Does your family blow off your writing?

[kiwes]

Wow, this is very interesting! My family has been extremely supportive of my writing. In fact, they helped to get my books attention, which I felt was awesome. They know writing is my lifelong passion, and they most definitely encourage it. The only time I think it becomes a problem is when I am in "writer's mode" I can write up to 8 or 9 hours per day, and my family doesn't usually see me when I'm in that mode. But once I get my manuscript finished, I'm back to doing family things, but I can't say I've ever experienced them not supporting my writing career. I think that really sucks if your family isn't supportive. I would never hinder someone from their dream. My family encourages creativity.

[tennent10]

No, they are actually very supportive. My parents are teachers and support the arts more than anything, I frequently run my writing by my family before I show them to others. Just to make sure it's an okay piece.

[Jbessy]

I have no desire to have my close family read my work. For some reason I am put off by that idea. I think I feel like if the people closest to me are reading what I'm writing than I lose any sense of creative freedom.

[jamespoet]

My parents have fortunately been supportive of my writing, even going so far as to provide educational and workshopping opportunities to help me connect with fellow writers and to develop my talents. My dad often acts as an editor for me, helping me shape my short stories. My mom helped me contact one of my favorite writers. How cool is that?

The only issue has been my mom sometimes not understanding my use of swear words in my stories. She is of a strong religious mentality; and while that in and of itself isn't a problem, she doesn't fully understand my need to tell the truth regarding my characters, and being true to how they talk. It's the classic issue of separating her son the writer from her son the young kid she raised and nurtured. But hey, it means she still cares, so it's not so bad.

[ConorEngelb]

They can, sometimes. Mostly they're super supportive, but can be a bit dismissive; although I guess that's probably because they do have lives, and I can be kind of pushy. I don't know, really.

[SharisseEM]

In the beginning, yeah, they blew it off and it really hurt my feelings. Writing is my outlet when I get angry or upset so I've written lots of stuff during the years I was bullied. Back then, it was just fan fiction and I didn't let anyone read it. They told me to quit writing things that nobody would read and a lot of arguments were had because of my writing which caused me to write more. The irony there. They used to tell people who saw me engrossed in my writing that I was writing nonsense again. When I grew older (fourteen or fifteen, I think), something finally clicked when they told me that tiresome line of writing rubbish that nobody would read so I put my stories up on fan fiction and received plenty of reviews which I showed to them, telling them that my writing is no longer rubbish. It was after that that I began creating my own original work and decided that I wanted to become a writer.

They seemed supportive in the beginning but when they see me too engrossed in writing, another argument ensues because I prefer to be in my room when I write or I tend to spend my free time writing. The book isn't going to write itself. It's not like I can magically write a few pages in a few minutes. I get really confused if they are really supportive or not. My friends and lecturers are the ones who are really supportive of my writing though so I'm really glad for that.

[LivreAmour217]

When I was growing up, my family wasn't supportive of any of my interests. Sadly, I let this get to me and stopped cultivating my talents. Now in my early thirties, I am married to a very supportive man and I am picking up where I left off.

[RenaissanceWoman]

My parents used to blow off my writing - my mom never read anything I wrote and my dad would rudely critique my writing. Then I won a hometown newspaper short story contest and he changed his tune. He came to the award ceremony and spoke with pride about my talent to anyone who'd listen. Unfortunately he died a couple of years later, before I got my first book published, but I am grateful that he was around to witness and appreciate my earliest success.

My husband, on the other hand, is awesome! He not only reads my stuff but he tolerates my daily rambling about plots and characters and how many words I've written or not written that day. He is my personal cheerleader and for that I am grateful!

[ALynnPowers]

My family is passively supportive. Half of my family shows no support at all. My brother has no interest whatsoever. My other half is a little better. They will read my books, and then they will criticize them to no end, nit-picking every little thing they didn't like. Or make no comments at all. I haven't had a single family member rate my book on Amazon or any other rating site.
Even worse are my friends. Two friends of the dozens and dozens of friends I have made throughout my life have read my books... but these are both friends that I met in writing support groups...

[Syntheticaudio]

My mum thinks she is being really supportive but in reality she just asks me whether I have finished my book anytime she thinks about which is completely unrealistic (or well not now anymore but originally) and I'm not sure she ever even really asked me what it is about.

Friends show no interest whatsoever and the only person I let read anything is my fiancé who does try to be supportive but jst has no idea really. He has no constructive criticism or real opinion about it, and no praise. I think if he ever says anything specific its that this doesn't make sense or that doesn't sounds right.

Now I've told them all I've given up on my book and am slowly but surely progressing in secret.

[rssllue]

No. It doesn't sit around long enough to collect any dust.

[ALynnPowers]

My mum thinks she is being really supportive but in reality she just asks me whether I have finished my book anytime she thinks about which is completely unrealistic (or well not now anymore but originally) and I'm not sure she ever even really asked me what it is about.

Friends show no interest whatsoever and the only person I let read anything is my fiancé who does try to be supportive but jst has no idea really. He has no constructive criticism or real opinion about it, and no praise. I think if he ever says anything specific its that this doesn't make sense or that doesn't sounds right.

Now I've told them all I've given up on my book and am slowly but surely progressing in secret.

I totally know the feeling!!! Maybe it's exactly the same for me!

Oh, but my boyfriend and I don't speak the same native language, and his reading skills in English are horrendous.... so it would take him years to ever finish reading anything I wrote. He would over-analyze everything if he could, though, I'm sure.

[Syntheticaudio]

I totally know the feeling!!! Maybe it's exactly the same for me!

Oh, but my boyfriend and I don't speak the same native language, and his reading skills in English are horrendous.... so it would take him years to ever finish reading anything I wrote. He would over-analyze everything if he could, though, I'm sure.

Coincidentally we are also in the exact same situation, my boyfriend and i speak Dutch to each other but I write in English. It's also not helped by the fact that he is dyslexic so I suppose I can't blame him.

[lizj97]

I don't think my family takes me seriously when I say I write for a living. Of course I pay my bills and have money to do things so I must be getting it from someplace right? But to hear them talk, writing is just a hobby that takes up my free time.

[Syntheticaudio]

Wow that seems a little hurtful. Do they never read anything you write?