Writing a book is pleasant only at the beginning, when your heart overflows with energy and ambition. Soon, reality sets in. The progress is slower than you expected, and putting one word behind another is much harder than you once hoped. As the days stretch to weeks, then months, your determination slides away; the soaring spirits of the early days are gone. Somewhere deep inside, a nagging question burns: why did you commit yourself to this drudgery? So many projects had to be pushed aside, so many deadlines missed, so much time and energy invested for a book that may yet prove a failure. And then, did your family deserve all those cancelled trips? The reader has got the message: moral support is important. Even the most independent mind will not go far without at least one fan.