I have only told a handful of people about the book at this point, but it’s definitely a strange thing to just drop on someone.
“Hey, I never mentioned it, but this summer I wrote a book, and here it is.”
For what it’s worth – part of the reason I didn’t talk about it while I was doing it was because there was always a risk I wouldn’t finish it. I have a full-time job, two kids, a boyfriend, and the often mentioned fluffy white dog. I try to write at least five days a week, and squeeze in time either in the early morning or after dinner. But if it had stopped being enjoyable, I’d have just put it aside. Or if my job got too crazy for any free time (it’s happened before), I’d have put it aside.
Plus I read somewhere that you shouldn’t tell people your New Year’s resolutions, because sharing a goal before you accomplish it can be de-motivating. This resonated with me.
Now it feels a little bit like telling a secret, though, when I tell someone. It’s been something I’ve been doing most days for months without talking about it.
I will say, though, people have been very kind and multiple people (including my niece and a fellow author from the office) have given great advice for the future.