I AM a writer. Not shocking news, right? Are you a writer? Does your spouse/partner read your work? Would it make a difference to you or affect your relationship if they didn’t read it or even show an interest in what you do creatively?
While it is always great to have a spouse/partner who reads your work, it does not have to mean the end of the world or the relationship if it doesn’t happen. What truly matters is that they support and uplift you. Do they believe in your talent? Do they encourage you to pursue or continue to pursue what you have chosen for a career and/or for artistic expression?
I count myself lucky because I have the best of both worlds. My husband supports my writing, both as a career choice and an artistic outlet. He also reads my work. Actually, he wants to read my work. He has always been my biggest champion and loudest fan.
My husband even acts as one of my beta readers. I value his feedback and opinion both as an adult reader of dramatic fiction and thrillers and as a representative of one of my potential audiences: the gay male/queer reader. He has helped me see how someone with a queer life experience different than mine might view and engage with my work. Is my written voice authentic when it is essential to be so? Are specific references and characterizations funny and “on point” when that is the intention? When I write people as sassy, snarky, and camp, does it comes across as fun, or do I need to reign it in a little? Is my work convincingly emotional and poignant where I want it to matter in the story?
My husband helps me navigate all potential pitfalls in my work—my writing style and research—especially when I am too close to the source material to be objective. He is honest, sometimes brutally so, but I know it always comes from a place of love and a desire to improve my work. I am grateful for the support and encouragement my husband has always given me. I might not change something based on his suggestion, but I always appreciate and respect his input, no matter what.
My husband reads all of my work as I go along, even through significant revisions! He’s the best. And I often find myself motivated to write because he’s waiting for new content
I’m so glad my post, my experience, resonates with you. Admittedlty, I’ve been known to interrupt my husband during his work with a bellowing “Hey, can you come read this?”