[Alassante]

So - to go along with the geeky thread, how many of you tell people that you read/write fanfiction? Are your LOTR action figures hidden in the closet, beside your swords and elf cloaks? If you write smut, is that your big secret?

If your writing isn't a secret - what reactions have you gotten so far?

[elea24]

Only my parents and sister know and their reaction was just 'Oh, um, right...okay then'.

[DarkElfChilde]

Smut is my big secret...only a few people know I write it in my stories...fan fics or my novel...

I used to keep my figures on display...but I needed room on my desk and dresser for my sword and knife collection.

Well, none of my family members know I write fan fics but they do know I write. lol.

[Haleth]

Are you kidding? Most people don't know that I write, let alone write fan fiction. They already think I'm strange enough my having to explain it!

[dolarabee]

It was a little hard to answer the poll. Can't really say that only the closest of family and friends know about this. And can't say that I just told everyone across the board. It's a mish-mash of both. That the ones I told might have forgotten/didn't really compute? That's highly likely. And I don't think anyone, bar hubby and one close friend, knows about the smut - except other writers, whom, over time, have become friends.

do.

[NeumeIndil]

Only close friends, and a few of them have been jerk enough to razz me about it, but for the most part it's just ignored. (Which is a good thing. I like only having 'Net critics to worry about instead of friends in daily life bugging me for updates or second guessing what I've written. I do enough of that on my own!)

[Viv]

I'd love to know someone offline who gave a crap what I wrote, fanfiction or not. But that just isn't the case. Everyone knows that I write (and edit), so they all send me their attempts, but nobody reads me or cares particularly what I write. *shrug*

Reading over, I think that sounds bitter. But I'm not. It's just the way things are. Like being very into football or something when no one else around shares your passion.

[NierielRaina]

Oh, I've not ever bothered by who knows I write fanfiction. My family knows. Many of them peruse my stories from time to time and compliment me on them. My co-workers found out I read it when I was taking printed stories to work to read on my down time. One finally asked if I wrote it as well and I just said, "Yep." Several of them now ask to read my latest...especially if it's smut. LOL!

But yes, there are those who roll their eyes or snicker and I just really don't care. Fanfiction is such a large part of my life and my interests that it often holds more weight to me than the idiots who look down on me for it. Most people, however, even if they don't think fanfiction is serious writing (very few of them), are polite enough to understand it's something I love and don't make fun or belittle me for it. Indeed, most of my family and friends encourage me in it as well as giving gentle shoves towards writing original fiction.

[NeumeIndil]

[NierielRaina]

[dolarabee]

[RobinKa]

My dear friend and co-worker is a Tolkien geek and writes f-fiction in English too, so we have a lot to talk about at work.

[NeumeIndil]

[Alassante]

[NancyBrooke]

For a long time only my husband knew and, while he was supportive, he almost never read my stuff. I had to tell some friends during the writing of "Devours". It was such an undertaking, and I wanted writing and content support. I have a friend who is a former newspaper editor who was very supportive, and another who is a war-gamer and tolkien fan - who better to act as advisor on the battle for Osgiliath?

Fortunately, I have some close geeky friends and a geeky husband (although geeky in a motor- propellor-head way), but mostly I don't tell. I don't want to deal with the stigma etc.