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Recently, I've been seeing posts or comments from fellow authors about their stories of discouragement in their writing journey. Well, I had my share of it, too...and I'd like to tell others how I get by with writing, even though this hobby of mine is full of scary twists and tragic failures.
First off, for those who don't know me/new to ScribbleHub, I'm Hans Trondheim. Honestly, I'm notorious for posting my work before in this site, and then taking it down when it receives a rating lower than 4 stars. Well, I still posted again, though I removed it the third and final time because of more personal (and safety) reasons. A friend of mine (who knows the reason for my final removal) reuploaded it again on his account here with my consent, so I can't erase it.
But yes, I'm an author with 14 books/volumes of three different stories behind him, and three more in the works. No, to be clear, I'm not bragging about those. I'm just showing how much I accomplished even though I'm being bombarded with discouragements, both online and offline.
So how do I get through my 'downs'? First off, I set a goal for myself. Before I sat down and got into serious writing, I told myself, "I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to tell stories." That stuck in my head up to now. So, I will be a writer, and I will tell stories.
Second, I learned to accept that I'm not going to be 'blockbuster'-level popular. I admit, when I first uploaded my story in RoyalRoad, I was cocky. Then, I got slapped by reality that I'm just another amateur. Did that discourage me? Yes. Did I stop writing for some time? Yes. Did I tell myself I'll never write again? Yes. But what am I doing here right now? Well, the answer goes back to the first point I said: I will be a writer, and I will tell stories. I don't care if my work will be popular anymore. Yes, the desire to be popular is there, but my priority nowadays is to tell a good story that will be liked by readers who will invest their time in my work (and not the superficial ones who nitpick all the time).
Third, the ratings. The most discouraging stuff in online writing. Once you received a low score, self-doubt crashes to you like a tsunami. How did I get past that? The answer is, I don't give a damn anymore. Like I always tell my brother (and my beta reader too), "my story is uploaded there; read it or not, it's not my problem". Did the low ratings affect me? Yes. Did I doubt myself whenever I receive that? Even if I don't, I still doubt my skills as a writer. But then, I always put my best efforts in crafting my narratives. Self-criticism is helpful. I often ask myself, if I'm in the shoes of this certain character, is my action logical? Is my action reasonable?
The results are obvious:
Fourth, if ever I received a comment, I always determine whether the feedback is useful to improve my work or not. See, I'm a planner, and I already know what will happen in my story's ending even before I wrote the very first chapter of my first volume. As such, comments criticizing my work can be divided into two: useful, and nonsense. The useful ones--though at times, it's mixed with ad hominems--can be an advantage if an author sees through the negative words and correct himself/herself. The nonsense ones (especially those from the nitpickers), I just throw them in the proverbial garbage bin.
Take a look at my example of a useful criticism (from a reader who invested a lot in my story):
Now let's take a look at a useless comment/review.
Or, if ever I can reply to that nitpicker, I defend my story. See, I believe writing a story is like writing a thesis. All the statements you made, the data you give, should be and would be defended against those who would question it. If you can defend the actions of your characters and the chain of events, I believe you're doing your story right.
Fifth, no one's reading your work? Probably a low reader count, but it's never zero. Best solution here is to be consistent with your updates, or, if you can't write on time, inform your readers about the delay. Too much delay with no news from the author would give them the impression that you already dropped your work, and it won't help your reputation in the long run. Doubting my words? Just look into my case. I keep on deleting my work that some of my readers here in SH got tired of my sh*t.
Sixth, take a look at the site where you upload your work as well. Most sites have an inclination towards a certain genre, like LitRPG in RoyalRoad, Gender Bender and Smut here in ScribbleHub (or as when I first came here, maybe it already changed?), Weaboo stuff in HoneyFeed, and Alpha males in Wattpad. Uploading to a site based on the genre of your work will help you increase your appreciative audience, and may help you get the feedback you need.
Seventh, and the most important part, have fun in what you do. You may have the best writing skills, and the greatest talent, but if you don't enjoy your work/hobby, then it's all for naught. This may be a recurring advice, but it actually helps in giving you that motivation whenever some asshat decides to ruin your day by showering you with complaints about your work (and trust me, they'd find a problem you don't even anticipated). This is also my reason why I refused some writing contracts; let me write what I want to write.
So, those are my techniques in shielding myself from totally quitting writing. Yes, I still get discouraged, but again, my love for my craft remains, and that's what matters.
