With Valentine's Day approaching and last week's dating-related post (in case you missed it, I'd include the link but Men with Pens is down for maintenance at the moment), I wanted to discuss writers and their romantic partners. Talk about a can of worms, right? We literary folk are not known for our healthy, stable relationships. But I think the Sylvia Plaths of the world give the rest of us a bad name (not knocking Ms. Plath's literary chops, though - I loved The Bell Jar!). In fact, several of the men I've dated told me I'm the sanest woman they've met in a romantic context.
Maybe that's because I've never dated another writer. I've dated musicians and (amateur ) actors and other creative types, but never a writer. Not saying I wouldn't, but this post certainly lists some compelling reasons for writers to steer clear of other writers. Then again, Kathryn at Real Words makes a compelling argument for why writers make great SOs.
I'm somewhere in the middle. I think it's good to have someone who gets you and your lifestyle. That's why my current boyfriend and I get along so well. He's freelanced before and now works at a video game studio, so he gets why I carry my BlackBerry everywhere and spend hours busily typing away on my laptop and obsessing over the exact right word. In fact, he helped me finesse a few lines of this post (but the concept was all me). But we're in different industries, so we don't feel the need to compare accomplishments or compete with each other.For us, it's a nice mix of creative talents and, since our skills are complementary, maybe someday we'll collaborate on a project (yes, I know creative collaborations have caused many, many breakups but I think we're up for the challenge). When I dated people with more business or science backgrounds, there was a bit of disconnect between our thought processes. And it was tough for them to grasp what I do all day.What about you? Do you think two writers together is match made by Jane Austen? Or a tragedy ala Shakespeare? Does your partner get what you do, even if he or she does something completely different? Does it even matter as long as they're supportive?
Flickr photo courtesy of Chocolate Geek