Call me Scrooge

I will be the first to admit that I am a little bit stingy when it comes to my writing. It took me almost a year to admit to more than one person that I was actually working on a novel. It took even longer to share what that novel was about and - even then - I only told a few of those closest to me.

Now, some people I know seem to take great offense when I won't give them any details about my novel - as if I'm being deliberately cryptic out of spite or simply to be a punk. Others look put out or hurt or even sheepish - as if they invaded my privacy by accident.

I want to be able to explain to them that the fact that I'm being so secretive is not a slight on their person. Truthfully, I find that I can only fully live in these stories I create if they are private - inhabited only by me and my characters. The handful that get glimpses into these worlds are those I trust enough to give me valuable feedback and honest critique - and even then, I still hold some back.

I know other writers who are very free and open with their creations. In a way, I admire them and wonder how they can reveal so much without losing a vast amount of intimacy with their story.

In short, I know that eventually I will finish my novel and, if it ever gets published, I will be ready to share it with the rest of the world. Until then though, I choose to remain rather selfish with my characters, and enjoy having them to myself for as long as possible.

I can't be the only writer in the world like this. Can I?

Happy Writing