Ahhhh, the dreaded question.

Asked by people around you who have no idea about writing, so they don’t know that that’s the question they shouldn’t ask.

I had a discussion with my writers group a while ago. It was about why people become writers. And although I’m sure there are different opinions and reasons out there (and it may be a little different for everyone), we discovered, that for us, we just felt we need to do that.

Our stories were pretty similar in regard to that. We just feel compelled to write.

And if you’re at it for a while and over time you discover what the writing process is like, you see that it might be very different from what you originally thought how it would be.

And it’s the same with others.

They obviously don’t feel that call to write (or they don’t act on it). So, they never did it.

They never delved into the uncertainty of creating something from nothing, of going through all the steps that are necessary to get to a draft, and all the trial and error that goes into it.

They have no idea what it’s like to see the world through a writer’s eye.

And because all of the above, the result is that they have no idea how to talk to you about that.

And that’s why they ask questions like “how’s your book going”, now knowing that it might come out insensitive, to say the least.

But you know what?

They’ll never get it. They can’t get it. And you can’t blame them. How could they? I don’t know how to talk to a doctor, to a lawyer, to an accountant, to a painter, to a professional athlete, and to a whole bunch of other people in different professions.

Because I haven’t lived it.

So, I have no idea how many insensitive questions I asked them about their lives.

So?

Next time someone asks you a stupid question like, “how’s your book going”… Cut them some slack. Most probably they just try to be nice and they have no idea how to talk to you about your writing.

Just give them some answer that will satisfy them and don’t be upset about the question!

Other things not to be upset about:
Handling your writing software.

If it doesn’t do what you want it to do, just head over to my courses on my Writer’s Territory platform by clicking the button below: