If you aren't writing because you have a story you want to tell, but because you want a response from other people, you will always be disappointed. Tell the story you want to tell, and please yourself. If no one responds to it, you've still told the story you wanted to tell, and that is a fine thing to take pride in. If anyone else does tells you they like it, that's just gravy.
Re: How do authors deal with feeling discouraged?