Friday, April 30, 2010

What You Should Know re: Non-Writers

Okay, look, people. There are a few things you need to know about non-writers. Yeah, yeah. I've seen those posts where writers try to tell non-writers what They need to know about Us. This isn't that post.

Because let's face it. If you're a writer, you're not normal. I repeat, if you're a writer, you're not normal. Besides, there're way more non-writers than writers, so you need to conform to the whole, okay? Okay.

Some tips:

Know your pitch. Not only will this take you far in conferences and with writing a killer query letter, but you'll be able to keep the interest of your non-writer friends.

See, they don't really care about your book. They care about you, but you have about ten (maybe twenty) seconds to tell them about your book before their eyes glaze over. You need to be able to answer the question "What's your book about?" in under twenty seconds. That way, when your accountant, old boyfriend, or grocery store checker asks you, you can tell them. And they'll still think you're human afterward, which is a huge bonus.

Refrain from talking about your characters as if they were alive. Trust me on this, it doesn't work. And non-writers get this scary edge in their eyes, and their fingers twitch like they need to dial for medical help, stat! when you discuss people that aren't alive.

Keep these kinds of convos between you and your CP's or other writerly friends. We get it. They do not.

Don't rationalize. Number one, it's a tad pathetic that we writers can't keep up with the laundry or remember to take dinner out of the oven before the whole kitchen is filled with smoke. The last thing we need to do is blame our writing for our lack of Martha Stewartness. I mean, that just makes the whole industry suffer, don't you think?

Own your shortcomings, because non-writers don't see writing as a reason why your kids ate cold cereal for the third night in a row.

Take a minute to pretty yourself up. Have you seen that Seinfeld where Elaine stays up all night writing a cartoon for The New Yorker? And Jerry makes fun of her because she doesn't even run a comb through her hair before leaving the apartment.

Yeah, I know that most writers are part vampire, and we can't stand the sun and we don't sleep. But seriously, people. You belong to a non-writer population as a whole. Take some time to change your clothes and brush your hair and teeth before leaving the sanctuary of your writing cave. And certainly don't cite writing as the reason you look like death warmed over. Non-writers only forgive the homeless and those who run for pleasure for looking like that. Srsly.

Accept the fact that They don't get it. You may be a very talented Sith Lord, but you are not going to convert the non-writer to the writing side. Loved ones may support you because they know how important this writing thing is to you. But the vast majority of non-writers don't get it. If they did, we wouldn't hear things like, "I wish I could write a book."

Love them for who they are: a non-writer. I mean, it takes both to make the world spin, right? Right.

What else do we writers need to know about non-writers? What did I miss? Have you showered yet today? (lol!)

I'm off to my husband's graduation (Masters, baby!) so I'll be offline for most of the weekend. Writers unite!

123 comments:

JE said...

Congrats to your husband!

And, I often wonder why I heard crickets after discussing my book with some of my non-writer friends. Now I know what to work on. And sheesh! The shower - I knew I forgot something this morning. ;-)

~JD

Amie McCracken said...

Wait, my characters aren't alive? I'm so confused.

Crystal Cook said...

Well, not yet. But I'm going too!!

he, he, he, he :)

Congrats on the Masters!!!!!!

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Those are good! And pancakes make a far better dinner than cold cereal.

Matthew MacNish said...

Great advice, but also hilariously put, thanks for making me smile Elana!

Oh and congrats to your husband, it takes a lot of dedication to make it that far.

Today's guest blogger is The Alliterative Allomorph!

Unknown said...

SO true, every bullet point! I learned a long time ago not to blame writing on the disorganization (and by that, I mean total chaos) of our house, because soon hubby was doing the same thing. You can't expect support from your man when he thinks your craft has contributed to the fact that he doesn't have clean underwear in the drawer.

Love your blog!

Unknown said...

Hahaha! Cute post!

MAGolla said...

