There are a good many things Indie writers and publishers have to be grateful for. Things we seem to have in common…apart, of course, from the abject poverty of living in unheated garrets whilst suffering for our art. (Look, we have an image to keep up, right?)
Whilst I wait… and wait… and wait… I thought it might be fun to explore the bond which makes a community of introspective creatives put pen to paper.
1. We are grateful for our families. Without them there would never be anything in the fridge come dinner time because we forgot… again.
Of course, there are those of us who live alone. We are grateful to our four-footed companions who insistently remind us of mealtimes at least twice a day and, with their cavernous snores, remind us occasionally to sleep. They also become almost our sole reason for seeing the outside world.
Our furry companions can be trained to do a number of useful tasks…
2. We are grateful for coffee… or tea/Cola/soda… anything with the requisite sugar and/or caffeine content. They allow us to defy the need for sleep, regardless of the snoring from the disgruntled animal/partner who has gone to sleep in disgust at our defection… Quite apart from the fact that such beverages require us to leave our desks every so often in search of them.
Even though, when we do reach the kitchen… that room full of distant memories of savoury dishes and laughter that now slumbers beneath a layer of forgetfulness like a mothballed Sleeping beauty… we find we have run out….again.
Like, letting the daylight in…
3. We are grateful for microwave ovens… useful to reheat that cup of coffee you finally made and left to go cold… again. Also for the odd, desperate foray into the culinary heaven of a hot meal. Or something that vaguely resembles one, at least. As an occasional bonus, they are useful for drying the coffee stains from the cup you forgot about and spilled on the manuscript…
Making sure we are fed…
4. We are grateful for matchsticks… when the coffee fails during a long stint of editing. Cold showers also fall into this category.
5. We are grateful for computers and the internet… there is no better way of procrastinating escaping the demands of a work-in-progress than social media research.
Computers also have the advantage of remembering all the things you do not. Like the time. And the date. As well as being convenient word processors.
Laundry…
6. We are grateful for the ageing process. Not because of the wealth of experience it allows us to draw upon. Certainly not because we can ease up a bit… as an Indie you are probably working harder and with more focus that you ever have before… No, simply because it is a really good excuse not to move.
and answering the phone.
7. We are grateful for other Indie authors… Not only are they a supportive and knowledgeable community, the really successful ones inspire us with hope and keep us going when things get tough… and others remind us we are not alone… we are not failures.
8. We are grateful for insomnia… is there a better time to write than when the rest of our world is sleeping? It also extends the number of working hours available in a day by a considerable and useful amount.
If all else fails, they will find a way to drag us from our desks…
9. We are grateful for reviews… Pathetically grateful. We have pointed out that you don’t have to buy a book from Amazon to leave a review there… we have begged and pleaded to no avail… We have explained algorithms and the importance of reviews to everyone we meet…. Then one day, like a dog with its first big bone, that first positive review from an unknown person makes our eyes go wide and keeps us occupied for weeks.
… even if it means resorting to lunacy.
10. We are grateful for Amazon… Oh yes we are. Really… It allows us to realise our dream of seeing our words in print. Amazon allows a simple platform for getting our creations out there….
And the most important one? Readers…
Well, that’s up to us, isn’t it?
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
I’m relieved to know that others forget the tea (or coffee) they’ve just made. In an average day – whatever that is – about 50% of the cups of tea I make grow cold, or at least tepid, on the unit in the kitchen. On discovering them I then have to decide whether to spend a few minutes making another (which I’m quite likely to forget to grow tepid or cold) or drink the one I’ve just discovered and get it down as quickly as possible because I don’t much like cold tea. I haven’t discovered a remedy for this.
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I’m always doing it. I find thirty seconds in the microwave makes it gulpably palatable… it is about the only use the microwave ever gets. But I haven’t found an answer to forgetting to drink them in the first place 😉
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Ah – thank you, Sue! A remedy – or a repair outfit anyway – the microwave. Not a thing I have much time for, but I reckon I can warm up a mug of cold tea with it. Thank you. Such ingenuity!
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The only other thing a microwave is really good for is making a treacle pudding from scratch in six minutes 😉
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Great list here! Dumbbells are definitely on my list, because they allow me to stay in shape without needing to go to the gym, which gives me more time for writing!
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The dog serves that purpose for me 😉
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A comprehensive list.
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I could have aded a few 😉
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♥️
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Great list, Sue! My drinks never grow cold, possibly because I never seem to remember to make them in the first place. I’m grateful for clocks – otherwise I would lose ALL track of time. I also appreciate my expensive yet still uncomfortable office chair. Without it, I wouldn’t stand up for hours at a time and be reminded of my achy old body. And please, don’t get me started on the love/hate relationship with Amazon…
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I have a problem with chairs. My feet never reach the ground if my fingers are to reach the keyboard 😉
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I understand! Get yourself a little footstool or small box to rest your feet. A good chair would be worth its weight in gold – if I could find one.
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I have footstool… but that means I can’t get my feet under the desk 🙂
The best office chair I found for comfort was a fairly reasonable one from Amazon, with extra padding and an adjustable back. It is on its last legs now, but I’ll be sorry to see it go.
