I’ve been sick. Really sick. I’m not making ends meet financially. I have a book I love that readers love that agents don’t love.
But, I’ve got friends. Seriously. Make that I have Friends.
My friends totally rock.
Way before the “economy turned” (liars, those of us in certain industries have been laid off for 1 or 2 years knew this was coming) my friends understood and accommodated my financial needs.
Oh, you can’t afford to go out to dinner a couple of nights a week? Even meeting for drinks is too much? Come over, we’ll have tea.
You’re working on your writing? How is that going?
You got a rejection? Bummer. You turned down an agent? Gutsy!
I didn’t realize HOW amazing my friends are until I started listening to the horror stories around me. Friends dropping friends b/c they can afford to go out. Relationships breaking off b/c the non-writer doesn’t understand the writer’s need to scribble.
In two weeks, a few of my friends are flying in to go to a conference here in Boston. I know how darn lucky I am that they’re coming to me. I know that this isn’t a huge conference and if I hadn’t been saying “oh, yeah, come visit me and go to this” it might not have hit their radar. I know that having people cheer me on in Line by Line contest instead of not following it because they didn’t enter or the have stepped out is a blessing. I know having non-writing friends who are vicariously living a “writing life” thru me is not only a blessing, but nearly unheard of.
I have Friends. In this economy, that seems like a long-term investment most people don’t count enough when looking at their portfolios.
Luv YA 