The first time you forward your first draft to a friend, ‘What do you think of my writing?’
Or the first time you run a thought by your family, ‘I don’t think I’ll finish this degree, I want to take a different path and work in this industry.’
It’s scary, because in that moment there is a part of you that just wants to be understood, not underestimated, but in reality your friends will zero in on all of the flaws and your family will fixate on why you shouldn’t do it, turning your aha moment into a thing that you have to defend.
The ‘are you sure?’s start to add up and all of a sudden you don’t feel sure of yourself, your interest starts to dissipate and the doubt floods in.
It’s not on purpose, it’s out of love and concern, but it’s also too soon.
Your first drafts and first thoughts are fragile, now is not the time to be defending them, it’s the time to be working on them.
Try waiting until your final draft or until your foot’s in the door to talk about it. This gives you time to find your way without the noise and avoids you walking away without giving it a fair shot.
That said, my writing is in this fragile stage and now is not the time to share it with friends or family.
I plan to stay anonymous until the fragility fades and I am able to share this work without feeling the need to defend my decision to start it in the first place.