When people think you're wasting your time

Yesterday my handsome little man, Connor, turned 2. Which means I have a totally legit excuse to post a picture of him, right?

Thank you all for indulging me! Onto writing stuff...

In the last couple weeks, I've had a decent number of emails from teen writers saying their parents think writing stories or pursuing a career in writing is a waste of time. I've also heard a few saying their parents have way too high of expectations for them, that they anticipate their budding writer to be published quickly and to be making 100k a year.

While I haven't struggled with unsupportive parents, I have battled others' expectations, criticisms, and doubts about my abilities to make it as a writer.

Most parents want what's best for their children. If your parents are discouraging you from writing, they could have a whole list of reasons why. Honestly, there are some days that if one of my kids told me they wanted to be a writer, I would burst into tears. 

If you haven't already, you might want to put some thought into why your parents might be discouraging you from pursuing writing. Have they struggled all their lives to make ends meet? Then it's possible their discouragement is more about wanting you to have a dependable paycheck. Do they read much fiction? If not, maybe they just don't understand your interest in made up worlds.

Figuring out the whys won't make the problems vanish, but it could really help you to better deal with their concerns.

For a lot of parents, money is a big (and rightful) concern about their son or daughter pursuing publication. The sad reality is you're not going to make much as a writer, especially at first. Coming up with some ideas for a college degree that's more likely to get you a job after graduation might help your parents get on board with writing. 


Regardless of who your parents are, somewhere along the line, someone will think you should be doing something other than writing. Your no-nonsense Uncle who can't wrap his mind around steampunk, your grandmother who thinks you should just get the book spiral-bound at Kinko's and move on to a new hobby, and so on.

Respectfully dealing with people who dislike what you write, who think you should have finished your novel years ago, or who aren't busting out their pom-poms for you is a skill that smart writers master. The publishing world is a mystery to the casual reader and their uneducated expectations can be beyond frustrating.

This is why writing friends are invaluable, and why you should actively seek them out at places like writers conferences or in the Go Teen Writers Facebook group.



Ultimately your choice to pursue writing is just that - your choice. Guardians might choose to not pay for a creative writing degree or friends might balk at your dreams of publication. You might never find the magical words to convince them, but if you continue to be respectful to the naysayers in your life, yet steadfast in your writing pursuits, you may find they become cheerleaders before too long.