Do your friends, family or colleagues read your work?

[apl68]

They're the only ones who ever have read any of my work, since none of it has ever been published.

[onehappyunicorn]

As I am a visual artist my situation is obviously a little different. I have family who come to my shows sometimes, my parents drove up for an opening I had a few weeks back.
Sometimes we even have good discussions about what I am doing, though it's usually pretty surface level. That's perfectly fine by me, I don't expect anyone to be as interested in my weird little areas of exploration as I am...

[waterboy]

Honestly, often it pains me to read my own work. I would never foist it on family and friends.

[Wahoo Redux]

We once had a colleague suggest a unique local restaurant.  She'd heard it was good.  I then emailed her back my review of said restaurant, which was very surprising to her.  Guess she didn't read my stuff...

My mom always wanted copies of everything I wrote----and then never read it.  My mother-in-law tried to read an academic article I had published and told my wife, "Don't tell Wahoo, but I couldn't understand it."  So there was that.

I never foist stuff on people, even my wife.  I figure they've got better things to do.

[apl68]

Honestly, often it pains me to read my own work. I would never foist it on family and friends.

I've read some novelists who could have made the world a happier place if they'd taken that attitude.

[Myword]

other reasons are  the fear they won't like it and I will ask them about it.  I have a Ph.D. friend who always says he will read my work and never does. He pretends to appreciate other things I do, Its patronizing politeness.. My family is unsupportive and unintellectual in all ways. If they watch PBS, that's enough.

People will forget the whole thing in a minute, out of mind and have no clue how much time you spent. But then, many people are not readers of nonfiction or anything. Even a poem. Well, they would read a recipe or a joke.

[Wahoo Redux]

I never foist stuff on people, even my wife.  I figure they've got better things to do.

My wife saw this post while I was rubbing her neck, and so I am here to rectify the situation: my wife does read my stuff willingly, with good humor, whenever I ask here to.  This is true.

Thanks, honey.

[mamselle]

Smile.

M.