Thursday, May 15, 2014

Top 9 Ways to Support Your Writing Spouse

by Edie Melson

Many of you know that I credit a great deal of my writing and general life success to the support of my amazing husband, Kirk. For example, next week he'll be with me at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. There aren’t many engineers that I know who would be willing to brave five days in the company of 400+ writers.

Today, in honor of his unwavering support, I wanted to share the top 9 ways to support your writing spouse. This isn’t really a post from what I wish had happened, but ways that Kirk has supported me—all without my prompting. Truthfully, I would not be where I am today without his constant encouragement, prayers, and support.

9. Let the writer talk it out with you—even when it makes no sense! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve solved a writing problem just by Kirk listening to me. There’s just something about working through a problem out loud that makes it easier to solve. It’s also so much easier to do when you’re not alone.

8. Share the successes. A big part of the reason I even have success is because of Kirk’s encouragement and it means so much when he celebrates with me.

7. Share the successes. No, this isn’t a repeat of the previous number. I mean shout those successes from the rooftop. When I had an article published, Kirk was on the phone to his family and friends, bragging about my success. Now that we’re both on social media, I catch him doing the same thing, and it means the world to me.

6. Become a cheerleader. I know what you’re thinking, I wish I could have gotten a picture of Kirk with pom-poms, too! But you’re just going to have to use your imagination. Trust me, Kirk is the best cheerleader there ever was. And this writing thing is, more times than not, won or lost in your mind. Kirk’s atta-girl encouragement has definitely made the difference between success and failure for me—many times.

5. Give your spouse the respect he/she deserves. Every writer is following a dream, and that’s a gutsy thing for anyone to do. They need to be respected for taking a chance and putting it all on the line.

4. Help your writing spouse find the time to write. I don’t care if your writer spouse is retired or a stay-at-home-mom, finding time to write is tough. Help them carve it out of the family schedule so they don’t have to add guilt to the load they’re carrying.

3. Act as a gatekeeper. When I’m on deadline, and even when I’m not, I have certain times of the day blocked off to write. Kirk fields phone calls and runs interference for me during those times so I can be free to work.

2. Help your writing spouse find the money to improve their craft. This means helping with expenses for conferences, classes and organizations. I used to worry about spending family money on my dream, but Kirk gave me a different way to look at it. He told me that neither one of us would begrudge the other money to go back to college. And he said that was how he viewed my writing conference expenses. To him, that was my college, and as I became more successfully, my continuing education credits.

1. Follow your writer spouse’s blog. I don’t care if you ever comment, but surely you can keep up with what’s being written. This is a big deal. I talk to writers almost every day who are amazed and just a tad bit jealous that Kirk follows my blog—without me ever needing to ask him to!


14 comments:

  1. I'm sharing this with my husband! Actually, he is a great supporter to me. He's not much of a reader, but a few weeks ago when I shared the first chapter of my WIP, he said, "You left me hanging, I want to know more." I of course told him that was the idea - to hook the reader. :)

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    1. Joan, that's great! I'm so glad you shared your story! Blessings, E

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  2. Like Joan, I think I'll print this out and leave it on Hubs's desk. ;o)

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    1. Ane, there has been a learning curve. Kirk has had to listen to what I'm asking for when he reads something. He was initially very quick to jump on grammar and spelling! Blessings, E

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  3. My wife is my cheerleader. This is a new journey for us and we are still learning our roles. She has been encouraging in me going to next weeks conference leaving her with the chaos at home. Sometimes it just takes two.

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    1. Tim, it definitely does take two. This is a tough path if your spouse isn't on the journey with you! Blessings, E

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  4. My wife encourages me and supports me. Her job provides the health insurance so I can write full time. She's my first reader and catches my silly typos and grammar errors before a word of my writing leaves the house and points out where what I write may not be taken in the way I meant it. She lovingly doesn't let me wallow in rejection. Challenges me to keep doing better. Understands when I talk out loud with my characters. Understands and supports the need to be involved in writers groups and conferences. I've heard brag to others about my writing. She always carry a supply of bookmarks to pass out to strangers. This writing life wouldn't be happening without her.

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    1. Henry, that's great! Thanks so much for sharing how your wife supports you - Blessings, E

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  5. Love this post, Edie. My husband, Charlie, is my biggest fan and has believed in me many times when I couldn't find the courage to believe in myself. He never begrudges my endless hours at the computer, time away from home, or money spent on conferences. Without his constant love, support, and encouragement, there is no way I could what I do . . . and love. Hats off to the unsung heroes -- our spouses! :)

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    1. Andrea, cool stuff! Thanks for sharing, Blessings, E

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  6. I loved this. I am printing and giving this to my husband. It properly puts into perspective what I try to say to him. Love it as always. Beth

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    1. Beth, I'm glad you appreciated the post! Blessings, E

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  7. Edie,
    Loved this one, "Every writer is following a dream, and that’s a gutsy thing for anyone to do." I'm going to forward this one to Clyde. :0)

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  8. I was a widow, and remaarried 2 years ago. My husband is everything you described and more, and I will never, NEVER take it for granted. There is nothing that says, "I love you." to a writer than their spouse saying, "Read me that last thing you wrote."

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