Giving Thanks for Writing Support

Photo by wewe yang from Pexels

With November almost over and no gifts purchased yet this year because, well, work and NaNoWriMo, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. But when I was brainstorming what I should write about for this post, I decided to go with good old-fashioned gratitude since we are celebrating a day of thanks. Here are a just a few things I’m grateful for: 

Time to write. Yes, life is busy, but I’m learning to embrace being the mother of teens. You’d be surprised at how much time you get back in your life when they can drive themselves to and from school, to and from sports practices and games, and back and forth from work and friends’ houses. While I do try to attend all their cross country races and track meets, the months of mid-November through early February provide even more time at home to tackle projects because my kids take an off season. Next year my oldest will be away at college somewhere, but we aren’t talking about that right now! 

The gift of the muse. In the past several months, I’ve been blessed with a variety of ideas for both non-fiction and fiction projects, and have produced one new solid short story, a creative non-fiction essay, more than half of a thriller/suspense novel, and multiple podcast scripts and interviews. I’m not sure what has sparked this burst of creativity, but I’m choosing to roll with it as long as I can. 

Podcast listeners and follows. "Missing in the Carolinas" continues to grow organically each week and I have yet to do any real marketing for it. I'm thrilled to have at least 700 downloads within a week of each episode now. I’ve put the title of the show in my e-mail signature, no matter who I’m sending a message to and mention it in passing in as many conversations as I can. My focus has been producing quality work to gain the trust of listeners before exploring sponsorship opportunities, but I believe it’s almost time to put the second part of the plan in motion. Last week a friend suggested I call a mentor of hers in South Carolina to discuss how he crowdfunded one of his books. I mentioned the podcast to him and by the next day, he had sent me a message from him that read, “Hey! I started the podcast and it’s excellent.” Coming from a retired newspaper journalist, this compliment made my day. 

Supportive family, friends, and colleagues. I wouldn’t have it made it this far without the support of so many people. My family picks up the slack with cleaning the house and running errands for me so I can squeeze in time to write, my friends cheer me on from near and far, and my colleagues have been very kind in complimenting me with the work I do in magazine content creation and editing and my creative work. It’s so true that a little support goes a long way, especially to a shy and introverted writer who’s always been nervous about putting her work out into the world. I’m sure I’ve left something or someone out, but these are the main points that were on my heart. I’m thankful for so many blessings in my life, and I’m thankful to be blessed with the love of writing. 

I hope you all have a restful Thanksgiving, no matter how you celebrate! 

Renee Roberson is an award-winning freelance writer and editor who also hosts and produces the true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas. Learn more at FinishedPages.com.