What to text on Instagram when she says she writes short stories
How to reply when she mentions writing short stories on Instagram. Read the signal, ask the right follow-up, and keep the conversation going without sounding scripted.
When someone tells you she has been writing short stories in her spare time, she is giving you something personal. Most people who write for fun don't talk about it with strangers, so the fact that she brought it up tells you she is comfortable enough to share, or that it matters to her. Your reply should show you actually heard what she said and care about the thing itself, not just the fact that she is 'creative.'
A good reply does three things at once. It acknowledges the detail specifically, it asks one question that invites her to talk about her process or her stories, and it leaves her room to answer without feeling interviewed. Generic praise ends the thread. A barrage of questions makes her feel like she is being quizzed.
The goal in this exchange is not to impress her with your own reading list. It is to get her talking about something she cares about, and to show that you are the kind of person she can talk to about it.
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She is telling you something about herself
Read the detail for what it is. She mentioned spare-time writing, which means this is something she does without pressure, probably quietly. The phrase 'mostly nobody reads them' is often a light self-deprecation that invites reassurance or curiosity, not a request for critique. If she follows it with a joke or a laugh, she is keeping it light. If she gives more detail without being asked, she wants you to engage.
Don't treat the writing as a credential to evaluate. Treat it as a window into how she spends her time and what she thinks about. The useful question is what the stories are about, what made her start, or what she's working on right now, because those give her something concrete to answer.
Pick up the thread she actually left
Your reply should reference something specific she said, such as the two years, the fact that she writes on the side, or the self-deprecating line about nobody reading. Pick one detail and let it carry the message. Mentioning the two years shows you noticed the commitment. Asking about the side part gets at what the writing means in her life.
Keep the question open-ended enough that she can answer with a sentence or with a paragraph. Questions about what she likes writing or where ideas come from work well here, because they let her choose how much to share. Avoid questions that have a yes or no answer, since they stop the conversation the moment she replies.
Give it a day before following up
Instagram DMs move at uneven speed, so a few hours of silence is normal and means very little. If she answers within the same day, keep the back and forth going at her pace. If she replies with a short acknowledgment, match that energy and let her steer.
If she goes quiet after a reasonable exchange, wait at least a day or two before sending anything else. When you do follow up, make it a fresh, low-pressure message tied to something new, like a story you saw or a comment about something she posted, not a pointed 'hey?' If two attempts go unanswered over about a week, let it rest. Silence after two good-faith messages is an answer, and continuing to chase makes the next conversation harder.
Why these replies fail
“Oh cool, what do you write about?”
It is so open and so flat that it asks her to do all the work of rebuilding the topic from scratch, and it doesn't show you noticed anything about her.
“Wow, two years, that's amazing. You should definitely publish them, I bet they're really good!”
It jumps to a verdict about her writing you have never read and pushes publishing on her, which turns a personal detail into a sales pitch.
“I write too sometimes. Have you read any Murakami? You'd probably like him.”
It pivots the conversation to you and your reading, so she ends up responding to your taste instead of talking about her own work.
Common mistakes
- Replying with a single word or emoji and letting the subject drop.
- Asking three questions in one message so she doesn't know which one to answer.
- Pretending to know her genre or a writer she mentioned when you don't.
- Turning it into a critique of her writing before you have read any of it.
- Bringing up your own unfinished novel to take over the topic.
Questions people ask
- Should I ask to read one of her stories?
- Wait until she offers or the conversation has been warm for a while. Asking right away can feel like you are angling for something. If she brings up a story she is proud of or mentions one she posted, you can say you'd like to read it. Keep the request casual and make it easy to say no.
- What if I don't read much fiction?
- You don't need to. Ask about her process, the kinds of stories she writes, or what she enjoys about it. Being honest that you read less than she does is fine and often makes the conversation easier. People who write tend to like talking about their craft with someone curious rather than someone who pretends to have opinions they don't hold.
- Is it weird to comment on her Instagram posts about her writing?
- A short, specific comment is fine if she posts about her writing publicly. Reference something concrete from the post rather than writing generic praise. Don't comment on every post, because that can read as watching rather than interested. Use DMs for longer conversations about the writing itself.
- How long should I keep talking about her writing before changing the subject?
- Let her decide when to move on. If her replies are getting longer and she is asking you questions back, keep going. If her answers are getting shorter, shift to something else you have in common or to a light question about her week. Mixing the writing into a broader conversation makes it feel natural rather than like you are stuck on one topic.
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