28 Things Writers Are Thankful For
As a wife, mother, sister, friend, writer and account manager at BKA Content, I am thankful for different things in all areas of my life. For example, shopping and cell phones hit high on my list with my friends and sisters (I’m such a girl),while the neighbor girls that entertain my kids come REALLY HIGH on my thankful list as a mom.
As a wife, I’m thankful for my husband’s job, sense of humor and thick head of hair, while as an account manager I’m most thankful for my CEO’s help with my never-ending list of simple technology tasks.
As a freelance writer, though, my thankful list hits all over the board. In an effort to make this list a little more comprehensive, I reached out to other BKA Content freelance writers to see what things they are most thankful for this year. Some were unique, while others were found on almost every list that came in. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I thought I’d share some of the things that we, as freelance writers, are most thankful for (in no particular order):
1. The Copy and Paste Function (CTRL-C, CTRL-V) – Need I say more?
2. The UNDO Button – For all those times I changed something on a document or a spreadsheet and can’t figure out what it was
3. Texting and Skyping – These allow me to become a total hermit as I work from home and am never forced to have an actual conversation with another human.
4. Post-it Notes – Because who doesn’t like to create stick figure animations on something other than a rented library book? But seriously, checklists and notes litter my desk, whether or not I actually ever go back to read them again. Somehow, it feels therapeutic in nature.
5. Preschool that Runs 5 Days a Week – Allows me to keep my sanity and (sometimes) make my writing deadlines.
6. Cherry Coke (Personal Preference) – Also known as my ‘comfort blanket’. I get nervous if I can’t find my drink.
7. Plush Executive Chairs – This one is two-fold. One, because if I’m going to sit on my butt for hours on end, I might as well do so in luxurious, wall-street excess type comfort. And two, because I’m the boss.
8. Spotify – So I can play the same song over and over again for 10 small dollars every month.
9. Noise Cancelling Headphones – So no one knows that I am actually listening to the same song over and over again. I mean, who does that?
10. Dual Monitors – If you prefer a desktop and you haven’t upgraded to this setup, you don’t know what you’re missing. Take one of my monitors away and I’ll cut off your left hand. Then we’ll be even.
11. Laptops- Thank goodness someone came up with the idea of a portable computer. We can sit at the park while the kids play, hit Starbucks or McDonald’s and use the free Wi-Fi or even sit in the driveway so the kids can’t find us. Now if we could only remember to charge the laptop before we leave home…
12. Google Search – Let’s face it, most of us wouldn’t have jobs without it; and it’s just plain fun to say. Oh and don’t forget the fact that every single freelance writer has Googled themselves at one point or another to see where their work has been posted (warm fuzzies).
13. Caffeine – Whether in soda form or coffee form, everyone needs a mid-afternoon boost to get through the rest of the day. Mine comes at 8 AM, then again at 9:30, and on and on in a similar pattern throughout the rest of the day. Don’t judge me – I have four children.
14. Good Friends that Don’t Tire of Us – As SEO content writers, we’ve become the self-appointed expert on anything you can find on the web. From vacuum cleaners to accounting services to skin creams, we know it all. Fortunately, we also have good friends that don’t tire of us sharing our loads of important tidbits about lawn mowers on a regular basis.
15. Thesaurus Tool (Shift F7) – It’s hard to write 525 words about diamond rings and only use the word “diamonds” a few times. Thanks, Microsoft Word, for the Thesaurus tool and the easy way to get to it.
16. Facebook – Yes, it kills me to say it, but I’m thankful for this time waster. Although it can make me hate people I barely know because of their incessant status updates, the occasional hilarious vine that gets posted makes it all worth it. Or the memes. Or the E-cards. Ok fine, I secretly like it all.
17. Online Shopping – Allowing us hermits to remain hidden in our offices even through the holidays, and taking our paychecks only seconds after they are made. Online shopping provides a much-needed break from hours of writing roofing pages and product descriptions.
18. Fingerless Gloves – It’s next to impossible to type when my poor little fingers are frozen, but how in the world are my fingers supposed to fit on the keyboard when I’m wearing gloves? Some brilliant soul heeded the call of thousands of at-home writers and came up with the most brilliant idea yet – fingerless gloves.
19. Find Feature (CTRL-F) – Ever lose your place on a document or spreadsheet? Yeah neither have I. Oh and don’t forget about the ‘Replace’ feature either. Fixing mistakes has never been so easy.
20. Fuzzy socks, space heaters, sweat pants and soft, snuggly blankets – Sure we may look ridiculous, but we think the same thing about people in suits and ties. The beauty of working from home as a freelance writer is that you don’t have to impress anybody (unplug your computer camera just in case), and you can make dressing and office interior design decisions based solely on comfort. Aside from the fact that you do have to live with yourself, everything else is fair game. Oh and we are nice and warm. Don’t forget about that.
21. Books and Kindles – Most of us write because we love words. While I don’t have a creative bone in my body, many freelance writers are also creative writers that are working on novels or stories. Those of us that aren’t often lose ourselves in a good book when we simply can’t find it in us to create one more original sentence about security gates.
22. Online Typing Tests – Sure, in the real world, WPM doesn’t get you much recognition, but in the writer’s universe, it means bragging rights for dayyyzzz. In fact, I’m faster than 95.76% of the general population. Boom.
23. Netflix, Nick Jr. and Disney Channel –If you’ve got your DVR set up, most children’s television shows last for 21-22 minutes. As a parent that is trying to finish up one more writing project, that is an invaluable amount of time. Thanks, Dora, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Ninjago and the puppies on Paw Patrol, for keeping us from losing our minds.
24. Fruit Snacks – I need to find out who it was that created Fruit Snacks. I owe you my first-born child.
25. Cup O’Noodles – Because we’d like to at least pretend like we work in a real office, even though most of us don’t.
26. Spell Check – Is it there, their or they’re? Should I use who or whom? That REVIEW button and those little red and blue lines offer us tranquility and peace as we send off work to be reviewed.
27. Free Online Therapy – The nature of the job is that we’re allowed to work from home, and it’s also one of the biggest benefits. This doesn’t mean we don’t (occasionally) need social interaction or want to get to know the people we work with! Sometimes it’s easier to bear your soul to someone that is just a name on forum rather than someone you see every day. Let’s just hope we don’t ever end up as next door neighbors.
28. Food, Laughter, Music, Friends and Safety – At the end of the day, the true thankfulness lies in all the things we have that we may take for granted. Things like hot water for a bath on a cold night, enough food to feed our families when many go without, music that is uplifting, someone to cuddle with on the couch, the ability to work whenever and wherever we want and the safety we enjoy living here in America.
Or, as one writer said:
“Today, I’m thankful that I’m not a turkey.”
Happy Thanksgiving!
(If you can think of anything else you’re grateful for as a freelance writer that I’ve left off of this list, please include it in the comments below! Now, go eat some turkey!)
