Writers: Do you ever get ridiculed for being a writer?

Question

if ridiculed is too strong a word..how about others thinking it is stupid or a waste of time?

I tend to not share this part of my life until someone knows me really well or they catch me writing. I've only gotten the before mentioned things once or twice. But I was curious about you guys...so?

BQ: How accident prone are you?
Me: on a scale of 1 to 10 I am 104 . a metal covering on an heat/ac unit fell off and hit me in the back of the head today. lol.

Answer 1

Lets just say I'm not encouraged by my family.

My brother has now one more thing to make fun of me about.



BQ-

So, so.

But not that much. I'm very clumsy though, lol. I knocked over a whole counter of perfume today at a store in the mall with my grandmother.

Answer 2

Yes a few times. I've been told it's not a dependable career, doesn't pay well, I won't have a chance, I'm not good enough, writing is a hobby not a lifestyle..etc..



BQ: haha im probably up with you on this one. Here's some funny stories to make you laugh:

Lessons I've learned:

1.) Never spit your gum out into a public toilet..the water will splash back up and happen to hit you square in the eye..disgusting!! I had to wash it out for ten minutes afterwards because I was scared I'd get some gross disease lol.

2.) Never stick your needle in the carpet when you want to stop sewing for a minute..I did that once and left the room, when i came back I had trouble finding it until it appeared stuck in the sole of my bare foot - OUCH

3.) Never sit indian style at the dinner table because if you happen to knock hot soup all over your lap, its VERY hard to get up in a hurry and you will end up with a 2nd degree burn on your leg :x

4.) Make sure a door is actually open before sprinting full speed towards it and breaking your nose..

5.) always approach double doors with caution because chances are you will get nailed in the face by someone going the other way (happens about every other day, no joke)



anyways..as you can see I have no common sense. And yes I have tons of those moments daily. And moments like yours where something comes flying out of no where and wacks me a good one. haha. Hope I made you smile or laugh :P

Answer 3

All the time. Everybody seems to think that it's only a "silly phase" and that I'll grow out of it. I'm proud to say that I won't. I've been writing ever since I can remember, and I have never given up on it. It's everything in this world to me. People in your life come and go, but all the possibilities of what you can write last forever. They tell me that I'll need to get a "real" job when I'm out of school, but just look at some of the writers out there. Some came from absolutely nothing, and I guarantee that they got ridiculed all of their lives.



I believe that 4 people know that I write (except on here, of course.) The only time I have let anyone else read my stuff is my professors for class. And those are simply essays and term papers. My personal writing shall remain locked up in my closet until I am ready to let someone else in.



We writers write because it is what we were born to do! Most likely, the people who ridicule us are the ones that won't ever amount to anything in this world.





BQ: Infinity. I was in a public restroom this afternoon, and as I was about to leave, I opened the stall door and slapped myself in the face with it. I now have a huge bruise under my eye.

Answer 4

People look at me strange. It's like, that's what you want to do? And they think I'm not that good of a writer. Funny thing is, they haven't even read anything of what I've written. Yeah, I may not be all that great, but I'm not horrible either. They think it's stupid or a waste of time. Or that I'm a dork-which I am, but still... I don't really care because it's my passion and I love writing. I won't ever stop. Maybe once they actually see my writing, they might change their mind. But for now...



BQ: Very much so. I trip and fall all the time. Drop things. Bump into things. I'm supposed to see with my contacts, but at times I feel like I still can't see a thing.

Answer 5

Not really, but I have always been a bit self-conscious about it. I am a private person by nature, and whenever I reveal that I write I get a barrage of questions about it. The questions are asked innocently, but I cannot help but feel that I am being intruded upon. This is absolutely ridiculous, I know, especially since my work is finally starting to get out there.There is nothing to be embarrassed about. This is who I am.



BQ: I'm not too accident prone, actually. Big guys like myself know they have to be careful when they move around, which results in a grace of movement that manifests over time.



