As someone who absolutely loves to write, whether it be articles, poems, short stories or even full-on novels (that I may or may not actually submit for publishing), I face the same struggles when it comes to my friends and families who aren’t big writers themselves. I was worried it was just me, but after speaking with several other lovers of writing, I’ve come to realize that these are issues all writers can relate to.
We Know You Have A Great Idea For A Novel, But No, We Can’t Write It For You
Tons of people have ideas that just come to them in terms of a storyline that would make a great book, but believe me, your writer friend can not write it for you. We struggle enough turning our own storyline ideas into actual reading material, we certainly can’t write a best-seller based on a two-sentence plot and about three characters.
Not All Writing Is Meant To Be Shared
I know I’m not the only writer who finds it therapeutic. Sometimes we just need to spit something out onto a piece of paper to feel better, whether that be to relieve stress, express sadness, or calm down after something infuriating. Half of the things I write I never intend to show to anyone, so don’t take it personally if someone won’t share something with you.
There’s A Difference Between Asking You To Proofread, And Asking For Your Opinion…Please Only Give Me The One I Asked For
I said it before, I’ll say it again, a writer sharing their work is extremely vulnerable. If a writer asks you to proofread, they are asking you to look at the technical aspects of their writing; grammar, sentence structure and punctuation. If we ask you for your opinion, it means we want to know what you think of the actual material, and if you start correcting our grammar left and right, we’ll just get irritated.
Don’t Ask Me If One Of The Characters In My Story Is You
Seriously…If I’m writing about you, I’ll tell you.
And the number 1 rule…
NEVER Ask Someone If You Can Read Their Writing Before They Offer
People tend not to realize that when a writer shares their work, especially for the first time, it’s a very vulnerable thing. Writing, more often than not, comes from a very personal place, and we work extremely hard, even on small pieces. It’s an art form, and you wouldn’t ask an artist to show you their piece before it’s finished, so if a writer hasn’t offered to share their work, odds are they aren’t ready to.