My pard is also a writer, writing the same genres I do. We are each other's primary betas. We share the same agent and publisher database. We get to gripe writerly gripes nonstop, and neither one of us is bored.
Nonstop writerly griping, wow, that's a really big perk.
Of course, two people in the same field must face the spectre of what happens if one of them succeeds while the other labors on in relative obscurity. That could be a big one. We should only be so lucky.
It sounds like you want at least in part to get your husband's reaction to specifics: these composites of people we knew, these loose reworkings of things we experienced, how do they strike you? How do you remember them? Perhaps you should put it to him in this light -- you're not looking for literary criticism but how what you've written jibes with his memories.
As for your nervousness about his reaction, that I can understand. I find it much easier to deal with the responses of professionals or strangers than with the responses of friends. If your husband is a nonreader, or a nonreader of your genre, or even just not the kind of Wise Reader who can spot/express/analyze his reactions to what he's read, you might be better off seeking counsel elsewhere.
Besides, he might shy away from the reading for fear of hurting you. Like: "I love her, but what if I don't love her book? What will I say? How will she react? Am I a huge jerk? Ack, I can't take the pressure!"
Nonstop writerly griping, wow, that's a really big perk.
Of course, two people in the same field must face the spectre of what happens if one of them succeeds while the other labors on in relative obscurity. That could be a big one. We should only be so lucky.
It sounds like you want at least in part to get your husband's reaction to specifics: these composites of people we knew, these loose reworkings of things we experienced, how do they strike you? How do you remember them? Perhaps you should put it to him in this light -- you're not looking for literary criticism but how what you've written jibes with his memories.
As for your nervousness about his reaction, that I can understand. I find it much easier to deal with the responses of professionals or strangers than with the responses of friends. If your husband is a nonreader, or a nonreader of your genre, or even just not the kind of Wise Reader who can spot/express/analyze his reactions to what he's read, you might be better off seeking counsel elsewhere.
Besides, he might shy away from the reading for fear of hurting you. Like: "I love her, but what if I don't love her book? What will I say? How will she react? Am I a huge jerk? Ack, I can't take the pressure!"