Ouch, Jen! I hope you feel all right!

Answer 6

Oh yes (*points at my brother* Exhibit A)



I also do not share the fact that I write with others, and didn't even intend to tell my brother, he just found one of my stories some years ago. But either way, if I do get ridiculed, I stand up for my passion, otherwise I don't think it's much of a passion if I don't have the ground to defend it :)



BQ: Minor accidents, so about a 3? Oh my! Well hope you're okay Jen! :D



Long time no speakies, by the way, hopefully soon :)



~ JLT

Answer 7

Last year I was transferred to a new school. In my old school everyone knew I write, it's part of me so they were used to it. But in my new school... Well, when i told my new friends I write they looked me with a weird face and said: "Oh... cool". I've felt pretty lonely since then, I think the only people that understand what being a writer means are you guys. Love you all!



BQ: 11, something bad always happens to me. In Volleyball I always get hit by the ball, I manage to broke some part of my body every week, I break everything I touch, etc. I'm a walking disaster.

Answer 8

I've never been ridiculed or even teased for writing. I've never had anyone tell me it was stupid or a waste of time. Not now, and not when I was a kid, either.



It probably helps that if and when I talk about it, I don't do so in a way that makes me sound like I think writing is something incredibly special.



I see a lot of people on here talking about writing and 'being a writer' in a ridiculously pretentious way that makes them sound like they think they are a rare breed and somehow different or superior to 'other people'. Frankly, *I* would ridicule someone who talked about writing (or any other hobby) like that.



BQ: Exceptionally. I'm dyspraxic, so I'm considerably clumsier than most people.

Answer 9

Honestly? No. (Though my parents do think science fiction is a waste of time. Even when written by bestselling authors, not just me.)



At risk af being ageist, I think ridicule for being a bit different is a very teen thing. Teens are _unbelievably_ conformist and intolerant of differences. If you aren't exactly like them, wear the latest trendy clothes, like the latest trendy music, enjoy the latest trendy hobbies, watch the latest trendy TV...you're a total outcast. Once you get to adulthood, you'll find it's completely normal for people to cheerfully admit to liking ballroom dancing, stamp collecting, birdwatching, 60s TV, and yes, writing...and that nobody else turns a hair. It would be considered far odder for an adult to try to do everything the same as his peers.



Accident prone? Not especially. I don't have _time_ to be accident prone. There isn't anyone to pick me up and look after me if I get hurt, and my kids won't stop relying on me any time soon.

Answer 10

I don't think anyone has ever thought my writing is a waste of time. I can see why some people would have that mentality, though. These people probably think that it's hard to make money being a writer. But that's not always what it's about. It's about the art itself.

BQ: I'd say about a 6. :p

Answer 11

Well, I'm 13 so I wouldn't really call myself a "real and proper" writer, but I'd really like to become an author when I'm older. My parents encourage me to keep reading books and writing, but my grandparents sorta think that it's just a phase and I'll get a "real" job when I'm older.

As for the accident prone. Well, there's always this bit of pavement that sticks up on my walk to high school and I always, absolutely always, trip over it. I always know it's there and when I'm just about to walk over it I'm thinking, is there something I'm forgetting? Maybe it's because I'm tired from all those late nights of writing, but it's worth it.

My mum is 104 out of 10 aswell. She fell over infront of everyone at the plaza (aka mall) and it was sooooo embarrassing, and I felt bad for her. She's been hurting herself a lot lately and I tease her of old age, haha.

Answer 12

I actually tend to get the opposite reaction - all the people I've told (family, friends, acquaintances, professors, etc) were interested and supportive. Mind you, most of the people in my life couldn't care less about short fiction (I mostly associate with firemen, EMTs, and nurses), but everyone has been either polite or openly enthusiastic about it. It's such a big part of my identity that sharing it with people is as natural as telling them my name, or how old I am.



