This is a from a recent Twitter exchange. Most of the writers who responded loved the advice, responding that they didn't care what people think, adding thanks for the liberating thought, or commenting that their parents were already dead, so it didn't matter! I certainly do agree that it's great advice; if you're going to reach the limits of what you can create, you can't accept any barriers on the way.

But I do. With eyes open.

It's important to understand I don't say this with frustration or regret. I've advised many scientists and engineers through the years that you make decisions about the life you want to have and then optimize your career within that life. The most obvious example of this is where you want to live: if you're not willing to follow the jobs in your industry to wherever they are, you are accepting a limitation, and you need to be comfortable with that and work a little harder to make good decisions.

It's similar with writing. If you are going to cut off certain stories, avoid certain subjects, you need to work a little harder with the ones you have. Read a little deeper into others' work, find less-explored angles and markets, be more conscious of your craft and more specific in differentiating your own work. Does that sound less artistic? I see it rather the opposite: I like to thing I'm much more aware of what elements of craft comprise my style and my voice, and that I've had to lean into areas of content that are more important to me than to other writers. It's kind of like working with the thought-provoking constraints of a good writing prompt - but one that stretches over an entire career,

And the simple truth is this: No, I don't want my mother to read about certain things; at least not in my handwriting.