To the Writer Who Feels Unseen

Encouragement for the writer whose art isn’t being taken seriously.

Jun 02, 2025

a person standing in the middle of a body of water — Photo by Florian Yvinec on Unsplash

Dearest Writer,

There’s something so tender about pouring your heart into your writing—forming a connection between your words and your readers. It creates this delicate relationship, one where you’ve bared your soul through new worlds, beautiful lines, and the alchemy of storytelling.

There’s so much more to writing than just putting words on a page. Which is why it can feel sharp and defeating when someone important to you doesn’t take your writing seriously.

Maybe it was an unexpected critique. Or a dismissive comment. Maybe someone in your life treats your writing like a silly little hobby, when in fact, it’s your life’s work and your soul’s passion.

If this is you—striving to be seen as a writer among your closest people and hitting a brick wall—I want you to know that I see you. And your heartache over this? It’s valid.

It hurts when your value isn’t recognized by those you love. It can feel like a kind of invisibility, shaking even the most grounded creative foundation. When someone you care about shrugs off something that means the world to you, it can make you question your talent, your purpose, and your worth.

But here’s the truth: their inability to see the brilliance of what lights you up inside isn’t actually about you. Everyone sees the world through their own filtered lens. When someone diminishes your creative work, they’re missing the beauty, the effort, and the possibility of what you’re building.

When someone rejects your art, it can feel like they’re rejecting you. That pain is deeply personal, and it’s completely justifiable.

But what else is true?

You’ve shown up for your writing—through the best and worst of your energy.
You’ve polished your work with care, making it shine.
You’ve shared your words with others, offering vulnerability as a gift.
You’ve kept going, feeding your lifelong passion by not giving up.

That’s no small thing. That’s extraordinary.

I’m proud of you.

It’s human to crave approval, especially from the people we love. But not everyone will understand your art. The trick is to keep going anyway. There will be people who are moved by what you create, and there will be those who don’t get it. Both can exist. Your job is to write the stories that light you up, and to keep learning, keep growing, and keep showing up.

As I write this, I want you to know I understand what it’s like to feel misunderstood by someone close. Once, someone I care about made an offhand comment about my writing that landed hard—dismissing it in a way that felt reductive and unfair. They didn’t mean to hurt me, but their words stung. It didn’t feel like they were criticizing a story I wrote. It felt like they were questioning me.

But here’s what I know:

I’ve poured years of learning, practice, and perseverance into my writing.
I have so much to be proud of in my creative life.
I am a writer, and I will keep writing no matter what anyone else thinks.
Someone else’s opinion of me doesn’t define my truth.
And often, dismissive comments say more about where they are than who I am.

Of course I wanted their support. But more important is that I recognize my own effort, growth, and talent.

And I hope you do, too.

So if the world misunderstands your art or reduces the hard work you’re doing to something trivial—let them. Because at the end of the day, you are making dreams a reality. You are not what they say (or don’t say) you are.

You are a writer.
A storyteller.
A dream-weaver crafting new worlds, one beautiful sentence at a time.

Keep going. I believe in you.

Until the next chapter,
Crissi

To the Writer Who Feels Unseen

Encouragement for the writer whose art isn’t being taken seriously.

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