Affectionately Dedicated

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner people. Love it or hate it, the day and all its hearts has a way of making you stop and think about those nearest and dearest in your life. At least it does for me.

The loves in a writer’s life are truly a special breed. If there was a job posting for this position I imagine it would read something like this:

Job type: Person to love a writer
Pay: $0.00
Hours: Variable, including weekends, evenings and late nights

Responsibilities and Requirements
Successful candidates must:

• Attend mandatory story idea brainstorming sessions at any time of day or night, up to seven days a week.
• Be willing to forgo personal leisure time, including sleep, to read, review and re-read written materials.
• Have the ability to be cheerful, supportive, silent and opinionated in equal parts and possess the uncanny ability to flip between each character trait seamlessly as needed.
• Be willing to forfeit personal life experiences as content for published materials without written permission. No royalties.
• Be willing to be ignored for extended periods of time and graciously manage household and any dependents during these absences

Sounds pretty glamorous, huh?

Thankfully, writers have a unique tool in their arsenal to help express their gratitude to those they love most – the dedication.

The origins of dedications go waaaay back to the Greek and Roman times with Horace and Virgil dedicating books to their patron Maecenas.

I never skip the dedication when I am reading a book. Pausing to wonder about the relationship and inspiration behind them. 
I am actually part of a dedication for the book Two Tragedies in 429 Breaths written by the talented Susan Paddon. Scanning the dedication and seeing my initials there, included among others, was a complete surprise and a very kind gesture that felt truly special.

Let’s get real for a moment. Is there a writer among us that hasn’t at some point pondered what they might include as a dedication should they have the fortune to get a work published? I image the dedication for an aspiring writer being much the same as an Oscar speech for a struggling actor. Fantasizing about what you might say, rehearsing in front of the bathroom mirror to an imaginary audience of millions. An opportunity to say a very personal thank you in a very public forum.

You know, the more I think about it, the more I am really excited about the idea of dedications. Why should we wait for those big moments to formally thank the people who help, inspire and encourage us to write and keep writing? A dedication for my page submissions to the Restless Writers every month? Why not? And while I’m at it, I should include one for every media release and set of speaking notes I write at work. Too far? Okay, then I’ll start with this blog post.

For Harper, the last family member still awake with me as
I stay up too late once again! to finish up this dang post.

And to Matthew, Owen and Wyatt for finally giving me back the
laptop after failing to find a live stream of the WWE Elimination Chamber.
You are my favourite, through and through.