Damned with faint praise and praised with faint damns

I've told people about my plans to write a book and peoples reactions have been really odd, a couple of friends just totally ignored me, there wasn't even time for the tumble weed to start blowing across the hole that my disclosure had dropped into. Another friend has tried telling me what to write and finding bit and piece of information for me to include, none of which are relelvant to what I'm writing about. My Mum, son and step son are the only ones who have been encouraging, I don't get the negativity? Is it because I'm a working class older woman? Do they think I'm getting above my station in life and that people like me shouldn't do things like write, or would they be OK with me writing fiction rather than non fiction?

I didn't expect rounds of applause and street parties, but the lack of response is quite deafening, some who have responded have been very half hearted and I feel their responses match the thread title. Maybe because I'm doing it for pleasure rather than with any expectation of publication, people feel it's unimportant and not worth a comment.

Does this resonate with anyone else? I feel like theres some borderline hostility going on and it's really confusing me.

Parents
  • Yes - this resonates with me.....and for what its worth.....my experiences suggest that hostility is not normally underlying.

    I feel like theres some borderline hostility going on and it's really confusing me

    I get this feeling quite a bit - often - too.......but I am normally proved wrong and I find that it is confirmed that "frankly, we just don't care, it's nothing personal, we just are not interested in that thing that you are obviously really pleased/excited/interested in."

    I have become hardened to it, generally......except when it is something that REALLY matters to me.

    I do hope you enjoy writing your book, and I wish you only happiness and satisfaction with it.

Reply
  • Yes - this resonates with me.....and for what its worth.....my experiences suggest that hostility is not normally underlying.

    I feel like theres some borderline hostility going on and it's really confusing me

    I get this feeling quite a bit - often - too.......but I am normally proved wrong and I find that it is confirmed that "frankly, we just don't care, it's nothing personal, we just are not interested in that thing that you are obviously really pleased/excited/interested in."

    I have become hardened to it, generally......except when it is something that REALLY matters to me.

    I do hope you enjoy writing your book, and I wish you only happiness and satisfaction with it.

Children
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