He's probably worried about upsetting you. Every time you give him something to read, he probably thinks, "What if I don't like it? Or don't react the way she wants me to?" And, like you said, he's busy with basketball, and the last thing he probably wants to do during his downtime is read your short story/play/epic poem. And honestly, he probably is just doing it to oblige you. It's probably not his thing, and you shouldn't take that as a reflection of your talents. If you, say, played clarinet he would probably react in a similar manner.
We fragile creative types need our significant others to gush over our work and treat us like we're the next Picasso...even if we're actually just the next "guy who does all those paintings in hotel rooms." Can you be with someone who isn't interested in your art? That's a question you may have to ask yourself. He's not going to all of a sudden take an interest in literature over sports. Still, he should be supportive of your work, and do his best to show interest when he can. You say he doesn't "consistently" read your writing. It's fair if he doesn't want to read everything. But the occasional work you're really proud of? That seems more than reasonable.
The real question is whether the interest in each other's passions is equal. Do you go to all of his games? Then he should show more interest in your writing. And since you've been together three years, he should realize how important writing is to you and occasionally take the time to read your stuff.
Writer to writer, my advice is to find another sounding board for your work. If he's begrudgingly reading your stuff out of obligation, he's not exactly going to provide the most constructive feedback. If you're serious about being a writer, the most important thing is to hone your talents and write as often as you can. Whether your boyfriend likes it doesn't really matter. (Unless he's, say, the editor of The New Yorker or something.) Sure, it's nice if he likes your work. But, ultimately, you have to please yourself first before worrying about what other people think.
We fragile creative types need our significant others to gush over our work and treat us like we're the next Picasso...even if we're actually just the next "guy who does all those paintings in hotel rooms." Can you be with someone who isn't interested in your art? That's a question you may have to ask yourself. He's not going to all of a sudden take an interest in literature over sports. Still, he should be supportive of your work, and do his best to show interest when he can. You say he doesn't "consistently" read your writing. It's fair if he doesn't want to read everything. But the occasional work you're really proud of? That seems more than reasonable.
The real question is whether the interest in each other's passions is equal. Do you go to all of his games? Then he should show more interest in your writing. And since you've been together three years, he should realize how important writing is to you and occasionally take the time to read your stuff.
Writer to writer, my advice is to find another sounding board for your work. If he's begrudgingly reading your stuff out of obligation, he's not exactly going to provide the most constructive feedback. If you're serious about being a writer, the most important thing is to hone your talents and write as often as you can. Whether your boyfriend likes it doesn't really matter. (Unless he's, say, the editor of The New Yorker or something.) Sure, it's nice if he likes your work. But, ultimately, you have to please yourself first before worrying about what other people think.
Here here!!
This shouldn't be a major concern to the asker. There are a lot of other things to worry about in a relationship. I think it's best to take Nick's advice and seek another opinion. Why would you want your boyfriend's opinion anyhow? He more than likely won't tell you "this sucks" whether its true or not. (I.E: Cary McNeal & the magic pants)
I asked because I wanted an answer. And if you're with someone, you want them to respect what you do, to be a part of what's important to you. Why wouldn't I want him to read my work? It would seem crazy to be with someone, be a writer for years, and your partner can't even give a vague answer on what you do/write. Anyway, thanks for your answer, Nick. I thought it was very insightful and helpful.
He's a ball player? Maybe he's intimidated because he feels you are more intelligent than he is.
He's a ball player? Maybe he's intimidated because he feels that you are more intelligent than he is and by reading and commenting on your work it's going to be obvious that he has mental shortcomings when compared to you.