All in the family?

[Guest]

I wonder how many Lit. writers have family members who write. I ask because each of my three brothers writes very well, creatively and otherwise. I’m the oldest, the youngest is 47. My oldest son has been writing poetry since high school (he is 29), but his brother also writes well (college level though he actually didn't finish h.s.)

If this is the case in any way with you, how do you feel or think about it? Do you have any idea why this is so? I’ll reply first (obviously).

My parents were illiterate but bilingual, my father a tool and die maker by trade (or artistry). He loved music (singing it himself) and oral poetry and story telling. He gave us a love for books and language, and for the creative life in general. I know I’ve done the same for my sons reading to them from infancy and playing Wagner ‘full blast’ (they loved their first Die Walküre).

My middle brother is a published writer (of poetry, essays and a novel pending publication), and published art and film critic/professor. My youngest brother won prizes writing academically about music (Wagner! and Bach). The oldest ‘boy’ writes song lyrics, he lives the most vie intérieure. I’ve also had two writer sisters-in-law.

My brothers and I do not have any competitiveness among us (vs. other sibling rivalries), and support each other in creative efforts and projects. It seems to keep us interested in each other, we thoroughly enjoy each other's company. They enjoy my sons' company and conversation too; we all seem to be on the same page, if you will, re. literature, film and music.

What seems to take outsiders aback is not only that we are like this bur more so when they find out our family background. I do wonder about our gene pool, but also keep going back to our father and his love of beauty in the world.

That’s it, anyone else?

Perdita

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Hey Perdita


I am the only one in my family who writes. For my brothers if it can't be shown on the screen of their PDA then it's too long. My parent's did not write, but what they did love to do was read. They taught me a love of reading from a very early age.

Part of writing is building your stories, characters, plots and settings. Another part is having a good idea to drive the story. It's a lot easier to do if you have read a great deal. How many times have you read a book or story and thought "I wouldn't have done it that way" or "I could have done better with that". Not all writers are heavy readers, but I feel like a lot of them are or were when they were younger. So many of my ideas are based on kernals from something I have read, a setting, character, scene or idea i remember vaguely from stories read long ago.

-Colly

 

[Guest]

Colly, thanks for responding. You're so right about the necessity of reading. It's been said often on this board, and I say to anyone who wants to write better - read more.

Yeah, I edit when I read, even advertisements or slogans on the sides of buses, haha.

Enjoyed your H'ween story, btw.

best, Perdita

 

[wornoutkeyboard]

Nope...

I am the only one in my family who writes or really reads much for that matter.

My father used to read quite a bit when I was young, but not as of late.

Hell.... I can't even get my family to read what I write (but then again, I dunno that I want to read a humorous editorial on NASCAR racing either... so I suppose I don't blame them, even I don't like what I write for a living).

Occasionally I can strap Mr. WOK into a chair and make him read a short story, but he would never do it of his own volition.

I suppose I wouldn't want them to write though, now that I think of it. I like having my own "thing" and knowing that my "thing" is different from their "thing".

~WOK

 

[raphy]

No, no one else in my family reads or writes anything to speak of, really.

 

[Icingsugar]

I have a very strange little sister. She saw me writitng stageplays, and decided to try it herself. And she did, and surprisingly good too, especially for an 18 year old who hadn't written anything longer than a grocery list before and pretty much flunked her way through basic education.

The thing is, she doesn't read anything. She has to my knowledge never made it to the end of a regular novel. Still she can write a coherent, entertaining 3 hour script in a matter of weeks.

 

[Seattle Zack]

No, I'm the only one with any literary inclinations. Oldest of five kids (I know, fuckin' Catholics), including two PhDs, an MBA, and two Bachelors Degrees and they all think I'm the smart one because I've had some limited success getting my crap published.

We all read voraciously as kids, though; hell, I used to read the encyclopedia when there were no new John D. MacDonald or Mickey Spillaine novels at the library. Still, I'm surprised that none of my four siblings has expressed any interest or proclivity towards literary creativity at all.

 

[wildsweetone]

I wonder how many Lit. writers have family members who write. I ask because each of my three brothers writes very well, creatively and otherwise. I’m the oldest, the youngest is 47. My oldest son has been writing poetry since high school (he is 29), but his brother also writes well (college level though he actually didn't finish h.s.)

If this is the case in any way with you, how do you feel or think about it? Do you have any idea why this is so? I’ll reply first (obviously).

...
Perdita

It appears that I'm the only writer amongst my family. Though there are varying degrees of other creativity slipping out from the dark recesses of the cupboard occasionally. I have an uncle who can draw faces, one of the two things I've discovered I cannot for the life of me do with any likeness whatsoever.

