
I’m starting to suspect my hubby’s support of my writing career may not be quite as altruistic as he lets on.
Oh sure, he says he wants me to succeed. He wants us to be in a position to offer our closest friends a spur-of-the-moment place at our beach house or mountain chalet as much as I do. In fact, he probably wants that even more than I do (mountain chalet and beach homes can be dirt magnets after all).
But . . .
Well, take, for example, this past summer. He decided, quite out of the blue, that I deserved a proper writing desk rather than the shared surface I was using. But space in my house is at a premium and the children’s toys seem to multiply even faster than the dust bunnies. So on this day, he decided he would build me one that could be folded up on the wall when not in use. A Murphy desk.
Out he went into our garage with his trusty sidekick, Kiddo, in tow. I heard the saw blades spin and the power tools whirl. Kiddo came back in. Kiddo went back out. Kiddo left the door open. Repeatedly. Whirl. Mommy went a little insane.
Not to be outdone, LT joined the fun, as did Her Royal Highness (the dog) too. LT fell down. Mommy kissed boo-boos. HRH decided to trot down the street and visit the neighbors. Mommy got a call. Mommy wasn’t so sure she wanted this desk any longer.
Then, after several hours of holding what smidgen of rationality remained in my brain together, Lamont returned ready to show me the fruits of his labors. There was my new desk in unfinished wooden splendor.
“Uh, that’s not level.” I pointed at the top joint which could better pass as abstract art than as a right angle.
Lamont frowned. “I can fix that,” he said. “But it will need to wait until tomorrow.”

The next day came, but the cobbler’s elves either failed to arrive, or they neglected to fix his handiwork overnight. Taking another look at it with fresh eyes, Lamont admitted he was going to need to start from scratch.
Considering it was going to be my desk, meaning I would have to look at it every day, I had no choice but to agree with his assessment even though I knew it meant I would lose my co-parent and general weekend-chore-sharer to the garage once again.
The second try was much more successful and soon the desk was ready for finishing. This time Lamont invited LT to help as it was a painting project. What’s the worst that could happen? White, child-sized footprints adorned my steps. Even better, paint covered my boy’s body from head to cheek as he’d chosen to work on his masterpiece in only a pair of briefs.
I was forced to drop everything except the wiggling paint monster in order to scrub him down in an impromptu bath. As LT splashed about, I realized my husband had stumbled on the most genius plan imaginable for getting out of his standard weekly honey-do list. He’d gotten to play all day in the garage for the last two weeks, and I couldn’t complain as it was all being done for me.
Or at least I thought it was his most genius plan.
It turns out he had one better.
Flash forward. I completed the early drafts of my manuscript, a sequel to The Fair & Foul at the end of October. I knew I needed to let it sit and simmer before I attempted any further re-writes, but I also knew how strong the temptation would be to dive in and start on the edits anyway. Determined not to succumb and edit too early, I enlisted Lamont’s help as an alpha reader. Every day was a challenge not to ask him what he thought until he was done. “I’m at 10%,” he’d advise. “20%. 35.” To him, it was breakneck progress. To me, it was grueling.
The weekend came around again. Lamont held up his Kindle. “85%,” he announced. The children started to bounce off the walls. “I’ve got to finish it.” He disappeared. Sigh. Speaking of percents, it is probably the only time I wasn’t 100% thrilled to hear I’d written something someone didn’t want to put down, but even so, it was still better to hear than the alternative.
I’m happy to report I now have my weekend helper back, which means that I will soon be able to move forward with edits once again. With any luck (and maybe a little more help from my supportive spouse), I might just be able to publish this book next year. And that’s certainly a problem worth having.
Cute. Very cute. The kid covered in paint, however–not so cute. Well, yes, still cute, but not quite as much from a mom-who-has-to-clean-it-up perspective.
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It was definitely one of those scenes that are cuter from afar – but still pretty darn cute.
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All I’m saying is i stay away from things that come out of the wall. Rofl!
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It’s like having a secret panel to another room, only a lot less exciting. 🙂
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I’ve never heard of or seen a murphy desk. Yours is cute, but what you went through to get it. Good intention gone awry, it would seem.