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OK…plan B. Get yourself some 6 inch ’70’s platform shoes – those should fit under the desk! Plan C – get a different desk. Plan D – swap the dining room table for the desk. Should be plenty of room underneath there! (I can’t even afford a desk, so I use a folding 6 foot table.)
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Last time I wore pltforms, I fell off and broke an ankle, so Plan B is out 😉
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Well, since you won’t be walking or dancing while at your desk, I don’t see a problem!
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If you knew how accident prone I am, you wouldn’t say that 😉
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these all seem spot on, I’m not yet an indie author, but see myself fitting right in )
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If that is so, you are already half way there 😉
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Ha ha couldn’t agree more!
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😀
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Am I the only one who can see the smallest doubt in your list? Most probably just a reflection of my own list, one I am seriously trying to update with more positivity…
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There are times when positivity goes out the window…
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I have yet to discover how to get it back, but working on it!
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I keep telling myself to believe things will go right…and they very often do.
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That’s usually the way I roll, but lately something seems to be missing…
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Spring will sort it. It seems to have been a long winter, even if we have so far escaped the worst weather.
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Not sure if I imagined it, but something felt different when I walked around my garden yesterday…
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It definitely feels like spring is in the air. The birds think so too 🙂
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All so true, Sue. I don’t know about you, but time seems to go much quicker when I write. They do say that times flies when you’re enjoying yourself. It must be true then? Yes?
And thank goodness for our four-legged friends who are the ones that make sure we get some natural light on our faces.
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It goes fast when you write…even faster when you are editing 😉
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I think I much rather write than edit. For me, editing is a monster I know I have to tame, yet I always want to fight. 🧟♂️
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I have a bit of an editing marathon underway… but it will be worth it. 🙂
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Well done, Sue. You nailed it.
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Long experience, Jennie 😉
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Yes, I know. 🙂
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My desk is upstairs, kitchen downstairs and it’s good I leave my coffee until it’s cold so I have some exercise. And, yes, I’m grateful to Amazon for providing a market place for our books.
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I no longer have an upstairs… and I rather miss the exercise…and the space for a studio.
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That was great fun, Sue and has the ring of truth too…
I have learned that writers brains are programmed to run in circles, especially in the early hours. The best ideas also arrive in the early hours, BUT it’s too cold to get out of bed to write them down (who can afford the bills?) Writers are masochists, but I love you all! xx
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I find a strategically applied hot water bottle helps with the midnight hours, Joy 😉 x
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2-5 doesn’t do much for me haha
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You are lucky, then , Jessica 😉
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This is all so true, I loved Ani’s antics ..I hope you wrestled that twixt bar off of her! 💜💜💜
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She brought it to me to open, bless her… so I swapped it for something she is allowed to eat 😉
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I just admire her trust , 💜💜💜
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I doubt if she expected me to confiscate it after she has helped herself from my bag 😉 xx
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Oh! There’s crafty 💜😁💜
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And very guilty 😉 xx
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Lol 💜💜💜
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This warmed my heart, Sue. So much to be grateful for and so much in common. I think I reheat the same cup of coffee about twenty times a day, honestly. Eventually, the film on the top gets so gross I have to throw it out and make a new cup (that I also never finish). Wonderful post.
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Cold coffee seems to go with the territory somehow. Or I boil the kettle and forget about it until it has gone cold again…
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Ha. That too. I’ve been known to boil it dry. 🙂
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I would too if it didn’t know me well enough to cut out 😉
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A most amusing post, Sue. I would start my list with gratitude for my physiotherapist who massages away the pain of sitting scrunched over a computer half the night and all weekend.
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Never having had a proper massage, I can’t include that one… though I can dream 😉
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Yes, you’ve just about nailed it there, right down to the cold coffee and insomnia. I’ll be sharing this on my website on Friday.
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Thanks, Richard… cold coffee seems to be the unifying factor worldwide 🙂
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Grateful!
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🙂
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Loved this Sue. Except coffee is #1 LOL ❤
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Yes, I should probably move it up 😉 x
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🙂 xx
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:-)) Unbeatable wonderful!
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Thanks, Michael 😀
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😀
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Reblogged this on M J Mallon YA/Paranormal Author and commented:
Lovely gratitude post from Sue Vincent #indieauthors #humour
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Thank you for sharing, Marje 🙂
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I smiled right through your list and yes, coffee can be drunk cold. Gratitude to Amazon, too. I miss having a furry companion and I am working on changing that. Thank you, Sue. ,3
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Mine is currently on the arm of the sofa, six inches away, and brandishing a ball 😉
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Hint for a walk? I am chuckling. Love it, Sue. ❤
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Ball throwing… fetch is her thing 😉
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I enjoyed this! It was a good way to end my day.
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Thank you, Liz… glad you enjoyed the post 🙂
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You know you’re in full writer mode when you forget to has-been there! I love it though ’cause it reminds me that I’m so inspired and into my work at that moment.
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🙂
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Pingback: 10 Things for which the Indie Author is grateful — Sue Vincent’s Daily Echo | Novel Writing Festival
So true Sue. We have to be grateful.
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Yes, we do, Marva 🙂
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Such a great list! ☺️
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Thank you 🙂
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