I'm guessing some of you have experienced some or all of the complaints I have about non-writers.
Non-Writers - They're Everywhere. They look like us, they sound like us, but they're not one of us.
1. They come to your sacred writing venue and hang out or try to get you to leave with them, and when you resist they point out that you can write later or another day. You explain that you have a schedule and you must stick with it, but they give you the old "whatever" response, as if you're giving them a fake reason why you can't go as their date to the prom.
2. They come to parties you are attending, and when you tell them you're working on a book they a: roll their eyes; b: say "good luck with that" without even trying to mask their sarcasm; c: respond with the sound career advice of "don't quit your day job;" and my personal favorite: d: "I hope you're not serious."
3. When you tell them you're sending it out, they remind you of the obstacles, the unfavorable statistics, as if you weren't more aware of them than they were.
4. When you tell them you just finished your book, they give you the name of a printer who will give you a great deal on the first 100 copies.
5. You tell them you're writing a book and they ask (as if no one has ever asked you this question) "what's it about."
6. They tell you they are an avid reader and a great candidate to read your book. So, you give them a copy, which they use as a coaster and never bothering reading a single page.
7. They tell you they've got a great idea about a book, and it's something so cliche (e.g. Alien conspiracy/attack).
8. They don't understand the commitment, for to them it seems like your writing is a simple, silly hobby.
9. They don't get that writing is a full-time job, or at least a second part- time job. You must treat it as if you need this job to pay your rent, and no, you can't not report to work tomorrow.
10. You've announced you've finished your book, and they tell you about a great career conseling program, because now that you've got that writing bug out of your system, it's time to focus on more important, practical, realistic things.
11. They tell you "it's not like you have a test coming up" in response to your rejecting of their proposal to blow off your writing and go play with them. You respond that eventhough you may not have a strict deadline, you must treat it as if you did have a test on Monday, and study or not, that test is on Monday, and you need to ace it. (I guess this was an expansion on #1)
12. They ask you to do them a favor (ride to the airport, moving furniture), because you have nothing better to do with your day off. You explain that you're writing that day, but they hear "I'm watching TV all day, I would help you but I simply don't want to, because I'm a selfish inconsiderate person."
Non-Writers - They're Everywhere. They look like us, they sound like us, but they're not one of us.
1. They come to your sacred writing venue and hang out or try to get you to leave with them, and when you resist they point out that you can write later or another day. You explain that you have a schedule and you must stick with it, but they give you the old "whatever" response, as if you're giving them a fake reason why you can't go as their date to the prom.
2. They come to parties you are attending, and when you tell them you're working on a book they a: roll their eyes; b: say "good luck with that" without even trying to mask their sarcasm; c: respond with the sound career advice of "don't quit your day job;" and my personal favorite: d: "I hope you're not serious."
3. When you tell them you're sending it out, they remind you of the obstacles, the unfavorable statistics, as if you weren't more aware of them than they were.
4. When you tell them you just finished your book, they give you the name of a printer who will give you a great deal on the first 100 copies.
5. You tell them you're writing a book and they ask (as if no one has ever asked you this question) "what's it about."
6. They tell you they are an avid reader and a great candidate to read your book. So, you give them a copy, which they use as a coaster and never bothering reading a single page.
7. They tell you they've got a great idea about a book, and it's something so cliche (e.g. Alien conspiracy/attack).
8. They don't understand the commitment, for to them it seems like your writing is a simple, silly hobby.
9. They don't get that writing is a full-time job, or at least a second part- time job. You must treat it as if you need this job to pay your rent, and no, you can't not report to work tomorrow.
10. You've announced you've finished your book, and they tell you about a great career conseling program, because now that you've got that writing bug out of your system, it's time to focus on more important, practical, realistic things.
11. They tell you "it's not like you have a test coming up" in response to your rejecting of their proposal to blow off your writing and go play with them. You respond that eventhough you may not have a strict deadline, you must treat it as if you did have a test on Monday, and study or not, that test is on Monday, and you need to ace it. (I guess this was an expansion on #1)
12. They ask you to do them a favor (ride to the airport, moving furniture), because you have nothing better to do with your day off. You explain that you're writing that day, but they hear "I'm watching TV all day, I would help you but I simply don't want to, because I'm a selfish inconsiderate person."
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