Autumn and winter are my favorite seasons so
an attitude of gratitude is natural for me this time of the year. Fortunately writers have a lot to be grateful
for all year long. Here is my Top 10 in alphabetical order so I don’t have to
prioritize them.
Family – Larger
My father’s family is from Mississippi and
West Texas so I come from a long line of southern story tellers. I grew up listening
to the men spin tales of the desert, ranching and the mountains. These tales weren’t
100% true, they were True, something I needed to understand to write fiction.
Family – Smaller
I’m also profoundly grateful for my immediate
family. These are the people who support me daily in my quest to write. They also drag me out of my comfort zone which
every introvert occasionally needs.
Knitting and Crochet
What do they have to do with writing? It is a great way to occupy just enough of my
brain so that I can sit and noodle a solution for some writing problem.
Handwork is also how I recharge.
Library
My library system has a huge collection of
books, magazines, e-books, e-zines, DVDs and more. This is how I keep abreast
of the latest developments in publishing. They are also a huge help as I research
my nonfiction projects.
Monkey Mind
This is a yoga term for an unfocused mind.
Mine has been referred to as a “barrel of monkeys mind.” With my scattered thoughts,
I can generally find something that interests me when my editor asks if I want
to write about a particular topic.
PC
Yes, my computer. I started writing on a
clunky electric typewriter at the kitchen table. It wasn’t long before my super
supportive husband bought a computer for me so that I didn’t have to retype
every draft. I am so grateful to write on a computer!
That’s the Society of Children’s Book Writers
and Illustrators. It is the best organization around to help you network with fellow
children’s writers. Writing for children really is a different beast. I’ve
found the majority of my writing gigs, including WOW, through SCBWI contacts.
Spellcheck
Again, this may not seem worthy of Top 10
status but I’m dyslexic. Spell check is my friend! Grammar check is a close second since it
catches some of my mistakes that spell check misses.
Treadmill Desk
Although I’m not coordinated enough to write on
the treadmill, it is where I read e-mail, blog posts, contest manuscripts, magazines
and books to review. Because I’m working
on a fair sized monitor I can enlarge things enough to read as I’m bobbling
around while walking.
WOW
Last but not least, WOW and the Muffin are
definitely on my list. Writing for children may be a specialized field but it’s
important to be in touch with the industry as a whole. Ironically this is also where
I met both Margot and Sioux. Margot writes for children. Sioux lives in the
same county I do. And this really is a top community in terms of information
exchange and support.
So, what are you grateful for as we head into
Thanksgiving?
--SueBE
To find out more about Sue Bradford Edwards' writing, visit her blog, One Writer's Journey. Sue is also the instructor for Writing Nonfiction for Children and Young Adults. The next session begins January 8th, 2017.