Love this! Where were you five years ago when I spouted on and on about so-and-so (a character). Yes, the wild look entered my victim's eyes as she slowly backed up before turning and running away--in heels, no less!

About Me said...

Congrats to your husband!

And yes, I agree, non-writers don't get it. They are so weird, aren't they?

Southpaw said...

As I read over your post, I was thinking this could easily apply to any industry. My eyes have glazed over upon being given a 15-minute dissertation after asking, “What do you do for a living?”

Congrats to the hubby.

Jaydee Morgan said...

I think it's too late for me as I've committed all of these. I'll try to conform although I doubt I'll change anyone's perception - they'll still think I'm not normal ;)

Great post and have a great weekend!

Tamara Hart Heiner said...

ha! excellent advice! do we really have to try and fit in w/ non-writers? :)

Candyland said...

Haha. Well, I'm kind of an OCD do-everything-even-if-it-kills-you kind of girl. So my house is clean, I'm clean, and blah blah blah. But I'm also fried. I have no idea how to focus on one thing, as opposed to everything.

And I love Seinfeld!!!!!!! Perfect reference!

Great tips, too. No one in my real life gets "it."

India Drummond said...

I usually just tell people that I write smut. That stuns them and either they relax and laugh, or they stick their noses in the air and sniff. Relaxed is good!

Wendy Paine Miller said...

Haven't showered yet, nope. But I do that at night, right after my kids are done with their second bowl of cereal. ;)

I so love your voice, woman!

Good news on this front. Shared my WIP pitch with a soccer mom and she was all over it yesterday. No glazed eyes, no running from me screaming help. This could be good.

Good weekend to you.
~ Wendy

Kerri Cuev said...

Congrats to the hubby!

Lol funny post! Ah, so true! Hey whats normal anyways.

Zoe C. Courtman said...

Now, see, this is a great post. Especially the bit about honing your pitch to tell friends/fambly what the book is about. Which keeps you from rambling on and on about it, which keeps you from losing said friends :D Nice!

Corey Schwartz said...

Oh, God. LOVE LOVE LOVE this post!!!

KaraLee said...

I went to my first writers' conference last weekend with the primary goal of making new friends- friends who write. We all discussed our characters as if they were real, and it was wonderful. I had one of the best weekends ever.

Another thing my non-writer friends don't understand is how how hard it is and how long it takes to actually get a book published. Although I could spend hours telling them about betas and queries and pitches, my non-writing friends don't want to hear the details. They just want to know when my book will be on the bookstore shelves.

Stina said...

Wow, it's scary how much you nailed me, except for the night part. Though, right now, it is still dark when I get up at 5 am. Yay, for summer, when the sun gets up before me. :)

Theresa Milstein said...

Congratulations to your husband.

A non-writer perspective? You give invaluable advice. It's probably good that I work part-time because on my writing days, I only remember to brush my teeth before I finally leave the house. At least I haven't resorted to stretchy clothing. Besides, I always have to shower bright and early, in case I get a sub call.

If I'm ever paid to write full-time, it's (I'm) gonna get ugly.

And yes, we're all a little insane.

Caroline Starr Rose said...

Congrats to your husband! Sounds like you've got quite a bit of your own "small stuff" to contend with, too. ;)

So true about the pitch. To ask more (interest in your book)of a non-writer doesn't work.

Bish Denham said...

LOL! I suppose lounging around in my bathrobe half the day (or longer?) counts as something I shouldn't do? Oh wait, I get it, I'm not supposed to do errands in my bathrobe.

Congratulations to your husband and have a wonderful week-end!

Janet Johnson said...

Okay, okay . . . I'll shower. :0

Great post!

Liza said...

I may wear the same two pairs of blue jeans all week long, but I shower every day. And, I never forget to brush my teeth. I must not be a very good writer. :)

Elisa Dane said...

Congrats to your hubbie!

And thanks for the post. Too funny!

Christi Goddard said...

Combing my hair out is over-rated. That's what my hair clip is for.

