The Good China

At left, what I consider the "good china" in this house.

This is a "biscuit plate" frau bear bought for me from an artist in Palm Springs. Very nice. Of course, "biscuit plate" means "cookie plate" to those of us on the North American continent.

I'm not really allowed to have cookies.

I couldn't remember if I showed this image before or not. I'm wrapped up in plots and murders and the action of despots and so have lost track of some details.

Apologies if you've seen it.

The plate is an illustration that we writers need support and we need support of all different kinds.

Everybody needs a cheerleader. Most of us can find that person in the family. We don't write to their taste. They don't care. They're behind our nightly efforts one hundred percent.

Then we have the critique group: those people who give us an unvarnished read on what we write. Invaluable help those folks. They only get one shot at any single piece of material without being tainted so you need all of these folks you can get.

People who will tell you the truth are rare. (Maybe that's just in my stories. Sometimes the 4th wall is transparent.) These folks are behind our individual writing projects one hundred percent.

Then, we have the professional supporters. These are the unsung heroes of your writing career that make it worthwhile to show up at the desk every day.

These are the folks who compose the citizens of the community to which you aspire. You know them for their writing and their industry knowledge and their experienced advice.

They don't help with your writing. They help with you. They're behind the you we've yet to meet.

There are lots of things writers say they need to be successful. Quiet. Tea (or coffee). A decent keyboard. The lucky pen. The soundtrack to Born Free.  (Oh, come on. You know the words! Everyone was twelve once.)

What you really need are these three groups of supporters. You can make do without any of the material accouterments. I know firsthand that you can write short-stories in a noisy lunchroom with a broken pencil and a warm can of Diet Coke.

You need these supporters, though. You might take a minute and tell them thanks.

Here: Thanks. I owe you huge: Cristina and Alex and John and Andy and Elizabeth and Gene and Wook and Gary and Suleman and Mary and Chip and Kevin and Beargirl and Janet and the invaluable Miss Snark (wherever you are).

Now, back to work you. Those characters are not going to just shoot themselves in dark alleys. (You all are crime writers, right?)

Oh, the cookies on the plate are mine. That gun? Consider it a warning.