Family reading your stories

[Redemit]

Just curious how many of the authors here are comfortable with their families or IRL friends reading their stories or actively try to keep their books a secret?

 

[Saileri]

My whole family and their friends have my books in paperback, kek.

 

[DionneR]

Just starting out, so haven't told anyone yet.

 

[wingedcatgirl]

Some days I wonder how much my family actually knows about me lmao

but I'm pretty sure they know on some level that I write.

Dunno whether they read any of it.

 

[Ai-chan]

The real game is not avoiding them from finding out. It's to get them to give you an honest opinion.

 

[Deeprotsorcerer]

Yes and no. Hence the need for two aliases. They know Maromar.

The real game is not avoiding them from finding out. It's to get them to give you an honest opinion.

This. This right here. The opinion of family/friends/foes will almost always be heavily biased, it can damage your progression as a writer if you rely on them alone. There are rare close connections (typically from family who also suffer create) that actually give you something close to objective criticism because they understand that your growth depends on it, cherish them, especially if you took the time to foster that kind of relationship with close ones that were previously overly flattering or dismissive of you.

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

My family knows that I'm a writer. My brother sometimes helps out give ideas one time where I wrote but at the same time realizes that all of us are procrastinators.

But they only knew a few of my works and not.....my other ones. If they do find out that other work....

Welp, see ya all when I get out of the mental institution!

 

[KrisVFX]

My whole family and their friends have my books in paperback, kek.

Bruh, you must have the balls of steel XD

 

[EternalSunset0]

I mentioned that I write in passing when the topic comes up. None of them read, however.

I don't think my story's their cup of tea, however. And they're pretty conservative and religious. Granted, my story is not as degenerate to be an R-18 or something with a lot of sex and stuff, but it's got a healthy dose of standard "shounen anime fanservice" (the stuff like panty shots, accidental boob grabs, hot springs shenanigans, walking in on a girl dressing, etc) and a sprinkling of my fetishes, so I'm not in the mood to actively want them to read it. Plus, it's got some themes (regarding worldviews, philosophy, and such) that I'm not sure they agree with. Probably not.

If anything, I feel I might get in trouble for it, so I just don't share.

 

[Scaver]

They probably won't cuz engliish is not their first language.....

 

[Agentt]

I mentioned that I write in passing when the topic comes up. None of them read, however.

I don't think my story's their cup of tea, however. And they're pretty conservative and religious. Granted, my story is not as degenerate to be an R-18 or something with a lot of sex and stuff, but it's got a healthy dose of standard "shounen anime fanservice" (the stuff like panty shots, accidental boob grabs, hot springs shenanigans, walking in on a girl dressing, etc) and a sprinkling of my fetishes, so I'm not in the mood to actively want them to read it.

If anything, I feel I might get in trouble for it, so I just don't share.

Same!

I don't have fan service, but my comedy style is sure to have them overthink my views

 

[Mellohwa]

Just curious how many of the authors here are comfortable with their families or IRL friends reading their stories or actively try to keep their books a secret?

My lip is sealed •—•

 

[EternalSunset0]

Same!

I don't have fan service, but my comedy style is sure to have them overthink my views

Yeah. My series is definitely PG-13, but it's in the "you wouldn't want your parents watching it with you" style to the extent like how you typically won't watch something like Trinity Seven, Blade Dance of the Elementalers, or some parts of SAO with your mom. It's not super ecchi or anything like... DxD or to take it further, Redo of Healer, but the content will at times make conservative people raise their eyebrows or get apprehensive.

 

[tounokenja]

Kids: Dad, what do you write?
Me: Something called NTR.
Kids: Can we read it?
Me: (evil laughter) Sure you can!
Kids: (after reading) We wanna go live with mom now...

 

[TotallyHuman]

I don't think so.

 

[Sola-sama]

I tell my irl friends and relative, but encourage NOT to read them... simply because I knew my writing is not their cup of tea. Though, some of them do read them, and the secondhand cringe is intense xD

 

[Jemini]

Just curious how many of the authors here are comfortable with their families or IRL friends reading their stories or actively try to keep their books a secret?

Something tells me that the results of this poll (especially the lower two questions) will likely track very closely with a poll asking if the writing you do on SH is of the "Safe for Work" variety.

 

[ModernGold7ne]

Something tells me that the results of this poll (especially the lower two questions) will likely track very closely with a poll asking if the writing you do on SH is of the "Safe for Work" variety.

True

 

[BenJepheneT]

I feel lucky in these sort of scenarios because I know for a concrete fact that NONE of my family members, even my extended ones, read as a hobby. I just give them a link, they say "hey that's cool", and it's never brought up ever again, besides the fact that now they know their nephew writes in his free time. It also helps that I write in our second language, and even if I make a chapter out in public, they wouldn't give two fucks.

It is to the point where I once drafted a smut chapter on my phone during a family trip and not one of them cared to even give anything more than an acknowledging glance at my screen. It's weirdly liberating, like swearing in a classroom where the teacher don't care.

 

[PurpleCatGirl]

our family know we write, none of them care enough to want to read any of it.