I try to think of non-writers as 'readers.' It makes a cool circle of life thing in my head.

I write the book. The reader pays for the book. The reader likes the book. I write another book with the money they gave me. The reader pays for the new book... see? It's a wonderful circle. One that I'd love to start as soon as I... yanno... get an agent and sell my book.

Jan Cline said...

I tend to get two distinct reactions from non-writers when I tell them I am one. They either smile and give you that "sure, right" look and don't say much, or they are truly impressed and want to know more. Doesn't seem to be any in between. But they are all potential readers of anything I may have published. God love em.

Carolyn V. said...

Woo hoo on your husband's graduation! Sweet!

Non writers DON'T get it. We writers speak a different language. Too bad some of them can't understand. Maybe someday they will come to the dark side. Maybe. =)

Tina Laurel Lee said...

HA! Yes.

Gabriela Pereira said...

Great post!

Good points about the pitch and taking a moment to pretty-up.

I suppose talking *to* your characters as though they were real people would also be construed as a no-no... ;)

Congratulations to your husband!

Courtney Barr - The Southern Princess said...

Congratulations to your husband! What a wonderful achievement!

Okay - Elana...THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE POSTS! I laughed so hard at points and grimaced at some "dirty" realities... yeah. ;o)

I might add that just because your MC likes a particular candy bar does not mean you need to buy them one... just say'n. ;o)

This was spot on. As always love it! I am glad to be back from traveling and really able to peruse all that I missed this week!!!


Visit My Kingdom Anytime

Heather Kelly said...

Crap. Now you're making me feel like I need to shower. And actually get out of my running clothes.

Thanks for the laugh--and for making me fell less odd for doing every single thing you mentioned!!

Congrats to your husband!

Sarah Ahiers said...

ok, i think i'm good in all these categories except the pretty myself up one (as she writes while sitting in her PJs, unshowered).
Working at home makes me such a shut in...

Kathi Oram Peterson said...

You nailed it! This is so true. I've seen those glazed eyes as I'm trying to tell them about my next book. Love this post!

Aubrie said...

This is all so true! When a non writer asks me what my book is about I freeze. I can't even talk to them about it! I need to work on that.

Melissa Sarno said...

Hilarious! And very clever :-) Ah, that 20 second pitch before the eyes glaze over- I definitely need to think about that one.

Unknown said...

First, congrats to your dh on his Master's. That's fantastic! And second...writers are a minority? Seriously? I have to get out off the computer and out of the house more, because it seems like EVERYBODY is a writer. ;-)

Carolyn R. Parsons said...

20 sec pitch..done...hair..in a hat..make up on...house...a mess but that's because I'm a terrible housekeeper...children fed...characters real but don't tell people...think I'm getting this..

Breeze

Vicki Rocho said...

Crack me up! This is so funny, but so, so true!

And I really need to work on my pitch. I've been seeing the eyes glaze over, and I don't tell most people I'm writing a book because I don't need the pressure. I put enough on myself already!

I've made a few stabs at a pitch/elevator speech, but since the book isn't done yet, I have to keep changing it to accomodate the changes in the book. I know how it's going to end, but that whole middle part is in flux right now.

Excellent post! Loved it, thanks!
(and you're right...I'm soooo not normal!)

Jennie Englund said...

Those are good reminders.

My friend here in Oregon tells me she hates my revising self, because that self doesn't DO anything but revise.

Congrats to the hubby! That's
HUGE--he got his Master's, while you're working and writing--AND you have kids?!?

Christine Fonseca said...

hahahahahaha....you crack me up!

Tracy said...

Congrats to your hubby!

And I really don't have anything to add to this post. I think you summed it up perfectly. It's really up to US to fit around THEM, rather than the vice versa.

Jonathon Arntson said...

This post = my new fave E post.

Hands down.

dolorah said...

You mean wearing the same pj's for a week is bad?

Guess I'm off to the shower now - and going to work. My friends and family approve of the day job if not the writing hobby.