Much to her chagrin, my daughter can write and write well. She won't admit it out loud. She was recently asked by the head of the English department why she didn't enter a competition at school. She hadn't given it a thought. She can also draw. My son has an insane tendency to draw cartoon characters everywhere. I'm encouraging them both to let their different creative aspects out. I've done that basically since they were born.

The females of the family are all readers, most of the males are not. But then that's possibly because of the working background we are from.

Very interesting questions and answers so far Perdita. Great thread. *hugs*

 

[damppanties]

No one else in my family writes. They occassionally read. My brother is into finance and he looks like he never had eight hours of unbroken sleep in his life. Spectacles, serious-looking, hurries everywhere... you know the type. By 40 he'll have ulcers. My dad's a scientist and mom's a doctor. They all are too busy. We hardly ever see each other throughout the day. The most frequent thing I'm asked is - "What exactly do you do in front of the computer all day long?" I seriously wonder sometimes if I'm from the same family.

 

[oggbashan]

Most of my family have written. I think it's in the genes. The earliest author found in the family so far was writing (and was published) in the mid 1600s. His book is still in print.

I have a nephew who writes academic books. My brother, like me, has written and had published technical books.

My wife's cousin, who of course is no relation to me, has a large output of successful books.

All three of my daughters write in different ways. As far as I know, I'm the only one of the family who tries to write erotica.

Og

 

[English Lady]

Not a writing bone in any of their bodies...though both my mother and her sister were and still are avid readers. My Nanna and Aunty have both worked in libraries too so i have spent alot of time their waiting for people and hence I have read alot since being young.


My sister does not write,she is dyslexic but she can tell a tale and have you enraptured by it. maybe there is some kind of story telling compulsion there in our genes....thinking about it my Dad loves to tell jokes and he does it very well, my mum is often seen leading worship at church and i think has even put a short sermon together before now and she works with the sunday school. We all seem to be compelled to tell other people things.


hmmmm i've never thought about it like that before. Thanks Perdita!

 

[Icingsugar]

Well, if we bring genes in to the discussion, I guess me writing makes sense. Going back a few generations on my father's side we have poets, novelists, political speech-writers, science book authors, and one professor on ancient greek literature.

Dad can't write for shit though. I guess it skipped a generation.

 

[Alex De Kok]

I think I'm the only writer, although my brother and I were always encouraged to read as kids, and still do. My late father kept a journal of his service days, but my mother never wrote. My dad used to tell my brother and me bedtime stories as kids which he made up in his head as he went along. I wish he'd written them down! I'm one of those people who thinks the best thing on TV is usually the 'off' switch, so I pick up a book instead. Fiction, non-fiction - doesn't matter, as long as it contains something that interests me.

My wife dabbles in writing a little - and has signed up for NaNoWriMo - and we attend a very enjoyable Creative Writing class together on a Monday evening, although her main recreational activity is glass- and china-painting.

We have bookcases all over the house - living room, dining room, upstairs hallway, second bedroom. My computer and writing books - at least most of them - are in the book shelves which form part of the desk at which I write these words. 'On Writing' and 'Elements of Style' are both within arm's reach!

Thanks, Perdita - interesting thread.

Alex

 

[Guest]

As far as I know I'm the only writer in my parental family, but not in my own immediate family (hubby and kids). However, for all I know one of my brothers might secretly write and post at Lit.

My parents have never written anything, or read very much for that matter, but they, my Mum especially, encouraged me to read a lot from a young age. I began reading with a real passion at about the age of twelve, when I 'found' Stephen King. Horror, and now Erotic Horror, have always been my big passion.

Adam (my hubby) has always written, and when he came close to the completetion of a novel his thrill and excitement about this rubbed of on me. So, I decided to give it a try. I have found that having read so much has served me in very good stead, my already fertile imagination has grown and grown. It has also taught me how to write. Coming up with a good story in your head is one thing, transferring that to 'paper' is a completely different matter.

My daughters read constantly. C, who is only 7, has the reading abilities of a 15 year old, and has recently begun producing some very good quality stories of her own. G, who is 5, can read almost anything put in front of, but her comprehension still has a way to go. The downside to them being so literate at a young age is that Adam and I have to be very careful where we leave our reading material. We both have a naughty side, but we are very responsible parents.

Lou

 

[mtnman2003]

From my family, I am the only one to even complete college. Then on to graduate school, 17-years college professor. Many published materials, even an "twitch" "twitch" Accounting text.

Many articles published in various magazines, spicy titles along the lines of "Financial Planning for Small Business".

I have kids of my own, all are prolific readers, with all planning on writing careers of some kind. Great artists, creative. Son is a poet, with many poems submitted for competitions nationally.

So I guess writing genes can be transferred.

