What would it look like if you paused and spent a few minutes appreciating all that writing does for you, all that it gives you? What would it feel like if you spent a few minutes after each writing session to actively make note of what you're grateful for about that time, of what went right, of what you gained, not just the gap? That's how we can use a gratitude practice to improve our writing journey. Welcome to the Write It Scared podcast. I'm your host, Stacey Fraser, a formerly repressed creative soul, turned fiction writer, story editor, and author accelerator certified fiction book coach. At Write It Scared, we tell the truth about why writing a novel is so hard by acknowledging that most writers grapple with two stories: the one they want to put on the page to the best of their ability, and the often subconscious internal story that prevents them from doing it. This show is designed to help you identify and rewrite the internal narrative holding you back while you discover and write the story you want to tell and learn all the tools to help you do that successfully. Join me each week for a new episode where we'll talk about writing to deepen our understanding of the craft and of ourselves as writers. Writing a novel is an inside job that we do not do alone. Welcome to Write It's Scared. I'm glad you're here. Let's dive in. Hi, writer. Welcome back to the Write It's Cared Podcast. I'm your host, Stacey Fraser, and this is where we talk about that messy and brave act of writing our novels. So we can do it with a little more ease, a little more self-compassion, a little more grace. Today's a solo episode, and it is mindset focused. And we're gonna pull some words out of the podcast vault here. This is a topic I've done in the past. Uh, talked about it almost a year ago to the day, in fact. So, not gonna lie, I'm gonna use some of what I said last time, verbatim. But I don't think the topics of gratitude or writer encouragement can ever really run out of steam. So, I don't know about you, but sometimes I forget that writing is a privilege. I forget that I get to do this. And I tend to lean over into the I have to do this territory. So it's good to be reminded that we get to write our stories because not everyone is fortunate enough to have that experience. But before we talk about diving into gratitude and how we can use it as a really powerful tool to help us move forward on our writing journey, I want to give you a quick reminder that enrollment for Draft It Scared is coming up soon and the interest list is now open. Draft It Scared is my small group coaching program for writers who are working on developing their story. Maybe they're drafting or they feel stuck somewhere in. And we work together to untangle the plot, untangle the character motivations, build up momentum, and give tools to get you back on track and writing forward. The next cohort is going to kick off in mid-January of 2026, and spots are limited to six writers per group. So if you're stuck, or if you are planning to hit pause over the holiday season and you want to come back in January and make progress on your novel, head over to writitscared.co forward slash draft it scared to learn more and get on the interest list and get all the details. Okay, so back to talking about gratitude and encouragement and how we can use gratitude as a tool to keep us on track with our writing. So let me tell you a story. I've been in recovery for 13 years and some change. And early on, I learned about this tool called the gratitude list, which is basically what it sounds like. It's just spending some time thinking about and jotting down the things that you're grateful for. Now, back then, I was not someone who took direction very well, but I was emotionally low enough that I was willing to take the suggestion to do a gratitude list. In recovery circles, we call this the gift of desperation. And I have to tell you, at the time, my list was pretty damn short. I was in a lot of pain and I had caused a lot of pain. I remember one time I actually wrote down that I was grateful I had feet because I honestly couldn't come up with anything else. And, you know, I had feet and they took me places. And that's the truth, no lies. So gratitude lists were not easy for me back then because I was so used to focusing on what I didn't have, or what I wasn't gonna get, or the things that I was going to lose. I really didn't have much practice at noticing the things that were already going well, like the fact that I was breathing, that I had a pulse, that the sky was blue, there was a roof over my head, I had a working car, and on and on like that, right? I didn't look at those things with appreciation. But as time went by and I started doing the practice of gratitude journaling, it did get easier for me to come up with these things. And what I didn't understand back then was by writing down the good things, both big and small, I was actually training my brain to look for the positives in my life and all around me. Even when I wasn't actively making a list. And because I started noticing more of the positives, I felt better. It's kind of like the glass is half full, right? And I'm not special. This is not me blowing smoke or rose-colored glasses. Research has shown, and I will link to an article in the show notes, that a regular gratitude practice results in an improved mood, greater life satisfaction, and better overall physical health. Now, later on in recovery, I learned another way to think about gratitude, more like a principle. And that principle was that gratitude is an action. It's not enough for me just to feel grateful and think about the things I'm grateful for. I have to find ways to actively demonstrate my appreciation for the things in my life that go well, because if I don't, they'll eventually go away. And that is another solid principle of recovery that has served me well, this idea that you can't keep what you're not willing to give. That principle is one of the backbones of my life today. It's one of the backbones of my coaching practice. And being actively grateful to me means connecting, reaching out, sharing tools and resources, and just letting other people know through words or actions what they mean to me. So, in a lot of ways, gratitude, like writing, is a practice. It's about showing up, paying attention, and choosing to see what's already working. And we can incorporate that same idea into our writing life. So, what would it look like if you paused and spent a few minutes