Does your family know that you are a writer?

[McPhoenixDavid]

They know I'm writing, but I want to make my story something I'm proud of before I actually send them a link or tell them the name. I did send it to one family member who we thought was dying, but it turned out they were fine, so... yeah.

Nice.

 

[MFontana]

Most of my friends— who write stories— they don't let their family know that they write. What about you? And why?​

Yes, most of my family knows.
As for why they know; that's a simple one. Because I told them.
As for why I told them, well, I was in high-school at the time, and wanted to share my first story with everyone around me.
They do not, however, know the extent of my writing these days; beyond the occasional bits that I share with them, and that's mostly because I don't actively promote my work among family because of divergent interests. Most of them aren't exactly fond of the genres that I write in.

 

[FRWriter]

Hell no!

Never....

I'd rather get caught with a buttplug at a family event or something.

 

[empalgepuk]

Yes, they somewhat know. But most of them don't speak English and couldn't be bothered with reading fiction, so I'm kind of safe.

 

[CountVanBadger]

Yes, but I've pretty much given up talking to them about it. My dad thinks I'm an idiot since I do it for free because the concept of a hobby is completely lost on him. In his world, the only reason to do literally anything is to get paid for it. Lately we haven't even been able to be in the same room together without him demanding to know why I haven't submitted a book to one of the dozens of vanity presses he keeps emailing me links to. I've tried explaining that those are scams, but the guy who hates reading and has never written a word outside of a business email in his life genuinely believes that he understands how the publishing industry works better than an aspiring author.

He also DESPISES fantasy. Anything that can't conceivably happen in real life is "baby stuff," and anyone over the age of thirteen who still likes things with magic in them is a manchild who wasn't beaten enough as a kid. To him, an adult's brain should subsist entirely on a diet of war documentaries and cowboy movies.

On the other hand, my mom LOVES to read. She just doesn't want to read anything I wrote. Even though the genres I write have a huge overlap with what she likes to read, any time I ask her to look at one of my stories, she gets this weird look on her face and says "That sounds weird. No thanks! I'm going to reread Harry Potter for the seventh time this year."

It used to bother me, but I've come to terms with it. I could write the next New York Times' Bestseller and get a multimillion dollar movie contract out of one of my books, and they still wouldn't want to touch it with a forty foot pole. That means I can put literally whatever I want into my books and never have to explain it to them. "Yes, Dad, XNPC did need multiple chapters where a lady with goat legs tries to seduce her boyfriend, and if you don't see why then you'll never understand!"

 

[AstreiaNyx]

No, they don’t know my other hobbies either. I keep each hobby account separate. Different pen names for fan fic, photography, Deviantart/manga etc…

 

[Eldoria]

He also DESPISES fantasy. Anything that can't conceivably happen in real life is "baby stuff," and anyone over the age of thirteen who still likes things with magic in them is a manchild who wasn't beaten enough as a kid. To him, an adult's brain should subsist entirely on a diet of war documentaries and cowboy movies.

Wow... your dad would probably hate LOTR even if he hadn't seen it even if the fiction had made billions of dollars and become a modern legend.

 

[CountVanBadger]

Wow... your dad would probably hate LOTR even if he hadn't seen it even if the fiction had made billions of dollars and become a modern legend.

He's slightly tolerant of LOTR because he thinks it's an allegory for Christianity the same way Narnia is. As in, Gandalf is Jesus, Sauron is the devil, the Ring represents sin, and throwing it into Mount Doom is being forgiven. I tried to explain once that it doesn't work as an allegory, and Tolkien never wanted it to be one. Like, if it's a direct allegory, then does carrying the Ring to Mordor and destroying it mean we have to earn forgiveness when the Bible says that's impossible? Yes, Tolkien was a Christian, and yes, elements of his religion made it into the story, but so did elements from half a dozen other religions and mythologies. LOTR arguably has more in common with Norse mythology than Christianity. In the end, it's just a really well put together work of fantasy that takes inspiration from a ton of things the author was interested in IRL.

He didn't like that explanation.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

...did the egg fertilize?

