Wow, totally forgot about it being the first Wednesday of the month.....time for more ginkgo biloba!
Anyway, many of us in the blogosphere know what that day means. It means it's time for another post to tell our fellow writers, as well as anyone else who'll listen, about our insecurities when it comes to writing.
The Insecure Writer's Support Group! (cue fanfare)
This one came to me a couple of weeks ago, as I was gearing up for trying to get back into the blogging swing of things. I started thinking about why I never really bothered posting blog links to my Facebook page and then it came to me. I have one of the most basic insecurities there is and I never realized it before. I'm not all that comfortable with friends and family reading what I've written.
I'm not even really sure why that is. I mean, they've always been supportive of my writing and have never given me any negative feedback regarding anything I've ever written.
Maybe I'm just uncomfortable with the idea that someone I know, one day, will say the equivalent of "Ugh...this sucks"?
I don't know.
I don't mind criticism at all, but I guess it might sting more coming from someone I know? Anyway, this is just one of those "things I'll have to work through" and we'll see how it goes.
Many thanks to Alex J. Cavanaugh for coming up with the whole IWSG thing, in the first place, and to his co-hosts this month Hart Johnson, Chemist Ken, Candilynn Fite, Terri Rochenski, Clare Dugmore, and Lilica Blake.....show 'em some love for their efforts! :)
We now return you to your regularly scheduled A to Z month.
18 comments:
I never told anyone I was writing until right before my first book came out. Not friends in the real world anyway. So I understand your hesitancy.
And I actually know what ginkgo biloba is and what it does!
Mark, that's one of the insecurities I don't have. I am cool with family and friends reading my posts.
I think this one is valid. Though, I suspect that it might be like Arlee has said over on his blog (and my experience, too) that friends/family get pseudo-excited about you having a blog. That means that they say nice things about it, but they never read it. You could send them a link every day and it just isn't gonna happen. Heck, my mom is uber-supportive of my writing, but I can't get her to read my blog.
Once you make this big leap and advertise your blog... I am betting your next insecurity is that no one reads it. Let that go... it isn't personal. We read you and love you!
I was uneasy about friends and family reading what I write at first but I did get over it. Great post.
I still feel weird about my family/friends reading my books! I don't think any of them read my blog, though, so it always catches me off guard when they know things I haven't actually told them! :P
I hope you work through it!
I guess I'm lucky, I never felt that way. As a matter of fact on my first novel I read it to my neighbor as I was writing the FIRST draft ... chapter by chapter.
Scary, huh. Not really. She loved it. LOL.
How about everyone in your family loves to write? Your little brother published his first book. Your niece is fricking 16 and she is already done with her first book. And you, who have wanted to become a writer your whole life and has inspired these other people to write in the first place, are just, floundering. Ugh. Talk about awkward holiday dinners. My family is all like, what's your problem? Why didn't you publish anything yet? What are you waiting for? It's a bit humiliating.
Hi human, Mark,
I wish to thank Mr. Ninja type dude and the rest of this month's co-hosts for being part of IWSG aka "I Was Seeking Gary."
Being insecure about having those closest to you read your stuff can certainly make one uncomfortable. My human's family barely even know he or I do a blog.
Oops, sorry I've missed your pawsts on the amazing alphabet challenge. Too many humans doing this silly challenge! :)
Penny, the pawsitive host of the Alphabark Challenge, 2014!
OH man! Me too, I forgot IWSG! Have to get right on that... Thanks, and break out Mark, put out your links and enjoy people enjoying what you write!
Mark--I have the EXACT same insecurity. Not one person I'm close with knows that I have a blog. I don't connect my personal facebook with my blogging life. I don't understand why I'm so comfortable writing to strangers and not family...that's just the way the dice fall, I suppose. I'm sorry you have that insecurity weighing you down. From what I read of yours, I feel like you could share your work and everyone you know will love it.
Mark--I have the EXACT same insecurity. Not one person I'm close with knows that I have a blog. I don't connect my personal facebook with my blogging life. I don't understand why I'm so comfortable writing to strangers and not family...that's just the way the dice fall, I suppose. I'm sorry you have that insecurity weighing you down. From what I read of yours, I feel like you could share your work and everyone you know will love it.
Mark--I have the EXACT same insecurity. Not one person I'm close with knows that I have a blog. I don't connect my personal facebook with my blogging life. I don't understand why I'm so comfortable writing to strangers and not family...that's just the way the dice fall, I suppose. I'm sorry you have that insecurity weighing you down. From what I read of yours, I feel like you could share your work and everyone you know will love it.
I think there has to be an unconcern over whether people you know read what you write. You can't get invested either way or it will cause problems.
I feel you on the friends and family thing. I'm very wary of advertising my writing, even though I've already published a novel. For pretty much the same reason you stated. It's easier to take rejection from strangers than from people you know. In the end my mother does all my friends and family publicity for me. She just can't keep her mouth shut about it, lol.
I totally understand that. The first time a "real" world friend read one of my posts, it kind of freaked me out. I was terrified of her response.
However, I think your blog rocks!
I know what you're saying!! I had a lady come up to me while I was grocery shopping and she said something about my blog posts- now I know people I know are reading! That makes it sooo much harder!
My family is oblivious to what I've written. So yeah..not my issue. Good luck with yours Mark.
Only a handful of my friends and family know about my writing habits, and like yourself I'm unsure why.
Maybe I don't want them to spoil it for me with their criticism, however well-intentioned, just as I've found something I love and enjoy so much.
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