Being an author is an amazing and rewarding experience. With that can come interesting questions or assumptions. I love when people are curious, but sometimes it can get funny (or a bit weird). I thought I’d make a part two for some of the things people have said to me since I became an author. I hope you’ll smile while reading these.

“You’re a lovely girl who was raised by good parents. Where does all this dark stuff come from?” (To be honest, I don’t really know. It just comes to me. Since I was little, I’ve been more attracted to darker stories. There’s beauty and truth in grittier books).

“I think you write because it distracts you from how you’re really feeling and it’s a way to avoid the emptiness we all have inside.” (There’s a lot to unpack here. First, I don’t just write. I actually spend a lot of time deep in thought and being aware of my emotions. I tend to mix productivity with a balance of rest and introspection. I don’t believe anyone’s actually empty, but we can feel that way when we’re feeling depressed or unfulfilled. Like most mentally healthy people, I have a hobby to give my life meaning and I simply enjoy being productive most of the time. I honestly got into writing because it’s so darn fun. Unlike this person’s assumption, I have to tune into a lot of emotion in order to get deep into the story and characters, so there’s definitely no running away from my inner feelings because that’s what the writing process depends on. If anything, it’s made me more aware of how I feel about things.)

“I see how you promote yourself online. You’re one of those quiet people who likes attention.” (Promotion is key to gaining readers and selling books. So, yes, I did want attention from potential readers. The idea of fame *repels* me now – there’s a difference between getting your work out there and desiring fame. I like to post cool or uplifting details from my day as a way to inspire or connect with like-minded people. Every human likes the right kind of attention otherwise we’d all be hermits avoiding eye contact from everyone).

“You’re famous!” (Nooo I am not.)

“I thought writers always slept in and were lazy.” (Most writers have a full time job that is their main source of income and their writing is their hobby/side gig. I’m a late morning riser, but lazy is not something I’d describe myself as since I like productivity and keeping active).

“I can write a book, too!” (Cool. Do it! I’m always supportive of other writers. There’s room for every book to have an audience.)

“If you continue to alienate your readers, your audience will never grow – and I hope your books don’t take off!” This is an example of how people online will act if you disagree with them on anything – even if it’s respectfully. If they’ve bought your book & they don’t like how you think or act, they’ll curse your whole writing career. The irony is I haven’t been focusing on growing my audience and I’m okay to stay unknown for personal reasons. (The context: I shared a blog post on Twitter and he didn’t even read the article then told me that my belief was wrong. I disagreed with him, perhaps not in the most soft and elegant way, but I didn’t curse him out and wasn’t trying to be mean – he unfollowed right away and told me he hopes my books will never take off since I alienate my readers). It’s the kind of drama that was never appealing to me in the first place, but this year it’s something I want to avoid entirely. I’ve stopped posting my blog posts on Twitter since it can stir up an unexpected debate.

“You’ve always got your head in the clouds.” (Bold of you to assume how I think!)

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I hope you found this enjoyable. Writers, could you relate to some of these interactions? I think it’s great to acknowledge the pros of being a writer, but you sure can attract some weirdness from time to time – and it’s kinda fun to talk about once in a while. I hope you all have a lovely day – and thank you for reading!