Out of the Trash

Tabby did.

Tabby and her husband struggled to get by. Living in an old trailer they couldn’t even afford a phone. She worked at Dunkin Donuts and he was a high school teacher. While she focussed on the kids he wrote short stories and magazine articles to earn a few extra dollars for groceries or to fix their used car.

One day Tabby had her first great idea. Her husband had come home excited about a possible promotion that would give them a little extra money. But Tabby said no … he should Carrie on writing instead. Tabby’s second great idea came a while later when she found three, crumpled up pages in the trash. She pulled them out and confronted her husband. They were an attempt at a novel he didn’t think was any good … but Tabby did .. and encouraged him to finish it. 30 publishers rejected the story … but then one said yes and offered a small advance. The rest is history.

Today, over 40 years later, Tabby’s husband is one of the most successful writers … ever … having sold over 350 million copies of his stories. And stories and movies like The Shawshank Redemption, It The Shining and his first novel Carrie wouldn’t exist if Tabitha King hadn’t told her husband to keep on writing.

Stephen King is a great idea … because when you are going for it … having the write spouse can make all the difference!