10 tips for the proper care and feeding of writers: a support guide for friends and family: TIP 1: Provide them with a private office with a door that closes and locks. This is more for your safety and protection than theirs TIP 2: if writer is staring intently at inanimate objects, do not interrupt. They *may* be trying to convince it to do their bidding. TIP 3: Screams coming from behind the closed and locked office door are not necessarily a bad thing. TIP 4: They are not talking to you, they are talking to people you can’t see. TIP 5: Do not be alarmed if they suddenly stand up and run and start throwing things around. This is normal. They have had a burst of inspiration and are looking for paper and pen. It is a good thing to keep a notebook and pen in your pocket for such emergencies. TIP 6: If you walk past their computer and see them researching how to use a gun, poisons, or how long it takes a body to decompose, just keep walking. It doesn’t concern you. TIP 7: If writer is hunched over notepad/computer do not disturb for any reason. This includes meal times. Just eat/sleep/converse around them. And occasionally you may toss them a protein bar and a red bull. TIP 8: No, they are not checking out the good looking waiter. They are naming him and deciding who’s love interest he will be (and/or the best way to kill him) in their next book. TIP 9: They will sometimes randomly burst into fits of rapid discussion of plot and characters. IMPORTANT: Don’t show alarm or confusion. Just smile and nod and eventually they will wander off to their computer, leaving you in safety. TIP 10: During editing it is very helpful if you lay out clothes, prepare meals, and take over all other day to day responsibilities. Failure to do so may result in starving children and pets, mismatched shoes, and a lack of clean dishes/laundry.