Earlier this week, on a post that debut author Michelle Ule wrote at Books and Such, someone commented that he didn’t get a lot of support from his wife and children. Others had similar experiences with their family members.

It’s not uncommon, apparently, for writers to be misunderstood and unappreciated by their spouses, parents, children, and neighbors.

As I read the comments I had to stop and thank God for my supportive family. My mother bought me my first computer, back when she was fairly poor and computers were fairly expensive. Back when they cost several thousand dollars and several thousand dollars could still buy you an almost-new car, she shipped me a brand new computer (DOS with amber text), a dot matrix printer, and four “How To” books on writing novels for children, and she told me to write. Some fifteen or eighteen years later, she still believed I should be writing—she gave me a private scholarship to a Founder’s Workshop. How’s that for supportive? She has been my biggest fan from the start, reading and raving about every draft of every novel, or partial novel, I’ve written. Sure, she’s 89 now, and she can’t remember what’s she’s read five minutes ago, and everything feels fast and exciting to her slow-moving brain and body. But still….

My husband, before he died, was also a huge supporter, pushing me to go to conferences every year. My brothers and sisters and children have all read my work and seem to like it. My eighteen-year-old son quoted from one of my blog posts the other day on Facebook—I was so honored. My daughter laughed and cried over my last novel (in the appropriate places). So when I read those comments at Books and Such, I was sorry to hear that some people have to write without encouragement from their families, and I also knew I wanted to sing the praises of my family.

This writing deal is a hobby, until you finally sell something. An expensive hobby! Most writers work for five or ten years and finally sell a book for ten thousand dollars, I think. A thousand dollars or two, for each year of work. When you add in the several thousand dollars a year we spend on conferences…many writers are still in the hole even after they’ve sold several books.

Yikes. What kind of crazy people stick to this writing thing year after year after year? And what kind of crazy families support a writer year after year after year?

So I am aware, in a new way this week, that God has given me a family full of wonderful people. They have supported me and encouraged me for years, rejoicing when I’ve won contests and never losing faith when I’ve gotten rejections.

I just wanted to post that for all the world to see. (heh heh—As if all the world reads my blog. )

What about you? Is your family encouraging or critical?

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