or give them hope for a better future. That’s a powerful gift to pass along.
How many other careers can offer that kind of accomplishment?
2. Writers Have the Ability To Turn Thoughts and Feelings Into Words On Paper
Very few people can find the right words to communicate a story on a page. As a writer, you have the talent to transfer meaningful thoughts into language. Writers know how to use words to compose sentences that lead readers and viewers to feel deeply.
Writers can envision and construct whole new worlds in their imagination then capture those worlds in words. An incredible skill.
3. Writers Often Bond With Other Writers
Another rewarding aspect of being a writer is the chance to build an ever growing network of writer friends. Your network can develop with people you meet through social media, or at conferences, or in writing classes. Writing connects people from all over the world. Networking with other writers, and reading and commenting on each other’s material as it develops, is a major help for all of us and can also be one of the rungs on your ladder toward success.
4. Writers Are Time Travelers
When working to build the tales we weave, writers transform themselves into seers with the power to go anywhere in the known or unknown universe. We writers can explore the future, or travel back through time to become historical figures who rise up to live once more.
Writers have magical powers in their fingertips as they type and dream!
5. Writers Can Bring To Light Important Stories
Many writers are drawn to this craft because they long to tell stories that NEED to be told. Some stories have been overlooked by film producers because they are seen as too challenging or controversial. Committed writers keep pitching anyway. Writers can always bring urgency and new perspectives to more obscure but important stories.
The great Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
You can invite your readers and viewers to care about topics they might not have ever thought about before.
6. Writers Construct Stories That Can Outlive Their Creator
Writers have the opportunity to truly influence society. And the art of writing offers you the chance to create stories that just might live forever. What an incredible honor to be a part of the modern age where our work, whether intended for small audiences or large, can be passed down to future generations.
Why is it great to be a storyteller? Because we are the contemporary bards who capture and record the heart and soul of our time.
7. Writers Can Work Anywhere
At the beach, in a coffee shop, up in a treehouse… writers can write anywhere. Dalton Trumbo did his best work in his bathtub. We can travel, do research, take our work with us wherever we want to go. What’s your favorite writing place?
Stop and be thankful for the coffee shops and libraries where you write. Or just be grateful you can write in your cozy office at home with a full cup of freshly brewed coffee beside you on your desk. (That’s me.) How great is it to be able to choose where and when we want to work?!
8. Writers Learn Something New Every Day
Being a writer means becoming a lifelong student. Whether researching unfamiliar topics in order to create three-dimensional characters or unearthing new techniques and tools for the craft of writing itself, we learn and grow every day. And we’re surrounded by virtually endless educational resources for writers.
9. Each Writer Creates Stories In Their Own Unique Way
NO TWO WRITERS WRITE EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. A hundred of us can take the same story with the same plot and write it in one hundred fascinatingly different ways! We all live different lives, see the world through different sets of experiences. Each of us is the architect of our own vision. THIS is where true accomplishment can be found. There is not another you in the whole world. And there is deep pride to be found in telling your stories in a way that no one else can!
10. Writers Experience A Fulfillment Few People Will Ever Know
Just finishing the latest draft of a project is something to be grateful for. It’s a feeling like no other. After months — or possibly years — of sweat and tears, a writer has created SOMETHING FROM NOTHING. Something that is uniquely their own. Reflect on how, with each new project, you grow as a writer. Be grateful you will always get better and better and grow and know that your best screenplays and novels are yet to come.
It’s a shame that most people hate their jobs. Writers, though, get to experience the full range of emotion that comes with loving their work. If you’ve got a pay-the-rent job on the side, you still get to feel that passion for authorship. You know it’s always waiting for you the next time you sit down at your keyboard. In the early years of my career I kept food on our family table by working the graveyard shift driving for an armored transport company. And every night I couldn’t wait to get back home to our tiny house with the bad plumbing so I could sit down at the kitchen table and start writing at 4 a.m.
Maybe you’ve already established a career as a paid writer — congrats! But wherever you are along your journey, there is nothing more rewarding than living the life you were meant to live.
So as often as you can, on good writing days or bad — STOP, breathe, and let gratitude wash over you.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Warmest regards,
Eric Edson
P.S. Be sure to check out my book, The Story Solution on Amazon, where I break down major film stories and describe the Hero Goal Sequences blueprint for writing blockbuster movies. Visit TheStorySolution.com to download complimentary film structure breakdowns for Back to the Future, Bridesmaids, Finding Nemo and more!
About The Story Solution: Eric Edson’s The Story Solution provides concrete insights for those interested in writing a screenplay or novel. Regarded as one of the best books on narrative writing, The Story Solution is currently #1 in several categories on Amazon China. Visit the website at https://www.thestorysolution.com to download a complimentary book chapter, view video clips of Eric’s interview with Film Courage, and subscribe to Eric’s podcast. For weekly screenwriting tips “Like” us on Facebook.