That 20 second pitch is the best advice ever though. I finally got that one down, I think. Now all I have to do is trap an agent in an elevator. :)

Have a great weekend Elana.

.........dhole

PS: did you post about your presentation yet? I think I missed it.

Laura S. said...

Great post. You thought of everything!

Congrats to your hubby! I hope you remembered to shower before the ceremony...

Have a great weekend, Elana!

Anonymous said...

Have a great weekend, Elana!
Congrats to your husband!
And, great post!!

Kenda Turner said...

Too funny--and right on! It's so nice to know that someone (every other writer!) does understand :-) I love this post.

And thanks for the follow, Elana. This world of writing and blogging is a great place to be...

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Yeah, people get freaky on you when you discuss your characters as if they were real.
I still intend to ignore most household chores though! LOL

Shannon said...

Excellent post, Elana. Thanks for making me smile.

And, congrats to your husband. :)

Have a great weekend.

TK Richardson said...

You just described my life perfectly! Love this post. :D Thanks.

Kayeleen Hamblin said...

Congrats to your husband! That's really exciting!

My advice would be, be patient. When you tell non-writers that you are trying to get published, they don't understand that it can take years. And more years. They expect your book to be on the shelves tomorrow. And trying to explain the process only makes it worse.

Stephanie McGee said...

LOL

Congrats to your husband. That's freaking exciting. He gets hooded this weekend. Which sounds creepy if you don't know what it means, but it's totally awesome.

Heather said...

Love this post! Though when I read the title, all I thought was, "They're not crazy." And everything on that list totally matches up with the "writers are crazy, normal people aren't" therom.

L. T. Host said...

Awesome post! Yes, it's sometimes hard to remember that non-writers aren't writers. I have to be careful around my family and friends, I'm already tossing out words like "partial" and "agent," and I can see their eyes getting farther and farther away.

Congrats to your husband, that is so cool!

Unknown said...

This post actually made me feel better about myself. As a habitual offender of the majority of "no-nos" listed, I find it comforting to know it's not just me that gets these reactions from friends and family.

My least favorite reaction is the patronizing, "That's nice, dear" type when they hear I'm writing a book.

Carol Kilgore said...

This is so good. And a great point tossed off in there. Practice that elevator pitch in front of people you meet. If there's no eye glazing before you finish, you know you've nailed it.
Congrats to your hubby!

Katie said...

I totally gave up talking about my books with non-writing friends. You're right; they just don't get it. But that's okay, because I don't get my sister's photography or my dad's personal training stuff. So I think trying to understand their stuff is important too. If you show interesting in what they're into, they'll show interest in what you do.

Shelley Sly said...

Very good points, especially about the pitch! You're right, we can so lose non-writers in only a few seconds if we don't have a clear, concise way to pitch our book.

Congrats to your husband, how awesome!

Cat Woods said...

LOL! No, I did not shower yet and had a friend stop by the house unexpectedly. He said, "Not working today?"

To which I replied, "Of course I am."

Congrats to your DH and thanks for the reminder that we owe something to our non-writerly friends and fam.

Yamile said...

Great post Elana! I can add another one, not that it ever happened to me.
When you go to neighborhood's bookclub, don't go on and on about how bad the grammar of a much beloved book is. They will never forgive you.

And congrats to your husband! And you! After all, behind a great man, there's always a great woman!

Cindy Beck, author said...

Great advice! I've seen the glazed over look in non-writers when I talk about my book ... so, that's really great advice!

And as for a shower ... aw, come on, Elana. You caught me on the ONE day where I started writing before showering. Yeah, seriously. The one and only day. :)

(Congrats to your husband!)

Abby Stevens said...

Congrats Elana's husband! Woo hoo!

Krispy said...

