Friday, April 11, 2014

J is for Joy

J is for Joy. Happily Ever After endings fill us with a sense of Joy. So does reaching the end of each successive draft. For me each draft is celebration time as my Joy multiples. Honestly, with so many things I do (or rather we all do) just getting the time to write can be quite an effort. And managing to reach the end makes me super happy.

Joyous feelings fill our hearts when we hear of our blog buddies, crit partners and friends success. When I heard that my critique partner in New Zealand has got an agent I celebrated with her. There is a sense of achievement (because in our small way we have helped them reach that milestone) when we hear of all these accomplishments.

And seeing a book that you have read in the manuscript stage sit prettily on bookshelves the world over is simply a joyful experience. I was thrilled to see  my name in the acknowledgement section of my crit partner’s book.

What makes you joyful in your writing life?

Note: this is my post for the A to Z Challenge. My theme is Emotions and Feelings writers experience.




26 comments:

  1. What a lovely joyful post. I like the feeling when I reach the end of the first draft. Celebrating other's success is great too.

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  2. Your post made me smile. I'm from New Zealand. That makes me happy, and I have to agree with Suzanne - finishing the first draft makes me happy.

    Shelley Munro

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  3. As an amateur genealogist and family historian, any little discovery brings me joy. Solving the puzzle regarding an ancestor brings me joy.

    Wendy at Jollett Etc.

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  4. Finishing a first draft causes me to feel a sense of accomplishment. What gives me joy is getting done with revisions and edits.

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  5. I agree - it's the joy of seeing others succeed.

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  6. It's such a great feeling to be able to celebrate the success of others with them. One of the best things about the blogging community. Great word for J. :)

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  7. Great post, Rachna. I love celebrating friends success and mentioned it in my J-post. :) Hope you're having fun with A to Z and that it brings you JOY!

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  8. Definitely finishing a manuscript is a joyful experience - but seeing it as a book is an ecstatic experience!

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  9. Yes--the joy of completion, of a job well-done, especially when it's a novel that's been a long time in the making. Also, comments on my blog fill me with joy... ;)

    Nice post, Rachna! :)

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  10. Hi friends, nothing beats the joy one gets at completing the dreaded first draft. Another joyful experience is our blog buddies' success.

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  11. Great post! It's important to have joy in our lives and especially in our writing. I get joy out of writing things my wife enjoys...and my beta readers too, of course:)

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  12. It was a joy to read your blog today, Rachna. I am joyful to know firsthand of the camaraderie in blogland. It warms my heart and gives me much hope. Thank you.

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  13. This post was cause for joyous celebration. When you share the joy someone else feels it transcends outwards. This was most upbeat.

    I'm joyful in my writing when I share an experience that someone else can relate to. If the writing helps them then it helps me.

    Gary :)

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  14. All of the things you listed make me joyful, too! My favourite is seeing a friend's "WIP" make it into the books stores! :D

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  15. I agree with you Rachna... I am always THRILLED to see my blogger buddies successes.

    We are all on the same journey and if we get to the same place eventually is certainly is cause to be JOYOUS and celebrate!!!

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  16. Joy is such a wonderful word - and experience. Bubbles of bliss.

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  17. Lovely topic to pick, Rachna. We all need joy in our lives--we'd wither and fade otherwise! Looking back and finding pride in what I've written, or having others find joy in what I've written, always makes me joyful :)

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  18. Finishing a manuscript is joyous, and so is the pleasure of others' success.
    We feel a lot of joy sharing with other bloggers.
    Uplifting post, Rachna.

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  19. Remembering to be joyful is what many of us need to remember to be. There is much to be joyful about, whether it's for yourself or for others. Love your outlook! Writer’s Mark

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  20. I love seeing my friends get published because I know how hard the journey is. I was thrilled when my crit partner found her agent, too, because I knew she'd been at it for years. So proud. :)

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  21. It is indeed a joy each time I manage to finish something. It's been a while since I felt that way though. Too much going on, I guess.

    J.L. Campbell writes at The Character Depot
    and the Jamaican Kid Lit Blog.

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  22. Everything about writing and being with writers brings me joy. The biggest joy, however, is finishing a new first draft.

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  23. Great post! I've had a lot of joy in my writing life (agent, book contract, many positive reviews), but joy's in short supply in my day-to-day writing life. It's sad that the euphoria brought on by great news can pass so quickly.

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  24. This also makes me joyful. I've seen my name on a book cover, in acknowledgements, and even in blurbs.

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  25. This post made me smile, so you are spreading the joy. Congrats to your critique partner. I live in New Zealand, and love hearing of success stories out of our little country.

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  26. What a joyful post!
    I love hearing about different writers and their success stories! That brings me lots of joy!

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