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Yeah DIY is never quite the savings it appears.
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Ain’t it the truth? 😉
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Lamont is so crafty!!! Ha ha. Funny description of how his help creates so much work. And you got a blog post out of it too. 🙂
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He is indeed. Sneaky too!
It is really nice though to have my own desk. Although I did find a truck on it just the other day, so it is likely only a matter of time before the kids annex it too.
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Ha ha. It would be a great place for crayons and coloring books!
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Hmmm, now I see… you are in cahoots with LT! 😀
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Ha!
We’re in it together.
Having little ones roaming around can be very distracting. Especially while the husbands are being so wonderfully helpful. 😉
I got a real kick out of this post. Thanks for sharing.
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The are my greatest source of inspiration and at the same time my number one reason for not getting work done.
🙂 I hope you’ve had better luck sneaking in some time for yourself than I have.
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Like the desk, very handy – though the process of getting it doesn’t sound like quite as much fun haha! Still, at least he’s supportive 🙂
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It wasn’t anyone in the Potts clan’s finest hours, but it really is nice to have a space of my own and now I get to look out into my wooded back yard instead of the front street.
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Well that sounds pretty nice – and it’s a funny story, too 😀
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Lol! I know those old tricks. When my partner would get involved in anything home-like, somehow it meant I had more work to do. Go figure.
Actually, as probably with your OH it wasn’t even intentional, but when I put up a shelf for example, nothing else in the house is changed, altered, disrupted. Schedules are on time. Food is made. Everything is the same.
When they put up a shelf there are no-go areas in the house, whole rooms are overturned, tools and nails everywhere. Not to mention the weeks of planning and endless talking about it beforehand.
And boy do I identify with the simmer stage of writing! 🙂
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🙂 Oh yes, the planning stage… My mind is already trying its best to block that period from memory.
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Lol.
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I’m glad you eventually got your beautifully painted desk, Allie. Pity about the beautifully painted child, but as least LT had fun, I guess. 🙂
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He thought he was quite stunning. I did too, but for a completely different reason. I did however make no effort to clean the footprint from our steps. For some reason I feel I am going to like seeing that small mark as he grows up.
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That’s sweet! Why not get him to paint his sole every year so that you end up with a series of footprints in progressively larger sizes. Of course, you may need to add more steps by the time he’s 47.
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That was very funny. My wife has not read my book but then it’s not really her sort of thing.
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Neither of my books are his sort of thing either, so I guess I need to give him a ton more credit here than I have for making the effort. He really is quite helpful… most of the time 🙂
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To be fair I’ve not encouraged her to
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Reblogged this on Eric's blog and commented:
For today’s re-blog one of my favorite bloggers and authors even if I am jealous of her beach house.
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When that beach house finally makes itself a reality, you too would be welcome to drop by when you are in the area.
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Ahh I miss-read it I thought you already have one.
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Sadly not yet, though I do try to visit the beach at least once a year, so really it would pay for itself. (Or so I tell myself)
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I’d be lost without my muse. I just wish I could find a way to light a fire under her creative but unambitious butt. Bought her a laptop, Kindle, and smart phone, but all they did was make her game playing more portable.
If we’re not self-motivated, no amount of enabling will succeed.
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This is so true. I often think that raw grit is more important than creativity when it comes to book writing, although creativity certainly helps.
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The desk is beautiful! It’s nice to have a handy guy around. 🙂
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And most of the time I’d agree with you too. 😄
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This did make me giggle love man logic and how amazing that he’s that handy 🙂 excellent news on the feedback although what does this mean for your current WIP?
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The words for my WIP are currently flowing so I don’t want to break that momentum at the moment. I guess then it will depend on whether or not I hit my word count goal with time to spare.
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I love the desk! What a novel idea. Yeah…pun intended.
Living in an apartment, my only desk currently is my lap. But hey, it helps me get the job done!
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I really like it too. I love how it can fold up with my computer inside, protected by a latch too tall for my kids to reach. It almost makes me feel like my computer actually might have a chance not to be taken over like every other piece of electronics in the house. Almost.
LOVE the pun. 🙂
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A wonderfully whimsical narrative. Put a smile on my face.
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Thank you!
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