Mtn

 

[raphy]

Well, if we're talkin' genetics, I could come from a long and distinguished line of writers, poets and/or artists.

Unfortunately, there ain't no way for me to know........

 

[Sabledrake]

When it comes to talents, my mom is a photographer, my sister is a musician, two of my cousins are artists (as was my grandfather), and I've got one shithead uncle who I must admit is a very gifted photographer and musician.

Somehow, I wound up dipping into the talent pool and hooking a writing-fish.

Sabledrake

 

[SlickTony]

We all are capable of writing in my family, and some of us even write write. My younger sister is always writing stuff. She works out in Hollywood and is always shopping scripts. I've got some of them and I think they are quite good. She wrote a screenplay called Tears of the Sun, and ever since the movie by that name came out (which had nothing to do with her story) we've been convinced that someone stole her title, although you can't copywrite a title. My youngest sister is capable of writing, but to my knowledge she does not write nowadays. She married a man who is quite talented--he writes, draws, sings and acts, but they did not breed.

My daughter is quite a good writer, but now that she is working on her Ph.D. she does not have time to write fiction. She and my younger sister, the one who's out in Hollyweird, know that I write erotica, but nobody else in the family does.

 

[Guest]

Damn.

I thought perdita was starting an incest discussion thread.

 

[ffreak]

My better half writes literature - southern style. She thinks my writing (outside of lit) is too steamy, so we don't talk about Lit at all.

I have to go back 3 generations to find a published writer - of music study and a couple of popular songs from the early 1900's.

What my grandmother (who raised me) did for me was to read to me, transferring that love into my own voracious appetite for all things written. And I have managed to pass it on to my children and grandchildren. In fact, our oldest grandchild's first word was not 'Momma' or 'Daddy'; it was 'read' (he'd bring a book to my wife, touch her on her lips and say: read).

-FF

 

[Angeline]

No one else in my immediate family wrote--not professionally, though my mother and sister both loved writing stories and poems. Two of my cousins are published writers, one kid lit, the other poetry and academic stuff in her field. I also had a great uncle who was a pretty well-known political cartoonist. My dad's side of the fam weren't writers as far as I know, but they were very eccentric New York City types and were natural storytellers. If you've ever read Damon Runyan, they could have been characters in one of his stories.

Oh and I'm related to the Ritz Brothers (1930's slapstick comedians, sorta like the Marx Brothers--*not* the cracker makers, thank you). I'm not sure how I feel about that.

My son writes beautifully, and has shown a real affinity for it since he was very young--7 or 8. My daughter seems to be headed more in the Ritz Brothers direction at this point.

 

[Guest]

Well, if we're talkin' genetics, I could come from a long and distinguished line of writers, poets and/or artists.
Unfortunately, there ain't no way for me to know........

There's a story, Raff - make up your gene pool. Though there are posters above who say no one else in their family produces creative work it doesn't mean the people weren't creative, only that they didn't use a talent or gift. Yours came from somewhere and what counts is that you've used it in music and writing. Good on you, kiddo.

'dita
-------------

p.s. my 12 year old niece reads several books a week, writes like h.s. grads used to, plays the cello, knows a great variety of music and film and loved her first opera (RW's "Flying Dutchman"). She's the daughter of my youngest brother.

Thanks to all for responding, very interesting generations among us I think.

 

[DarkLight]

As far as I know I'm the only writer in my parental family, but not in my own immediate family (hubby and kids). However, for all I know one of my brothers might secretly write and post at Lit.

I'm just trying to imagine your brothers posting on Lit

Seriously though, apart from Tatelou and our talented girls I know no-one in my family who writes. However, my mother always encouraged me just like Tatelou's.

Thinking about it, I know very few people who even read a book (fact or fiction) on a regular basis. Often I have tried to discuss books and writing with my friends and work mates but their responses tend to be limited to,"I did read a book once."

I like to think there is creative talent within all of us but many people (family and friends) do not even give themselves the chance to try.

 

[sanchopanza]

i'm son #2. son#1 has had some poetry published and reviews for magazines and next month goes to work at the new statesman (lefty magazine in england with some right wing stuff in it). though i doubt he could rival my porno talents - he tells me i write excellently

 

[Guest]

Seriously though, apart from Tatelou and our talented girls I know no-one in my family who writes. However, my mother always encouraged me just like Tatelou's.

Just incase anyone is wondering (highly unlikely, but one never knows) that there personage, ie DarkLight, aka Light, aka Adam, aka Poor Downtrodden Bastard, is my lesser half.

I'd thought I'd point it out, because there seemed to be some confusion about his origins when he introduced himself in the NaNo thread. I'm still trying to work out where he came from, but that's a story for another day.

Oh yeah, hi Ad!

Your Mrs.