Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving week, fittingly, I'll be working on the acknowledgments page for my novel.

I've been avoiding this task for a few weeks now. There are so many people I want to thank. Critique groups I've been a part of, readers who shared their wisdom with me, friends and family who have listened--and encouraged me through all the years- yes, years - it took me to get where I am. I've been shown an extraordinary amount of kindness from a great number of people. Truly, I've been blessed. So how can I thank all these people on one page? How can I not?

I came from the world of visual art before I started writing. Oils paints were my thing. To this day, I can't smell turpenoid or linseed oil without feeling that creative rush. I painted quickly and on large canvases. People invariably ask how long it took to complete a painting. I was told by a painting instructor once the best answer for this question is, "a lifetime." I like that answer.

Because you know what? It's not just about those years in art school or the eight hours you spent toiling on a canvas or the eighteen months you spent banging at the keys. Art is about everything you are. You will find reflections of an artist's every experience in their work. It all adds up into a unique vision, finished with that last dab of paint, that final typed word.

So while I won't be able to thank everyone personally in my acknowledgments page for their support and kindness through my journey in becoming a writer, I do see all of you in my work. And I'm grateful - from every passing question "How's the book coming?" to those who've spent hours dissecting plot and character with me. You're all in the work, you've all been a part of my getting to where I am, and I am very, very thankful.

Have a great Thanksgiving!