Yes, when writers lock themselves in their offices or rooms, they are working. So here are some rules to live by to make your loved one's job a bit easier.
1. DON'T knock on the door and ask some mundane question like which drawer your writer loved one keeps the kids' socks. There are only so many drawers in the dresser; you can find it yourself.
2. DON'T let the kiddos play peek-a-boo outside the office or bedroom because you're too busy playing video games, reading a book, napping, etc.
3. DON'T let the phone ring its maximum number of times and then bring it up to your writer loved one.
4. DO tell said person on the phone that your writer loved one is working and will call back later.
And finally...
5. When writer loved one tells you he/she is going to take a few hours to work, DO be understanding and DON'T make him/her feel guilty about it. We want to spend time with the family, too, and your cooperation will only help us finish more quickly and do just that.
Thank you.
I am printing this and posting it to the door right now. :)
ReplyDeleteSound advice!
ReplyDeleteyou know they love you. you know they can't understand the crazy mix of passion, dedication, and hard work it takes to write. you miss them terribly . but stuff like this is terribly irritating.
ReplyDeleteYeeeeaaah. It's really difficult for non-writers to grasp the concept that this isn't just a fun hobby. It's our job.
ReplyDeleteYeah I get the "can you babysit?" question and when I say that it's my writing day, well no one listens. The Man is great at understanding but the rest of the fam. Not so much. I don't think they'll understand until I actually get published. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteSuch a great list of rules. I think you hit just about everything. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is a great list. It's hard to be a writer's support. They just don't get that writing is a JOB. Maybe when you get paid, they will. But it's an important thing to help them understand.
ReplyDeleteOh, man - my hubby does number one ALL THE TIME! Seriously - are his eyes, arms and legs broken? LOL!
ReplyDeleteHaha, cool post. Some people just don't understand. When the writer's in the zone, leave her alone ;)
ReplyDeletehahaha i can so relate to this!! I think every writer can! Nice one :)
ReplyDeleteLyn
I love your labels for this post just as much as the post itself!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a room to go to for writing, but now that school has started up, I just do my writing during school hours. But those are wonderful rules. :D
ReplyDelete