BQ: I'm incredibly accident prone. I got my EMT certification for a reason :)

Answer 13

I do tell people I like to write, and they do NOT GET IT. I've never been ridiculed, but I've gotten some weird looks, and the people in my English class HATED me for being so cheerful about writing an essay in a week.



As for clumsiness, I tend to trip up stairs, down stairs, on flat sidewalks, or just standing still. I have hit myself in the head with a door that I was opening. Yeah.

Answer 14

No. Actually, my mother always wanted me to be a writer. It took a while for me to discover that she was right, LOL!



Creating absorbing stories and fascinating characters is most definitely not a waste of time, by any means. Some of the most legendary writers of history such as Carl Sandburg, Edna Ferber, Stephen King, Richard Matheson, etc. have been honored and remembered by millions, for their massive literary contributions and incredible talent.



Writing is a very honorable profession and something that allows a person's creativity to soar!

Answer 15

Honestly not very often (but I am also older than a lot of you!). Most of my friends know that I write and my parents do and they don't ridicule me. When I was in school, I just didn't say much about it outside of class where it was required :)

It has happened, usually in that wrinkle-up-their-nose "I don't get it" sort of ridicule though. It doesn't bother me.



BQ: Um, probably like a 4. Not very but when it happens, its Epic (tripping on the hem of my skirt on the landing of a staircase and giving myself a concussion. That actually happened 3 years ago)

Answer 16

I've never told anyone. I have a hard time motivating myself to write so I barely consider myself a writer. It's annoying though when someone finds out that you do something as, you know, gasp-worthy as reading and they act like it's weird or uncool and whatnot. I don't know, that's just been my experience.



A reason why I've never told anyone that I'm attempting to write is the fear of being ridiculed. If I get that kind of thing for reading, imagine what it would be like for writing. Plus, there's something much more personal about writing than there is for reading.



BQ: 5 probably.

Answer 17

I am quite literally ridiculed for everything I do. I used to write a lot, back when I found joy in it, and was fairly confident with my work, so I would post it on my Myspace as a blog, and my friends could read it. A lot of my friends did read my work, and liked it. But I had people who ridiculed me, insisting that writing was "lame" - I hung out with a bunch of dero's in high school, actually, so most of them couldn't even spell.



I don't write much anymore :( I don't have the time/motivation for it.





BQ: I was having a bath with two friends last night - we're normal - and I dropped my phone in.

This is the ninth phone I've either broken or lost in 6 years.

Go team.

Answer 18

I get a lot of grief because my first book is about vampires.I keep having to tell people my vamps are nothing like Twilight more like True Blood and Underworld



I'm a 7 when it comes to accidents. I drop things but I usually catch them before they fall but not always. I'm more forgetful. I forget where I put things and when I get an idea I have to write it down no matter what or I'll forget it and it will drive me crazy

Answer 19

No. Actually, people praise and support me for it! My parents throw it around at their friends, but I prefer to keep this craft of mine hidden. I don't talk or boast about it, but if someone will bring the subject up, why not, eh? They said they're really amazed at my talent, and so I try to encourage them as much as I can. So far, not going very well, but they'll come around. (;



BQ: A four. I was accident prone when I was a kid, but now, not so much. I still fail at any sport I try, though. (Except for badminton and swimming!)

Answer 20

Yes, actually I do. Not so much because I write, but because I am black and Native American (the black is dominant). When some people find out I read/write science fiction and fantasy they ridicule me. Apparently it's not a "black thing" to do. Guess I should be writing rap lyrics or something.



I know, it's a stupid and primitive mindset but it happens.

Answer 21

I keep it kind of quiet because people think I'll never make it in the world of books. So.



BQ: About on par with you. I fell doing push ups in gym the other day. My hand just flew out from under me and I was like 'hello there floor I love you now let me assault you with the side of my face and get a black eye.'

Answer 22

Never.

