The Writer’s Happy Book

Welcome to my monthly post in participation of the Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG).  I am still a new member to this amazing group of writers, this being only my third post.  If you have never heard of it, check it out!!!

A special thank you to the founder, Alex Cavanaugh!

A long, long time ago….when my professional career as a computer scientist was just starting to blossom, I was exposed to a brilliant idea.  It was quickly becoming apparent to me that within the corporate world the work environment could be less than morale boosting.  During a professional development course of some kind, I think it had to do with leadership, the instructor shared with us her portfolio.  Yes, a beautifully laid out path of what she had accomplished and where she was going.  Deeply inspired, I was soon building my own professional portfolio, and out of this sprung a side idea to build a happy book!

You see, I was quickly learning that praise and recognition for ongoing hard work was really hard to come by in the environment that I found myself immersed in.  However, there were often little tidbits that came my way.  I decided to take matters into my own hands, and build a book to collect all the great little pieces of happy feedback that I received.  Soon, these tiny snippets became an ever increasing collection.

Thus, when I chose to stray from my long time path in computer science and to realize my dream of being a writer, the concept of a happy book quickly resurfaced.  As all you fellow writers know, the path of a writer can be quite hard.  BUT, when someone reads something that you wrote and enjoyed it so much that they feel compelled to write a review or tell you about it, it is a very special moment.  The people reading my first book are finding inspiration, motivation, and a sense of wonderment in the words.  When someone tells me how my book has impacted their life, I am overjoyed.

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In building my happy book, I returned to Amazon, and found that I had a couple of reviews that I hadn’t seen!!!  How truly exciting.  This activity also spurred me to revisit some of my old blog posts and re-read the comments.  My heart was filled with gratitude, and my motivation to write more swelled within me!

So, consider starting a happy book.  When you have rough day of writing, simply take a look at a few of the tidbits of joy within your happy, happy book!!!