appreciating all that writing does for you, all that it gives you? What would it feel like if you spent a few minutes after each writing session to actively make note of what you're grateful for about that time, of what went right, of what you gained, not just the gap? That's how we can use a gratitude practice to improve our writing journey. So I have a challenge for you. Write a gratitude list specific to your writing. Just start small. Maybe try for three or five things. And then see if you can stretch it to 10. Ask yourself, why are you grateful for writing? Why are you grateful for the ideas that you have and the words that you write? And can you find a way to be grateful for the words that never make it into the final draft? What has writing given to you that you might never have discovered if you hadn't tried your hand on the page? And if you're up for it and you do the list, share it with me. I'd love to see it. You can email me at stacy at writitscared.co and just title it gratitude list. And I'll share mine with you because that'd be pretty crappy if I asked you to do it, but I didn't do it, right? So I said, I'm grateful for my writing because it has given me the permission to explore my imagination, which is something that I used to deny on purpose. Writing challenges me to grow on multiple levels. It gives me a safe space to explore my thoughts and emotions. It definitely keeps my ego in check because I will never master writing. I will always be a student of it. Writing gives me a sense of accomplishment and it's fun sometimes, and sometimes it's maddening. Kind of reminds me of all my close relationships, actually. And I think most importantly, it has connected me to so many other wonderful people in all different walks of life that I would have never met otherwise. And my life is richer and more diverse because of it. So I think for us as writers, remembering the people and the moments and the support that has lifted us up can really feed our creativity. It can restore our faith in the process when we lose it and remind us that we're not doing this alone. So remember, gratitude and writing are both practices. You don't have to do them perfectly. That's not the point of a practice. And you're not here as a writer because you're supposed to have everything all figured out. You're here as a writer because you care enough to keep trying and growing and learning. The brilliant ideas are only going to come after you've tossed a few bad ones. And the same goes for your sentences. So as you reflect on your writing journey and why you're grateful for it, I want you to think about this. I want you to find a way to be grateful for all the words you didn't use, for the words that got cut, for the drafts that fell apart. Find a way to be thankful for them because they taught you something. They led you somewhere. And you know I'm a fan of saying that words are never wasted. The fact that you wrote them means you're a working writer. So in that vein, don't be afraid of crappy writing, shaky plotting, or revising for the 15th time. It's all part of the practice that makes you stronger and sharper and more capable and connected to your craft. Choose to stay focused on gratitude. Choose to stay willing to practice. Choose to be patient with yourself and your words and your worlds. I am grateful for you. Thank you for being a part of the writing world. Thank you for listening to the podcast. Thank you for showing up and writing the stories and for weathering the hard times and juggling all the crap that comes with this chaotic life and still carving out time to dream and put those dreams on the page. No matter how big or small your progress is, it all matters, it all counts. And you may not realize it, but you are someone else's example. It took me a long time to learn that. That just by doing what you love, you pave the way for another writer to take a chance and embrace storytelling. And where would we be if we didn't have stories or we only had a handful of people telling them? That would be a cold, small, narrow-minded place. And we actively oppose that together when we put our words down on the page. So, in case you needed a reminder, you matter more than you realize, and so do your stories. You are uniquely creative because you are you. You have every right to pick up your pen and write the story you wish to see in the world. The only permission you need to do this work is your own, and you can learn everything you need to craft a book that you are proud of. And you can do this work because you love it and that is valid. It's okay to take breaks, it's okay to step away for a while, you're still a writer. So, write a friend. I invite you to create a gratitude list specific to your writing. Maybe you write down that you're grateful that you wrote one messy paragraph, that you're grateful for the weird idea that showed up in the shower, or that your future reader exists, even if you don't know who they are yet. Writing is a practice, and incorporating gratitude into it in a consistent way will make the work even more meaningful, even more enjoyable. So before you go to bed tonight, try writing down three things you're grateful for in your writing life. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your support for the podcast. And I'm going to leave you with a quote by Elizabeth Gilbert from her book Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear. I highly recommend if you don't have a copy. Elizabeth Gilbert says, a creative life is an amplified life. It's a bigger life, a happier life, an expanded life, and a hell of a lot more interesting of a life. Living in this manner, continuously and stubbornly bringing forth the jewels that are hidden within you, is a fine art in and of itself. All right, writer, I will see you next week when I come back with another new guest episode. Until then, I wish you well. Keep putting the words down on the page and marching into the direction of your dreams. And if you're interested in group coaching with me, you can find out more information at write itscared.co forward slash draftitzcared. Thank you for listening to the Ride It Scared podcast. If you enjoyed today's show, please make sure to hit the follow button so you never miss an episode. And please leave a review. Reviews help other writers like you find the voices and messages they need to hear to continue to write their stories. Let's lift each other up. Remember, you can be scared and still be unstoppable. I'll see you next week.