Not a lot of people know that I write, and the ones I do are some of my closest friends and family members who are very supportive. I do get the occasional, "Focus on something else--like science." though.



BQ: 2000000000000000000

I had a weighing scale fall on my head once :P

Answer 23

I dont normally share that i write with anyone unless they ask but my family always says that i cant count on it and that its not my life, sure they always say im good at it but they dont think its my future :/ but i love to write and ill keep doing it.



Accidents for me are an every day thing.. T_T im like a 10 on a scale to 10. maybe ill trip down the stairs, over a shoe, stub my toe, get a killed splinter, hit my head ON EVERYTHING, have something fall on me. e_e this is every day life.

Answer 24

Yeah. I go to an art school. You'd think there would be more people who would like to write in a place like that. They definitely have an imagination, but none of them use it for writing. Whenever we get project where we have to make up a story to animate, NO ONE takes me seriously when I say I'm good at writing stories! I'm sick of it!



That's one of the reasons I want to publish. If I actually have something with my name on it, they will at least start to take me seriously. Obviously I want to do it for myself too, but one day I would like to write a screenplay for animation, and I can't do that if no one takes me seriously.



I've also had a couple of friends that thought it was a joke. As*holes.



BQ: About a 4. I can still be a clutz sometimes, but as long as I can see where I'm going I'm pretty good on my feet.

Answer 25

I have never been ridiculed for being a writer, and I don't see why someone would be.

BQ:

1 to 10?

about a 6.

enough to slip on flat surfaces, but not enough to not catch myself.

Hope this helped! :)

Answer 26

something I learned a long time ago is that people make fun of stuff they are jealous or afraid of! Keep writing,it is in my blood too, take away the tv and my computer and I will be fine take my books and my pen look out.





BQ in college a coconut fell from tree hit my car on the roof and rolled off my car on onto my big toe!

big dent on my car big band aid for my toe!

Answer 27

Mostly everyone I tell 'I wrote a book' are surprised and suddenly all wide eyed and excited haha. You become a mini celebrity when you tell them this.



Oh and accident prone... not very actually. 10% at most, but that could just be because I also know how to sword fight with multiple diciplines and have good balence/better awareness of my body. Or lucky, lucky is good too haha :D

Answer 28

It's the reason why I don't tell people I write.

In my experience, they either ridicule my ideas, or just try to get my to write everything for them. When I say no, they'll be like, "But you're a writer, remember!"

It's so annoying -_-



I recently told my friend I was doing NaNoWriMo, and she was like, "Oh cool, what are you writing about?"

So I tell her. I can't be bothered typing it out.

And she's like, "SIRENS?! That's such a stupid idea, who would ever want to read that. That's the lamest cliché I've ever heard of, your story's going to suck."

Yes.

So...

That was quite horrid.

Answer 29

Yeah most people I know think it's a waste of time. I just tell them it's my time to waste. I gave up most of my tv shows to find time to write.

Answer 30

I haven't yet. I might run into somebody someday that thinks it's a waste of time.



BQ: 5 I guess. I don't know. Does running into inanimate objects that aren't even there count as an accident? Forgive my naivety please.

Answer 31

I get made fun at sometimes cause of course, it's not normal like it is normal to drink alcohol all day. many people hate writing and they just don't get that i love it, some people sheesh.

I am...I would say a 5, 50 50 I'm all good. ^_^

Answer 32

people act like they hat me just because i write and read books instead of playing sports 14 year olad are crul :(

Answer 33

Only everyday of my life, because I'm in high school

Answer 34

First: How in hell did you get 30 answers?!?!



Anyway...



No, I don't, actually. People think it's either cool or they don't even care.



BQ: I always mess up everything.

Answer 35

yes that's why i don't put my stories on the internet. i let my friends read them but thats about it.

Bq: I tripped going up the stairs. enough said :)

Answer 36

same here especially at school no one understands the creative side of me.



BQ: I'm a 9 i always get hurt b/c i'm so hyper