And it has peed on me, pooped on me, thrown up on me, chipped one of my teeth, given me countless bruises, and I'm starting to miss the days when it occasionally peed on me, because now it pees on the bathroom floor and I have to clean behind the toilet on a daily basis.

 

[SirContro]

They know I write as a hobby, I don't share my works with them though.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Sort of. I don't hide it but don't really announce it either.

 

[McPhoenixDavid]

Yes, most of my family knows.
As for why they know; that's a simple one. Because I told them.
As for why I told them, well, I was in high-school at the time, and wanted to share my first story with everyone around me.
They do not, however, know the extent of my writing these days; beyond the occasional bits that I share with them, and that's mostly because I don't actively promote my work among family because of divergent interests. Most of them aren't exactly fond of the genres that I write in.

Nice.

Hell no!

Never....

I'd rather get caught with a buttplug at a family event or something.

Lol.

Yes, they somewhat know. But most of them don't speak English and couldn't be bothered with reading fiction, so I'm kind of safe.

No, they don’t know my other hobbies either. I keep each hobby account separate. Different pen names for fan fic, photography, Deviantart/manga etc…

They know I write as a hobby, I don't share my works with them though.

Sort of. I don't hide it but don't really announce it either.

I see.

And it has peed on me, pooped on me, thrown up on me, chipped one of my teeth, given me countless bruises, and I'm starting to miss the days when it occasionally peed on me, because now it pees on the bathroom floor and I have to clean behind the toilet on a daily basis.

RIP

 

[CinnaSloth]

"Does my family know I'm a writer".
-They barely know I still exist.

 

[pangmida]

"Does my family know I'm a writer".
-They barely know I still exist.

I know you exist! I know you're a writer!
(<--- is a random stranger online but that's not important)

 

[tiaf]

They can’t read English. The ones who can don’t read novels. The others are not immediate close living family therefore haven’t seen me writing, but they would fall into those categories too.

 

[CinnaSloth]

I know you exist! I know you're a writer!
(<--- is a random stranger online but that's not important)

My 'family', and I, don't necessarily get along, and my likes, hobbies, lifestyle, and "choices" aren't exactly cherished in their... personal perspective of life. but that's fine with me. I'm used to it.

headpats for Pangmida

 

[Sylver]

Last time my dad saw me writing, he tore up my pages and shared some not very positive thoughts about me spending my time with silly hobbies x)
Mom didn't care, she would gossip to her friends about me wasting my time writing when I can't even read well. And my brothers use to make fun of it but they thought it was a diary. They stopped when they found out it wasn't a diary.

My friends know I like writing, they don't know that I post my work online. That's why I got you guys here, with matching hobbies to spend time with

 

[pangmida]

Last time my dad saw me writing, he tore up my pages and shared some not very positive thoughts about me spending my time with silly hobbies

F@#$ that man I hope he sits on a cactus

Mom didn't care, she would gossip to her friends about me wasting my time writing when I can't even read well.

F@#$ that woman I hope she sits on a cactus

And my brothers use to make fun of it but they thought it was a diary. They stopped when they found out it wasn't a diary.

...They're spared for now.

Thank you for sharing your stories and hobbies with us~

 

[Sylver]

F@#$ that man I hope he sits on a cactus

F@#$ that woman I hope she sits on a cactus

...They're spared for now.

Thank you for sharing your stories and hobbies with us~

Oh my brothers suck too, I have a restraining order toward my parents and second oldest brother only my little brother and I are on good terms and keep in touch. He's a wittle softie

And thank you so much for your kind words, they mean a lot to me honest!

 

[CharlesEBrown]

As an aside and by way of explanation, when I first showed an interest in writing, mom just smiled and walked away, and dad gave me the impression that his teachers had encouraged him to be a writer but he never liked it until he took a journalism class in college, and, after about four years of teaching, became a reporter, then editor, then managing editor for a series of small newspapers for about twenty five years. He was "Well, if it's what you want to do, do it as a hobby. Only a very small number of writers can even make a living and most of them are reporters who barely scrape by."
And that's still pretty much their attitude almost half a century later. And it's not too far off (though it seems those who teach writing can make a decent - not great, but decent - living as well).