Here Is Why I Did Not Write a Word For 10 Years
The intention of your loved ones can destroy your passion if you let it.
As a kid, I loved writing stories and sharing them. I used to have notebooks full of never-finished stories often involving animals, people turning into big cats -I was already a crazy cat lady then- and awkward character names I had somehow made up. My family did not mind the stories, but they did not find much value in there. They encouraged my love for books but only as long as my creative endeavors remained a hobby, not a priority.
I come from a rather sporty family that measures efforts in diplomas, competitions won and money earned. Their traditional thinking implies that one should make it in business or in sports, the only fields where real effort can be measured. Creative minds can only succeed with pure luck or if they know the right people. Effort has nothing to do with that. At least, that’s what my family believed and taught me as a child. That thought stuck with me for long.
Your writing has no value.
Slowly, I gave up on my dreams.
Around the time I was finishing high school, I saw a path that everyone was taking and I followed it because it seemed reasonable. I started taking decisions about my future, not…