Excellent points. My sister and I are super close, but I've come to accept that she's a non-writer and a non-reader to boot. That's why I never talk to her about my writing, except to tell her that I am writing, and she never asks to see it. This despite the fact that we share practically everything else - from nail polish to clothes. :P

Funny you should mention the vampire thing. My dad seems convinced that I'm one, but he doesn't seem to get there are morning people and there are non-morning people. I'm one of the latter. He's one of the morning folk. I just like staying up late over getting up early, okay?

Congrats to your husband! Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Anonymous said...

Loved this post. so true!

Lisa_Gibson said...

Huge congrats to hubby! And I guess I'm also not supposed to tell the non-writers how my characters talk to me and we have actual little conversations. *giant sigh* Okay, I'll leave that part out. I guess they also won't get that I don't always know how my book will end when I start writing it. At least I have my fellow writers who 'get' me.

Tahereh said...

hahahaaaaa

that was pure genius, my friend!!

and SO SO TRUE!!

great post, and CONGRATS to your hubby!!

<333

Lydia Kang said...

Yep, there are writers and nonwriters, and we are sometimes quite a different breed. Sweet post, thanks!

Talli Roland said...

Congrats Elana's husband!

Thanks for the reminder to comb my hair. I did remember to shower today!

Have a great celebratory weekend.

Natalie said...

I actually HAVE showered today! I know, impressive right? My hair is still wet and unbrushed.

Happy graduation to your husband!

Katie Ganshert said...

Hilarious!!! This had me laughing out loud.

What about...don't freak people out with research questions. Like one time I asked a non-writer about ways a person could commit suicide. Thankfully, this non-writer was a friend and knew it was for writing research...but seriously, that coulda been bad.

Kristi Faith said...

HA HA HA Love this post! :0) No, I haven't made it to the shower yet today and it's almost time to get the kids from school. They had cereal last night. LOL Oh my goodness you have me pegged!!

*sigh* Here I thought I had a good excuse. :0)

erica m. chapman said...

Great Post!

We are all sort of the same animal aren't we? LOL I've found myself stumble on the "what's your book about" part before. Also, for some reason when I say what it is about, they kind of look at me like "oh." so I just say it's a YA Paranormal ;o)

Congrats to your hubs!! *throws confetti*

Have a great weekened!

Angie said...

Congrats on your husbands graduation! Non-writers ask me all the time, "Can't you just publish it yourself?" I'm still trying to think up a good reaction to that.

Write Chick said...

Being new to the writing community, I am a newborn in all of this. I still have a day job, and HAVE to shower every day. (It sucks!)
But I am learning that no one beside my writing friends cares about what I'm writing. I'm just now learning to shut my mouth in mixed company.

Unknown said...

Well said, Elana.

When I came home from a writers conference last fall my husband said, "So, what do you do at a writers conference? Read? Write? Must be a pretty quiet conference."

I'm going to go brush my teeth now.

Krista said...

This is so funny because it is SO true! Excellent tips/warnings.
Also, congrats to your husband!

Liz H. Allen said...

I loved this post and I seriously LOL'd at the cold cereal. My husband is an iPhone programer and I am a writer. Geeks, both of us. I am afraid to admit, my kids eat take out far too much.

However, I rarely talk about my writing to anyone. Most people who say they are writing a book have been saying it for years. If I'm ever published, then I'm sure I'll talk about it more.

No, I haven't showered today but I did get dressed and do my hair and make-up!

Congrats to your hubby, what an accomplishment!

Karen Lange said...

I learned some new things today, including that 'Martha Stewartness' is a word. Who knew?

Thanks for all your insight, Elana. Congrats to your husband.
Have a great weekend:)

Jemi Fraser said...

Love it! I don't bother talking to my family about my writing. They just glaze over and smile and nod. None of them understand that it's fun and worth every crazy moment :)

Angela Ackerman said...

Haha, this post made me laugh out loud, because it's all so true and great advice!! HAHAHAHA!

Lindsay said...

Great post and so true. My non-writer friends love me and ask how my writing is going. But sometimes I think they humour me. They smile and nod a lot. lol.

