Father's Day Thanks

Trying to pursue a writing career is not easy. It requires a thick skin, loads of tenacity, and a phenomenal support system. While we would all love to write in a vacuum, if you’re juggling a writing career with raising a family, that is not going to happen. Most of us have someone in our lives who motivates us to keep going, tackle that next revision, and also lets us know when the work we’re producing isn’t quite up to par.

As we celebrate Father’s Day today, I’d like to take the opportunity to say a few words of thanks to a very important “Dad” in my life—my husband, Daniel. Without this guy, I know for a fact I wouldn’t be the writer I am today. Here are just a few ways he’s encouraged me:

1. When I first started freelancing after our daughter was born 12 years ago, he told me to stick with it. Never once did he say, “Are you sure you’re going to be able to make enough money doing that?”

2. Daniel is the glue that holds our family together, in more ways than one. I am thankful he has a good job with benefits that allows me to provide the supplemental income to our household while keeping up with our kids’ schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Even though I’m sure he’d love it if I worked a tad harder to bring in a steady paycheck, he doesn’t voice that opinion out loud. One day I hope to be able to contribute as much he as he does, but I’m just not there yet.

3. He puts up with my moods and tendency to get cranky when I’m working on a tough project under a deadline. He gives me space when I need it, keeps the kids entertained, and provides me with plenty of coffee to get me through every single time.

4. He models positivity for our kids. He rearranges his schedule so I can attend conferences, he takes them to shop for thoughtful writer gifts for me, and he tells me how proud he is of me in front of them. Because of that, I sometimes feel I have my own cheer squad living right inside my house—and that's a great feeling.

5. Even though he doesn’t necessarily enjoy reading novels, he’s pored over countless revisions of my YA novel and given me honest feedback, all while telling me not to give up. Nor does he groan outwardly when NaNoWriMo rolls around and I retreat into my office for an entire month in order to crank out those 50,000 words as many would do. If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.

I'd love to know--who motivates you to keep writing even when you’re ready to throw your notepads and computer out the window?

Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and editor who also works as a Blog Tour Manager for WOW! Women on Writing. She is currently seeking blog hosts for Susan Weidener's tour for A Portrait of Love and Honor, scheduled to begin July 20. Visit her blog at Renee’s Pages.