“Love, Ink, and Inspiration: Unveiling the Surprising Secrets of Dating as a Writer”
Have you ever typed away at a story, only to freeze up at the thought of your closest friends or family reading your work? You’re not alone! The struggle between the desire to share and the instinct to shield oneself is a real conundrum, especially for writers. When someone learns about my latest article, the inevitable question pops up: “Where can I find your work?” Suddenly, I’m faced with a decision that feels heavier than a triple-cheeseburger at a diet convention. Am I ready to hand over my digital life—my full name, dozens of articles, and even my books—to a new acquaintance? In this article, I delve into the gut-wrenching reality of having your writing scrutinized by those who know you, exploring the vulnerabilities we writers face. So, grab your favorite beverage, sit back, and let’s navigate this tricky landscape together! LEARN MORE.
It’s hard having your writing be read by those you know personally
Anyone who has spent any significant length of time playing the field has run into those run-of-the-mill dating questions everyone asks: What are your hobbies? Any siblings? What do you do for work?
I imagine they’re pretty easy questions to answer for most people, but being a writer — depending on the subject matter you cover — can certainly complicate things. The typical follow-up question I hear when I tell someone I’m getting to know that I’m a writer is “Where can I find your work?” It’s not rare for this exchange to happen within minutes of my matching with someone on a dating site.
It’s a well-intentioned question. However, the reality of it is, just by telling them where to find my work, I now have to give away my full name, my website, my email address, my social media handles, some 200 articles (a number of which contain personal information and have equally personal Q and A going on in the comments), and three books. It’s a lot of information to give out to a stranger!
My reticence to quickly give out that information has led to exchanges like the one screenshotted below:
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