If you have suggestions too, you can reply to this thread, for the benefit of those authors doubting themselves.
First off, for those who don't know me/new to ScribbleHub, I'm Hans Trondheim. Honestly, I'm notorious for posting my work before in this site, and then taking it down when it receives a rating lower than 4 stars. Well, I still posted again, though I removed it the third and final time because of more personal (and safety) reasons. A friend of mine (who knows the reason for my final removal) reuploaded it again on his account here with my consent, so I can't erase it.
But yes, I'm an author with 14 books/volumes of three different stories behind him, and three more in the works. No, to be clear, I'm not bragging about those. I'm just showing how much I accomplished even though I'm being bombarded with discouragements, both online and offline.
So how do I get through my 'downs'? First off, I set a goal for myself. Before I sat down and got into serious writing, I told myself, "I wanted to be a writer. I wanted to tell stories." That stuck in my head up to now. So, I will be a writer, and I will tell stories.
Second, I learned to accept that I'm not going to be 'blockbuster'-level popular. I admit, when I first uploaded my story in RoyalRoad, I was cocky. Then, I got slapped by reality that I'm just another amateur. Did that discourage me? Yes. Did I stop writing for some time? Yes. Did I tell myself I'll never write again? Yes. But what am I doing here right now? Well, the answer goes back to the first point I said: I will be a writer, and I will tell stories. I don't care if my work will be popular anymore. Yes, the desire to be popular is there, but my priority nowadays is to tell a good story that will be liked by readers who will invest their time in my work (and not the superficial ones who nitpick all the time).
Third, the ratings. The most discouraging stuff in online writing. Once you received a low score, self-doubt crashes to you like a tsunami. How did I get past that? The answer is, I don't give a damn anymore. Like I always tell my brother (and my beta reader too), "my story is uploaded there; read it or not, it's not my problem". Did the low ratings affect me? Yes. Did I doubt myself whenever I receive that? Even if I don't, I still doubt my skills as a writer. But then, I always put my best efforts in crafting my narratives. Self-criticism is helpful. I often ask myself, if I'm in the shoes of this certain character, is my action logical? Is my action reasonable?
The results are obvious:
Fourth, if ever I received a comment, I always determine whether the feedback is useful to improve my work or not. See, I'm a planner, and I already know what will happen in my story's ending even before I wrote the very first chapter of my first volume. As such, comments criticizing my work can be divided into two: useful, and nonsense. The useful ones--though at times, it's mixed with ad hominems--can be an advantage if an author sees through the negative words and correct himself/herself. The nonsense ones (especially those from the nitpickers), I just throw them in the proverbial garbage bin.
Take a look at my example of a useful criticism (from a reader who invested a lot in my story):
Now let's take a look at a useless comment/review.
Or, if ever I can reply to that nitpicker, I defend my story. See, I believe writing a story is like writing a thesis. All the statements you made, the data you give, should be and would be defended against those who would question it. If you can defend the actions of your characters and the chain of events, I believe you're doing your story right.
Fifth, no one's reading your work? Probably a low reader count, but it's never zero. Best solution here is to be consistent with your updates, or, if you can't write on time, inform your readers about the delay. Too much delay with no news from the author would give them the impression that you already dropped your work, and it won't help your reputation in the long run. Doubting my words? Just look into my case. I keep on deleting my work that some of my readers here in SH got tired of my sh*t.
Sixth, take a look at the site where you upload your work as well. Most sites have an inclination towards a certain genre, like LitRPG in RoyalRoad, Gender Bender and Smut here in ScribbleHub (or as when I first came here, maybe it already changed?), Weaboo stuff in HoneyFeed, and Alpha males in Wattpad. Uploading to a site based on the genre of your work will help you increase your appreciative audience, and may help you get the feedback you need.
Seventh, and the most important part, have fun in what you do. You may have the best writing skills, and the greatest talent, but if you don't enjoy your work/hobby, then it's all for naught. This may be a recurring advice, but it actually helps in giving you that motivation whenever some asshat decides to ruin your day by showering you with complaints about your work (and trust me, they'd find a problem you don't even anticipated). This is also my reason why I refused some writing contracts; let me write what I want to write.
So, those are my techniques in shielding myself from totally quitting writing. Yes, I still get discouraged, but again, my love for my craft remains, and that's what matters.
If you have suggestions too, you can reply to this thread, for the benefit of those authors doubting themselves.
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