Congrats to your hubbie.

Sage Ravenwood said...

"Because let's face it. If you're a writer, you're not normal."

Is it wrong that I started laughing uncontrollably after reading that line. Oh, SO TRUE. We are definitely an eccentric bunch.

Aliens that roam among non-writers undetected...sometimes. (Hugs)Indigo

Anne Gallagher said...

As a matter of fact, I did finally shower today. Thanks for the straight talk. It was fun.

Unknown said...

I always talk about my characters as though they're alive! I don't care what people think!

P.S. - You must be very proud of your husband!

Amalia Dillin said...

I'm so totally guilty of talking about my characters as if they are alive. I do it to my husband all the time, and he does indeed give me the crazy eyes. I read this post aloud to him and he nodded along, sagely. haha.

kah said...

LOL. Such good points.

I kinda feel bad for non-writers. What do they do with all that free time? And who do they talk to at night when they can't sleep if they don't have a bunch of characters as always-available friends?

Congrats to your hubby! :)

Larissa said...

Wait. Kids aren't supposed to eat cold cereal for dinner every night?

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

You are so right! That's why going to conferences and being in a critique group is so wonderful. It's so much fun being with people who get you...

Sara B. Larson said...

Oh man that made me laugh so hard! I love it!

Congrats to your hubby, what an awesome accomplishment! Speaking of husbands, I'm going to make mine come read this right now. Hehe...

Julie Dao said...

Haha! I am so familiar with the "What's your book about?" and then the automatic eye glaze as I joyfully talk about my character arcs and imaginary setting.

Bethany Wiggins said...

Congrats on graduating! And something else non-writers need to know. When we stare at them really hard, we're taking mental notes for character insight.

Rebecca T. said...

Bwa ha! SO TRUE! I was talking about my Script Frenzy play with (fortunately) another writer and even she laughed when I talked about two characters as thought they were real.

Dianne K. Salerni said...

Tip #2 about not talking about your characters as if they are alive makes me crack up every time I read it. I have SO done that.

I read this tip aloud in the car (off my phone) to my husband, thinking he would appreciate it. He has frequently complained about sharing the house with people he can't see.

Suddenly, a voice pipes up from the back seat. "Oh! That so totally explains stuff!"

Apparently, my 13 year old daughter, a budding writer, has been losing some real friends while chatting about her fictional friends. Live and learn!

Sherrie Petersen said...

Oh man, oh man! Perfect post!

Nichole Giles said...

Yep, I get it. And yes, I've showered. Even cleaned today. A little. It's been a while, so it was necessary.

But you're right. Nonwriters are people too. I'll try to be nice.

Anonymous said...

Oh boy, I just wrote a post about my MC as if she were an actual person. If my family reads it and starts questioning my sanity, I'll point them to you post :)

Johanna Strouse said...

Great post! I tried to get my friends to sing "Happy Birthday" to one of my characters once when I was in high school. That... did not go so well. I've learned since that non-writers are both more and less interested in my writing than I would have expected. More in that most of my friends will completely accept "I can't right now, I'm going to write for a bit" as a valid excuse. If I take it seriously, they do, too.

Less in that while they are generally very impressed that I live in the mysterious world of Pulling Things Out of My Head, they don't at all want to hear about my little plot snafus and breakthroughs. Oh, well.

And I *have* showered today! (Though it had... erm... been a while. ^_^)

Mary Aalgaard said...

What?! You're taking all my excuses away. What else can I blame on burning the dinner? And, where are all the forks? Something in our house is eating them! My characters aren't real? huh? But, I see them. They're at the coffee shop with me. I can hear them talking...hmmm. Maybe I should take a shower?

Hannah said...

Still frustrating when non-writers like to just "stop by" and then are surprised when the place is a mess.

I got better things to do...and I am the only one who lives here.

I always look awesome when leaving the house though, no one can tell what messy hole I crawled from.

Unknown said...

