• Home
  • Novels
    • Four Old Geezers And A Valkyrie >
      • Getting Hold Of The Novel >
        • Purchasing the ebook
        • Purchase Direct
      • The Flying Saucers
    • The Discreet Charm of Mary Maxwell-Hume >
      • Purchase >
        • Buy the ebook
    • The Blogger Who Came in from the Cold >
      • Purchase Direct
      • Buy the Ebook
  • Short Stories
    • The Piano Exam
    • Ex Libris
    • A Different Game
    • Of All The...
    • Fishermen
  • Flash Fiction Galore
    • 100 Not Out (Free!) >
      • Download Your Free Gift – 100 Not Out
    • 200 Not Out (Free!) >
      • Download 200 Not Out
  • Non-Fiction Books
  • Essays and Other Stuff
    • Remembrance Special
    • Longer Flash Fiction
    • The Uncle Charlie Stories
    • Assorted Essays
    • Assorted Poetry
    • Chicken Tikka Macgregor
    • In Search Of Scouse
  • Performance
  • Music
    • Bird
    • Right Here Lovin' Me
    • The Saturday Blues
    • River Of Tears
    • Rasta-Jock
    • Any Way You Want Me
    • Music From The Piano Exam
    • The Accidental Christmas Carol
    • Halfway to London
    • The Shores of Caledonia
    • Kindly Leave the Stage
    • The Ballad of Kirstie and Tommy
  • Advice
    • Self-Publishing Guide >
      • Buy the Self-Publishing Guide
    • Editing
    • If you find writing hard...
  • Book Reviews
  • Blethers and Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy notice
Gordon Lawrie

A Very, Very Thick Skin

3/9/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Regular readers will recall how often I've told the story of the very first – and best – piece of advice I ever received: develop a very, very thick skin. (The second piece, from the same source, was pretty good, too: always have a Plan B, a Plan C, a Plan D and a Plan E.)

Sometimes, though, you find yourself under attack when you least expect it. In social company, I never volunteer any information about my writing progress, latest projects or book sales. I always wait until I'm asked. If no one asks, that's fine by me.

This morning I was out for coffee with a three friends. One, whom I know least well, didn't know I'd been actively writing (or publishing) at all and asked about it.

I think I managed about a dozen words when one of the others – who usually supports my functions – butted in to say to the polite and interested-sounding questioner, "That's enough, you can put the cotton wool back in your ears again." OK, it was meant to be funny, but combined with later statement that he couldn't understand many of the 100-word stories in the COMPLETELY FREE  e-volume 100 Not Out, I began to wonder. (Tip for writers' friends: if you don't have anything positive to say, don't say anything at all.)

But the truth is that, for a writer, and probably for all who aspire to trade in the arts, the next kicking is just around the corner. You put yourself out there, and you just take whatever comes.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    November 2019
    August 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    March 2017
    December 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013

Picture
Website by Platform 36