Giving Thanks

Okay, it's boring and predictable, but hey, the turkey's in the oven and some of you are probably already eating. So Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Here are some things I'm thankful for:

* I'm thankful that I live near so many educational institutions, so that whenever I decide I want to learn something new, it's as easy as getting online and registering for a class. I've taken most of my recent classes at Stanford (and I'm thankful for the high quality of the instructors and students there), but there's San Jose State, De Anza College, Berkeley, USF, Foothill College, and a bunch of others.

* I'm thankful for the writing workshops I've been participating in for the last year or two. The people are enthusiastic and helpful, and both the fiction workshop and the screenwriting workshop have not only helped my writing, they've deepened friendships and contributed directly to creative projects.

* I'm thankful for my good friends and colleagues at Sofawolf Press. We started it eight years ago with the dream of being a high-quality small press, and we have managed to meet that goal. At the recent convention, I overheard someone say, "everything these guys put out is great." That's why we started it, and it's taken years of hard work to get our reputation to that point. None of us could have done it alone. We all shared the dedication and drive to make it work.

* I'm thankful for my muse. Wherever she is, she's never far away. I've learned that she gets to rest every now and then, and she's learned that I can take whatever she can throw at me.

* I'm thankful for everyone reading this blog. Most of you are reading it because you know me (I'm not sure there's anyone reading who doesn't), because we took a class together or worked together or wrote together. We're each other's audience, each other's community, lightposts in the darkness showing us that other people are doing the same things we are.

* I'm thankful for my good friend Rikoshi, who fits into nearly all of the above categories. His influence on and assistance with my writing has been invaluable. Plus, he's just an awesome guy.

* I'm most thankful of all for my partner, Mark. He has exhibited vast quantities of patience with the flaky writer in me, when I just have to finish something before we go out; he has uncomplainingly read whatever I've written, and told me honestly when it needed improvement; he has been at my side as we learn writing and screenwriting, filming and editing; he has provided encouragement, support, ambition, and confidence when I needed it most. It is impossible to imagine where I would be now without his help, but I'm sure it would be a place with fewer friends, fewer stories, and markedly inferior food. Thank you, thank you, thank you.