Gratitude Girl

About the anthology... Today, August 30, is the deadline for submissions.  I've read them all, so far, and the variety is fabulous! I'm grateful for the creative minds who wrote them. To all the participants, I say THANK YOU!

Anthology Submission Guidelines 1 - Each submission should be between 100 words and 300 words. 2 - The deadline for submission is August 30, 2023. I will not extend it. 3 - Each submission must include the full name of the character as indicated in the story and the full title of the book it came from.  4 - Pen names are allowed. This is important because writers often fall in love with their own characters, and I want these writers to freely introduce their characters to the world. 5 - All submissions must be copied and pasted into the email and submitted to gratigi21@gmail.com  with the subject line FICTIONAL CHARACTER. (Please don't send Google docs, Word documents, PDFs, etc.) 6 - I will not include any bios or links in the anthology, so whatever marketing contributors want to do, they must do in the writing of their piece.  7 - The approved submissions will be announced via email by September 10, 2023, and the book will be published in October 2023. 8 - There is no e...

Has a fictional character ever kept you company during a difficult time?  Have you ever fallen in love with a fictional character's physical or mental traits? Have you ever thought of a fictional character as your hero? Have you ever created a fictional character in your writing that you would want the world to know about? If the answer to any of the questions above is yes, write a letter of gratitude to that fictional character and submit it to the anthology in the works. Please find the details for this project here:  https://gratigi.blogspot.com/2023/08/submission-guidelines.html

I started my Gratitude Girl blog at the beginning of spring 2021 and, every Wednesday, posted a letter of gratitude to someone I appreciate, someone who has had an impact on my life, regardless of whether or not I've met them in real life. I continued writing these letters of appreciation for two full years. Since Nowruz 2023, or the first day of spring of this year, just for fun, I've been writing my letters of gratitude to fictional characters. In the last nineteen weeks, each Wednesday, I've expressed my appreciation for a new character. Thoughts Several days ago, as I was reading a book written by a member of the writing community, I realized I loved one of the characters in the book... and thought I should write a letter to that character this Wednesday, August 9, 2023. Then as my mind reviewed all the fictional characters I'd recently addressed on my blog, I realized they mostly came from television shows and movies, not from books.  I thought back to all the fic...

Dear Samantha: You've been on my mind... I've watched Bewitched at different times in my life, and my age has never really mattered: I've enjoyed it every time, mostly because of you. You are beautiful, clever, and funny... and you look fantastic for your age!  Your interactions with your mortal husband, Darrin, and the way you always resort to witchcraft to solve your problems are hilarious. I've always wondered how I would go about fixing those issues you encounter and I've often wished I had your magical powers. Thanks for all the laughs! Thank you for being you! Thank you, Elizabeth Montgomery, for beautifully portraying Samantha. Love... Gratitude Girl

Dear Jeannie: You've been on my mind... You are one of my all-time favorite characters. I've loved you since the first time I watched I Dream of Jeannie when I was just a kid. What's not to love? You are beautiful, funny, and naughty... and even your room inside the bottle is cute, like a dollhouse. I like your sense of humor and all the pranks you play on poor Major Nelson.  As much as I enjoy watching you and your tricks, both inside and outside your bottle, your family members' sudden appearance always makes me feel uncomfortable, maybe even scares me a little. Their presence makes me hold my breath, and I can only exhale when they go away. Thankfully, all of you genies look great for your age. Thanks for all the laughs!  Thank you, Barbara Eden, for beautifully playing Jeannie. Love... Gratitude Girl

Dear Martin: You've been on my mind... Ever since I watched the first Lethal Weapon, I loved you. You are brave, intelligent, and handsome, but, most of all, you are crazy... in a good way. I'm sorry the bad guys hurt you, not just by killing your wife but also by causing you physical harm. I love that you live on the beach...with a dog.  Your relationship with your co-workers is fantastic. Your interactions with Doctor Stephanie Woods are priceless. Murtaugh is lucky to have you as a partner, despite the hell you put him through. Thanks for being you, and thanks for the laughs! Thank you, Mel Gibson, for portraying Martin Gibbs so beautifully. Love... Gratitude Girl