My thoughts exactly...which is why I always refrain from saying "I'm writing a novel" whenever anyone asks me what I do. It's bad enough my mother doesn't think I do anything. She really has no idea what the publishing industry is like, and I'm afraid if I sit down and talk to her about it she still won't understand. So, yeah, it sucks, but if anyone asks what I'm doing, I always say, "Oh, y'know, trying to figure things out..."

I swear, I think whenever people say, "I want to be a writer" people hear, "I want to be a prostitute." It's like this tainted word people think they know, yet they have no idea.

Even if I just get an agent, I'll feel more comfortable with saying "I want to be an author" because that's a HUGE step towards getting published.

Have you joined Absolute Write? It's a large writing community and it's nice to be around people who understand exactly what you're going through.