Oh, *yeah.* Hilarious post. And I so agree with you!

(And, actually, I've always felt it was a bit strange when writers talk about their characters as if they're real. I guess I'm in the minority here, but I've got a CP who is constantly talking about her character X and what she thinks and what she'd do, etc., etc., and it kind of wigs me out!)

Anonymous said...

That's all so true...the only thing that saves me is that my kids are teens now and cook their own food. Yahoo on that one!
The non-writers will never "get it" so I've given up trying.

Anonymous said...

These are some awesome advice! As a student, I don't have to deal with questions from non-writers much: all we ask each other is "What major are you in?" But these are definitely good to know!

Valerie Ipson said...

Normal's overrated...of course, I've never tried it, so what do I know?

Jessica Nelson said...

Hilarious! And yet sadly true. LOL

Ruth Donnelly said...

Oh, what a great post! I confess I recognize myself in the vampire/don't sleep thing and the lack of Martha Stewartness... oops, gotta go, it's getting smoky in here. Dinner must be done.

RaShelle Workman said...

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA . . . That was Go-oo-oo-od stuff. Cheers!!!

lisa and laura said...

This post is hilarious. Is it terrible that we're guilty of everything on this list?

Angela McCallister said...

So true! I'm especially fond of talking my characters into reality. I have feelings for them, but if that's wrong then--well, none of you would think that was wrong!

One amazing thing to share: my non-writer friends are psyched about being in my books. I've had coworkers ask me to base a character on them. Over half of my characters were born this way, from some special trait gleaned from the weirdos I work with.

And congrats to the hubby, Elana. I'll be glad when mine's done with his Bachelor's (I'm just jealous cause he gets better grades than I do).

Heather said...

I love that! I laughed so hard, thank goodness I had set down my coffee! Its so true, especially the part about not talking about your characters like they're real. That does tend to freak people out! And the pitch, I never thought of using it on my non-writer friends. Awesome idea!

Kelsey (Dominique) Ridge said...

Congrats to your husband. :)

Also, I must concur about the not talking about characters as if they actually lived. I've discovered it causes people to give the 'oh, you're special' eyes.

Annette Lyon said...

I laughed so hard reading this--which means I'm weird and therefore a writer. :D

I've come close to telling people what so-and-so did or said, only to catch myself because the person I was about to tell ISN'T REAL. (But they are to me, and no, I don't need a strait jacket.)

I have a sign on my office wall that I got from Josi Kilpack that reads: I will NOT live like a NORMAL person. I am a writer!

Truer words were never spoken.

Kimberly Vanderhorst said...

Dang girl, you're funny. I'm about busting a gut here.

Laughing while sitting in front of a computer screen earns me odd looks around here. You'd think they'd be used to it now. At least I'm laughing at something a real person said. This time.

Thanks for the giggles! Being abnormal rocks.

sarah said...

YES. :D

Jo Schaffer Layton said...

Oh, snap! That amused me too much. So true.

Jennifer Walkup said...

OMG I loved this post so much. LOL

Renae said...

This post if great! How sad is it that I can totally relate? I loved it so much that I had to post a link of it on my blog!

Corinne O said...

loved this!

C. Michael Fontes said...

"Refrain from talking about your characters as if they were alive."

This one is GREAT! I love to see the looks on peoples faces when someone tells them that their character "wanted to do this," it's great!

Suzette Saxton said...

LOL! Loved this post. I was feeling irked that some non-writers weren't responding to my emails. Then I realized that (duh) they were not writers, and there for did not check their email every day (or every hour!)

Julie Musil said...

How did you know my kids ate cold cereal three nights in a row?? Congrats to hubby.

Lacey J Edwards said...

LOVE IT! Hahaha!
Congrats to your husband!

Olivia J. Herrell, writing as O.J. Barré said...

Thanks for this post, I've gotta share it with my writerly friends in an upcoming post if that's okay with you...

That Rebel, Olivia Herrell

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