Writing vs. Marriage: A Breakthrough

Anyone who knows me knows that I have always had an enormous issue with sharing my stories with the people closest to me (my grandmother is the exception) I don't know why, but it's always been my biggest 'I cannot deal'. 

Since being with Christine, I have worked reeaally hard to try and get over that. For one thing, we met through fanfiction, so it's absolutely absurd not to be able to share. And for another, these are the two greatest loves of my life -- my writing and my wife. They need to bloody get on!

I have been getting better -- I let her read last year's NaNo, and I no longer slam my laptop shut whenever she comes within ten meters. I think they call this 'progress'. 

Still, talking is the hardest part of all. I love it when she shows and active interest, but still I have a tendency to go "hrrrgh blrrrgh blrrrgh" which promptly ends the conversation. 

BUT this weekend. 

For the Red Light Green Light Contest, the top 25 were asked to submit a 30 word pitch on the off-chance they become finalists (aaaargh!!) I have never done a summary in my life, let alone reduced a book I can't even talk about down to 30 words. 97k in one month? No biggie. 30 words in 5 days? Hell No. 

Suffice it to say, I couldn't do it alone. I got to the point where every word looked the same and I just felt miserable. Luckily I have a wife who is wonderful. 

So we spent the whole weekend on the sofa talking through this damn pitch and arguing about comma placement (I like them; she doesn't) and I actually talked to her sensibly about the book and my characters and the world and, wow. It was a breakthrough. I no longer feel jittery and nervous and embarrassed. It's like a wall's been breached and the two parts of me are melding properly, and I feel so much lighter. 

And I'm glad, because I'm reeaally going to need her support in all this over the next few months when it comes down to editing and querying and actually taking it all seriously. 

If there's one thing I've learnt in the last couple of years, it's that writing is not a solitary undertaking.

Even if she does insist upon calling Dakin 'daikon'.