I have to tell you that as of right now I sit here walking on my treadmill getting ready to go read today’s phrase, I had to laugh as I can only imagine what will be said. I guess we’ll find out in a second. Here I go…
Well, here it is. I thought it best to quote what she said:
“Why You Don’t Show Your Work to Your Spouse. When Norris Church Mailer showed her husband, Norman Mailer, the first one hundred pages of a novel she was working on, he said, ‘It’s not as bad as I thought it would be.’
“Apparently she did not shoot him or leave him; she just put the pages away for a while. Later she went on to finish the novel and got it published. Then she wrote a sequel and got that published too. The goal is paramount.”
“One’s mate is present, therefore, as an effective and useful aide-de-camp or as an impediment.” —NORMAN MAILER
If you are married there will be those who have a very supportive spouse, one that is somewhat supportive as long as it doesn’t interfere with what he or she feels is more important than your writing, and then you will have those who are straight out against.
Since joining ACFW I have run into writers that they fall under one of these categories. For me, I feel lucky as my husband 100% supports my writing. In fact, if it makes me happy then he’s very happy. I feel blessed to have the husband I do. We just celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary in February so now we are into our 20th year. I am still in love with this man, and him with me. We are blessed to have each other, because as many things that have been thrown at our marriage, we are still standing strong.
I’m not sure I always agree. My husband has been my #1 supporter but also (this may be a different situation than most) when we were dating we were both editors on the college literary magazine and weekly did a critique group with several other friends. My husband gives me a brutally honest critique, people I know have been surprised at how much so. And he is not the only person I look to but I think he has helped me a lot. This works for us.
Having your spouse support you certainly helps, but I hope that those that do not have that support don’t let him (or her) stop them from writing. My husband supports me but I don’t think he really gets it. The longest thing he can read is an article in his boating magazine. Still, he dutifully sits by my side every night while I pound away on the keyboard of the laptop on my lap. At least it feels like we are together, even though he may be engrossed in the current sports game (ie March Madness) while I click along on the keys.
My husband 100% supports my writing. He just won’t read it. He says, “It’s not my style, so I don’t think I’d be the best person to tell you how good it is.” When I do occasionally force it on him he always says it’s good. But he won’t read the novel. It’s “women’s fiction,” after all.