Friday 5 September 2014

Writing tips in practice: get the support of your nearest and dearest

In my family, support doesn't take the form of a cozy cocoon of unconditional pink fluffy stuff. It's more of a training ground for real life experience. Yesterday for example, my dear husband carried out the following support activities:
  1. Asked for the n-thousandth time when Manuscript in Progress will be finished so we can go on holiday with the proceeds of the book sales! No pressure of any sort, right? I showed him the eBook I made for my own purposes, to prove that there is indeed a book.
  2. Spent five minutes criticising my choice of title. To prove I had good reason for choosing it, I showed him the blurb I'd written a few days earlier.
  3. Started reading through the blurb, got interrupted by two phone calls and stopped half way through. Asked the meaning of the latin expression I thought had passed into common speech. On discovering the reason behind the title, questioned whether I was really writing about what I said I was writing about. This has to be a pretty good match for the real world, doesn't it?  AND - it's an important 'and' - at least the blurb made him laugh a couple of times. Yay!
  4. Complained that I was going away to work on Manuscript in Progress instead of staying home to keep him company, after one of the phone calls informed him he won't have clearance to start his new job for another few weeks.
I'm afraid I did it anyway. I wonder how I'm going to cope all by myself...

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