Got the Creative Blues? Write Your Acknowledgement Page

There comes a point in the writing of your novel when it’s just a slog. You’re close to the end but you don’t feel like you’ll ever see that finish line or hold your book in your hands.

This creative despair can be crippling. Time to lighten things up with gratitude.

The quickest way to gratitude is to write your acknowledgement page. If you’ve written a book, you know that this page isn’t just a nicety. Finishing a book really does require all those people, and even though it’s your name on the cover, the names on the acknowledgement page are equally important.
They’re especially valuable when you need to gather encouragement. You may not be able to invite them over to soothe your writer’s soul, but you can bring them together by drafting your acknowledgment page.
Now, it’s not just authors who can do this. Any artist has a cadre of supporters to thank.
When I drafted my acknowledgement page, I nearly wept with gratitude. As I listed my editors, readers, teachers and champions, I felt their support around me. I recalled their words of encouragement and basked in their belief in my novel.

I also panicked a bit, fearing I would leave someone out! But I’ve started the list early enough that I can always go back and add names. It, like my novel, is a living document, evolving over time.
Try this for any project you’re working on. Your blog, painting series, essay collection, whatever you’re working on and whenever you need an extra boost. Keep the list present so you can glean ongoing support – and add more names.

Have you done this? How did it go? Tell us how writing your acknowledgement page impacted your work.

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