Dumbo's magic feather... the mean sister...
"The only thing that is good about your stories is that they are very very short, and even then I rarely waste my time bothering to read them." My own mother once told me she reads my stories only if they're short--and if they have photos to break up the text. :)
I know sooo many women who sound like this sister.
Your artist friend Lydia Viscardi is indeed incomparable!
oh I just had a lovely vision of a young Carol Kean (nee?...) writing all day long. Maybe it was like in Matilda by Dahl, only the mother says "I'm fed up with all of this writing!" instead of the father's saying "I'm fed up with all of this reading!"
Bad Mommy Move. I'm pretty sure she regretted that one.
Now I need to defend my mother. She's never been an avid reader, always hated school, had no patience for fairy tales, and made sure we never believed in Santa. She didn't discourage me from reading and writing, but she wouldn't feed the habit, either.
To my surprise, she's been reading more of my Steemit freewrites in the past year (if it's short enough!). The "Mom's Cousin Lois" posts got her attention.
Do I exaggerate? All writers do! And sooo many writers tell me they NEVER show their stuff to family because it will be ignored or lampooned. Not alone!
I love that description of your mother! And your mom's cousin Lois stories were some of the first ones I ever read of yours. They were great. I loved her son (I think it was - Robbie?) He's a bad boy I would have been attracted to. I'm a redneck deep down inside.
I am very selective about who gets to read my stories in my family of origin. Only one of them even knows about this little obsession of mine. I write about them too often. I've wondered how published authors dare to write about their families.
You liked Rory - LOL!! - last night I lay awake thinking about him and his cousin the runaway wife... and the missing mother... the real life Rory scattered his mother's ashes on her birthday (or planned to) only a few weeks ago, so that story has been heavy on my mind. (No, the real life Lenna didn't go the way of her cat!!!) Thanks @owasco for reading and remembering this wacko family, mostly fiction of course. :) And I posted something last year--a Wallace Stegner quote about the greatest fiction ever told--the disclaimer at the front of a a novel that this is "only fiction," and resemblance to real-life people is unintended or coincidental. Bwa ha ha ha!!!! Authors, hide your career, hide your stories, from all who know you!
I was delighted to come across the Stegner quote because I'd held the same thought all my life as a reader:
Ha!
You and @goat-girlz and @fitinfun read and commented on that one. You've come a long way since then, Stacey - more confident in your own writing - Bravo! (I was already a fan.) :)
Nice window into what once was! Actually, nothing has changed. I still feel that way.
Wait, you still feel that way... about yourself as a writer? You spread your wings; you're no longer a fledgling!
We all know frustration and self-doubt. My mission is to build confidence in others and help streamline those wings for an aerodynamic flight that takes us higher than ever... because I am sleep deprived and babbling at the moment....
Yes I do still feel that way! I am flabbergasted by a lot of what I read here, especially freewrites. (The other stuff, the considered pieces, start to all sound alike to me. Way too cerebral.) I can't imagine trying to write anything longer than 1000 words. How does one ever write a novel?! Does a long story unfold to the author like a short freewrite does to me?
I think writing a whole novel sounds very tedious. I'm thrilled people do it because I love to read, the longer the book the better (Pachinko), but I can't imagine doing any such thing myself.
Have you read "Lincoln in the Bardo"? One of my all time faves. Not a long book, but boy could I feel ghosts rushing through my body. I have no idea how the author wrote that one. Some major magic going on there.
And you most definitely succeed at building confidence. I posted once that you are the one on steem who gave me my wings, talk about aerodynamic flight.
I wish you a deep and restful sleep.
Speaking of @goat-girlz, she hasn't posted since Christmas. I was very excited that she got a good camera, she used it once for us, and then POOF. I miss her.
I miss her too!!! Does anyone have contact with her outside her Steemit account?