When I started down this path anew, I looked at my past attempts and lacked any real confidence that I’d finish a first draft. I had even less confidence that I’d want anyone at all to read what I wrote at the end.
As a result, I didn’t tell anyone at all except my wife at the start. She did none of the things my insecurity caused me to fear. She didn’t smirk, or make a joke, or react in any way other than as if I’d just said, “I’m going to go do the dishes now.” As if it was so obvious that I’d finish, and create something worthwhile, that it barely needed discussion.
That was pretty great, and I hope I have supported her as unflinchingly as she has supported me in this endeavor. The reaction from my older son was similar. My younger son isn’t yet at a point to have an opinion on such things, but I’ll take this opportunity to say I’m privileged to have a pretty great family.
I didn’t mention it to anyone else for a long while. Not even my parents, and not my in-laws. A certain popular cartoon (and surely some other shows) has a running gag about a pompous aspiring author who seems like he’s never going to actually finish his book, and I felt acutely worried about being that guy.
But, the very act of writing a novel had an impact on time I could spend with my family, and it was good that they knew what I was spending some of my free time on, and why it was important to me.
Beyond that, when I eventually did tell my parents, and when my wife did bring it up to my in-laws, I was flattered and humbled by how immediately and thoroughly supportive every single one of them were. The end of the first draft was in sight, but seemed to be always just out of reach. I mentioned it to a longtime friend around the same time, and he gave me more of the same.
For someone without even a finished work, this was about the best encouragement and validation I could hope for. Their encouragement invigorated me, and helped me to get across that finish line.
They have all continued to be supportive to this day, and some of them are now my beta readers.
I recognize that my family is the sort of gift that not everyone has, but whoever is important in your life may want to know. For their sake and yours, let them know what you are doing with that slice of your time. Give them the chance to support you, and to understand why you suddenly seem more busy. You may be pleasantly surprised at how enthusiastically they take the opportunity to do so.