Marketing for Romance Writers Magazine January 2019 Volume # 2, Issue # 1 | Page 18

JANUARY, 2019
GRATITUDE ATTITUDE—WRITER’S STYLE
By: Alice Orr
―At this time of the
rolling year,‖ as our
great storytelling men-
tor Charles Dickens
wrote of the Holiday-
New Year season,
gratitude feels obliga-
tory to me, or maybe
just appropriate, if
you are more comfortable with that.
Which got me thinking about what
we, as writers specifically, might list in
our thankfulness inventory. So, I posted
an internet query under the heading
―Writing Life Gratitude.‖ The responses
have made me very grateful indeed.
Most prominently, we are grateful
for one another. ―Critique partners who
give me their honest opinions and en-
couragement when I make mistakes,‖
says Kayelle Allen. Ruth Casie adds,
―Writing partners who enrich my life
with their friendship, caring and great
brainstorming ideas.‖
Each of us can reflect on a history of
helpers—other writers who may them-
selves suffer through dark passages of
career disaster, crippling self-doubt, or
personal life turmoil. Nonetheless, they
reach out to urge us back toward the
light. Roni Denholtz, Marcia James, D.V.
Stone and Jennifer Wilck echo the rest of
us in saying, ―Thank you all so much for
that.‖
Joan Ramirez is grateful for ―a loving
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husband who shares my enthusiasm for
my novel writing career‖ and is her best
friend as well. Several others, including
myself, mention family, including grand-
children. Writing may be a solitary pur-
suit, but we are definitely not alone.
And who isn’t thankful for readers?
―All the readers who’ve stuck with me
for so many years and keep buying my
new books,‖ says Meredith Bond, while
Marcia James reminds us to thank the
Beta readers who help us hone our work,
and I feel personally in debt to readers
who make the effort to review what we
write.
I was moved by those of us—Connie
Bretes, Paul Lima, Nancy Morse—who
shared their struggles through serious
health problems, and somehow found
the will and stamina to keep on working
or get back to the writing desk eventually.
Jean Brashear, Marie Force, Joan
Peck and Livia Quinn spoke of the 60
Minutes story of Tim Green’s battle with
ALS. ―How dare I ever falter for a sec-
ond?‖ Jean says, in the face of such in-
spiring courage.
My own heart was hard-struck by the
inspiration of Susan Meier. ―This year,
every inch of my life, including my ca-
reer, was tested when my son died in
January,‖ Susan says, and thanks RWA
and her sister chapters for their support.
At the time of her loss, she had a manu-
script due, and her publishers and editors
helped her through when she insisted she
must work on toward deadline. We are
also with you, Susan.
The greatest number of responses to
my Writing Life Gratitude question were
about being thankful for the opportunity
to write in the first place. ―To fill my
hours with writing and for the wonderful
characters that keep me company,‖ says
Carol Roddy. ―To start with an idea and
end with a published book,‖ says Joan
Peck. Dee Knight speaks of her latest
book, which ―languished unfinished for
years,‖ and now is completed at last.
The ultimate joy of writing is
summed up beautifully by Elizabeth
Tarry-Crowe. ―I’m grateful that, after
years of writing, I still strive to get better,
shoot higher, try harder,‖ and Lisabet
Sarai agrees. Whatever life and career
setbacks confront us, we do what we can
and must to heal, then we forge forward
again.
Finally, as in the beginning, we are
together. ―I’m grateful for my writing
friends….‖ Alice Valdal says. ―The writ-
ing world is so different from the one I
first joined, but writers willing to share
and laugh and cry and encourage and
keep trying are still there. For that I am
grateful.‖ Me too! Happy New Year.
A l i c e
O r r —
www.aliceorrbooks.com
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