While it's good advice that fic writers should write for themselves and take any positive comments they get from people as a bonus, in practice I think it's a little more complicated than that, at least in my experience.
If people really were writing for themselves, then what's to stop them from keeping the results to themselves entirely? By sharing it on the internet, they're actively making their fic no longer just for themselves, they're inviting people to look, and a part of that is inviting feedback. I think it's pretty fair to be frustrated or discouraged when that feedback doesn't appear. I think even the most prolific and popular writers have gone through phases of thinking 'what's the point in posting this, no one will care' because they're not getting any kind of feedback.
And when you take into account this is a kinkmeme, where the entire point is writing for other people, to fill their prompts, it becomes even more disheartening not to receive feedback.
Taking pride in what you write and doing it because you enjoy it really *is* good advice. But being discouraged is a natural response and you're not alone, OP. I'd second the suggestion to make sure you're posting links to the fills post, and if it's a WIP I'd suggest leaving a comment on the fills post when you post the first part, then going back and replying to that comment every time you post a new part. It'll let people know when you've updated for people tracking the post or watching the flat view, and keep all your updates together and tidy. :)
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Re: How do authors deal with feeling discouraged?
(Anonymous) 2016-01-16 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)If people really were writing for themselves, then what's to stop them from keeping the results to themselves entirely? By sharing it on the internet, they're actively making their fic no longer just for themselves, they're inviting people to look, and a part of that is inviting feedback. I think it's pretty fair to be frustrated or discouraged when that feedback doesn't appear. I think even the most prolific and popular writers have gone through phases of thinking 'what's the point in posting this, no one will care' because they're not getting any kind of feedback.
And when you take into account this is a kinkmeme, where the entire point is writing for other people, to fill their prompts, it becomes even more disheartening not to receive feedback.
Taking pride in what you write and doing it because you enjoy it really *is* good advice. But being discouraged is a natural response and you're not alone, OP. I'd second the suggestion to make sure you're posting links to the fills post, and if it's a WIP I'd suggest leaving a comment on the fills post when you post the first part, then going back and replying to that comment every time you post a new part. It'll let people know when you've updated for people tracking the post or watching the flat view, and keep all your updates together and tidy. :)