All writers who have published their first book are ecstatic to share the achievement with everyone they love.
Almost all get congratulatory words for their effort, but many complain about a particular thing that has always felt weird to me.
Many writers say that their friends and family love that they have written a book but won’t take the effort to actually read what they have written.
It is, of course, natural to feel a little slighted when those closest to you don’t engage with your work for even a tiny fraction of the time that it took you to complete it.
But this has always seemed odd to me. And it is for one reason…
They already love you.
As a writer on the internet, I’m merely a stranger who is asking for people’s attention with the promise that I’ll make it worth their while.
I don’t need to do that with friends and family.
They already know me. They have already seen me, and they know my potential.
My parents were with me when I was scribbling my first stories into small diaries that I hid under my mattress because I was too shy to let them read what I was writing.
My friends know how much I love to read books as they have heard me recommend several over the years.
My parents know just how hard it is to pull me away from a good book to get me to interact with neighbors and guests.
They know all this because we have shared experiences that we have bonded over, more than just being friends or family due to proximity or blood.
I don’t need their praise because I have something much more valuable — their unconditional love.