I feel so blessed lately with award nominations by other bloggers (and embarrassed, let’s not forget that part). Being noticed by your peers has got to be one of the most satisfying (and embarrassing) feelings possible.
Although I’ve posted before about some of these awards, since then two bloggers have nominated Writer Site for the One Lovely Blog award. They are Write Brain Trust and Terry1954. Write Brain Trust, published by a group, is an in-depth resource for writing which focuses on marketing and publishing “in a digital world.” It’s a go-to site for all writers. Terry is a sweetheart who writes heartfelt stories, both nonfiction and fiction. My favorites are about her dear brother Al, who is disabled by Parkinson’s.
If you have ever felt that you received more Christmas gifts one year than you deserved, then you know how I feel. It’s a little overwhelming. I want to stay focused on the task at hand and not pat myself on the back, thus losing sight of my mission (i.e., WRITING!–something I put off for too long).
Still, it’s true that I don’t feel comfortable not acknowledging these “pass along” awards because they give me the chance to honor the work of other bloggers and thus keep us all connecting with each other. Therefore, I am forever grateful to Write Brain Trust and Terry for giving me a positive beacon in the blogosphere and also for the opportunity to pass this light on to other bloggers.
Accepting the award obligates me to write seven things about myself. Since I’m on the theme of gratitude, I’ll focus on how much I have to be thankful for as a writer:
1. I am grateful for my past writing instructors in all genres. I’ve had so many favorites, but include among them John Woods, Stuart Dybek, James Arthur, Matthew Lippman, Caroline Goodwin, Kazim Ali, Carolyn Forché, and Gina Welch. One of my instructors, Otis Haschemeyer, taught me the value of keeping a writing log. He shows what his looks like in this WordPress blog post. I could keep going, but I will end up looking like a lifelong student nerd (I am).
2. I am grateful for my Stanford Writing Certificate cohorts. You know who you are. Love you guys (gals)! You can read a few of their blogs at Fluent in Fabulous, The Diarrhea Diaries, and Tanzania5.0. Here is a great column, called From Where I Sit, written by one of my cohorts.
3. I am grateful for my in-person writing group: Linda, Renee, and Rudri.
4. I am grateful for my sweet and lovely friends who read my blog posts whether they got enough coffee or not and if they are having a good day or not. I love each one of you so much!
5. I am grateful for my friend Wilma Kahn (Jeannie Unbottled), writer and editor, who edited my dissertation and many other pieces of slop I’ve managed to crank out.
6. I am grateful for my blog followers and other bloggers who make my world so much more lovely. Much love to all of you . . . .
7. I am grateful to WordPress for creating such a pleasant online experience.
Oops. Adding another one for good measure: I am grateful to all the lovely books I’ve read which have inspired me.
Um, one more. I am grateful to my husband who taught me how to properly use a semi colon when we were college freshmen.
Finally, I get to nominate 15 other bloggers for The One Lovely Blog Award. I’ve decided to nominate blogs which I have recently discovered. Here we go–enjoy!!!
