hear this from parents all the time when I meet them at book signings. “Our daughter is an aspiring writer, and we told her that’s fine, but she needs to find something to fall back on.” “So she’s a terrible writer?” I ask. “Well, no.” “Is she lazy? Has she shown no improvement since she started?” “Of course not,” the parents say. “She’s wonderful. Writing is all she cares about.” “Then why does she need to fall back?” I ask. “Are you saying you have no faith in her before she’s even had a chance to prove herself?” It’s an unfair question on my part, as it makes the parents sound unsupportive.
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