After Act 1, im not sure anymore

[Sylver]

I'm expecting to get judged, criticized, maybe even shamed. It's a bit of a touchy subject and I don't expect everyone to understand it. These are my thoughts and feelings, so I apologize if I offend or upset anyone here.

TL,DR; Feedback and progress isn't developing to how I'd like, and I'm contemplating between taking a break or moving on.

The story I'm writing is about 61 chapters in depth so far, I would guess that Act 1 ends somewhere between 3 - 5 chapters. I have an outline for Act 2 and Act 3, and furthermore, my story is already finished so I've been rewriting it as a second draft. It's been great seeing a new and improved Act 1, I wanted to go for a more serious approach because the first draft was heavily focused on smut.

I wanted to change direction and build a new world, with believable characters that feel real. I wanted to have a fantasy story with mature themes and character growth, while also having fun with the world building such as the lore, different/new species, and I even had fun creating a neat little magic system as well.

I think what's difficult to realize is that no one is as invested into this story as I am, and that kinda bites. It bites because writing is a hobby and a passion of mine, it's something I learned to do as an escape and a form of progressing in something I liked. I've been writing for 5 years, worked on numerous stories, experimented with different genres.

Most importantly, I wrote because I had creativity, I had ambition, I wanted to make stories that I felt were special or unique, and I wanted to entertain the readers.

And I have, for a time. I was on a different website for 4 years give or take, it was difficult but I did fairly well. I left the site because I wanted to start over with my new experience, since that website included a lot of stories from when I first started, with cringe writing and funny tropes. I like reading them because it shows me how far I've improved over the years haha!

But, this is where the criticism might start, I'm just not receiving as much progress as I had hoped for.

And I'm not too sure why, is it my writing? The ideas? The characters? Is it the blurry cover art image? The introduction chapter? The way the story progresses, or perhaps the smut?

I've no clue x) and frankly, it's starting to stress me out. This past weekend, I couldn't write because I just felt defeated. I kept thinking what was the point, when the only comments I would receive were mostly from two friends? And then I realized that those two friends were the main ones providing the feedback and likes that kept me adding new chapters.

And it was like this terrible realization because the image was broken, and now I realize that not many people have been following the story for nearly 10 chapters now. And that really sucks, you know? It sucks because it is what it is, because some stories just don't make it due to bad luck. Because maybe it's not my writing, or my characters, or my premise, the setting, maybe I did everything well and it just isn't what people are looking for. And I can't change that.

So, I think I'll push forward to finish act 1 of the story. After that, I don't know. I might take an extended break to compose myself and see if the story catches any new readers. Or I might just move on to a different website and try my luck there.

I've no complaints about Scribblehub or the community, you guys have been really welcoming and supportive and that's likely what I'll miss the most if I do leave. I wrote this post because it's the product of these thoughts culminating in my head for a few weeks now, and it's gotten to the point where I'm losing the drive to write more chapters. There's just no audience for it, there's some views but it's nearly invisible when there's so little comments and feedback. You guys did everything well, it's just me who's not doing so hot as of now.

Maybe I'm being selfish, maybe I'm being manipulative, I don't know and I hope it's neither of those things.

A lot have said to me that you shouldn't write for the views or recognition because it's a codependent cycle where you'll find yourself wanting more and more and it just doesn't end well. That you should write because you enjoy it, not because others like your work. And that is true, but I see it in this way: when a story writer gets their show in the air or on streaming but very few people watch it, there's nothing they can do besides to drop it, because it's not making enough revenue or feedback as they had hoped.

And it's similar here, I aim to write because I enjoy it and I want others to enjoy what I have to share.

Anyway, that's all. My next chapter is due tomorrow, I've had it saved as a draft for some time. I just needed to share what's been bothering me for a while now. I'm sorry if I upset some if you guys or if this post was more of an eye roll, but I appreciate you guys for taking the time to read it.

I'm going to go lie down for now.

Thank you.

 

[Jerynboe]

Idk. It’s best in my experience to write with the assumption that no one will care. If you manage your expectations, any likes or comments you get are an exciting surprise, and the void is business as usual. I don’t even know if this counts as advice, tbh, since “just stop caring about that lol” is usually not very useful.

Write a story you love, and share it with the world. Find joy where you can.

 

[Roseofblades]

After reading your post, it's very easy to tell you've majorly burned yourself out. I agree wholeheartedly with you about the vicious cycle of craving views and comments for some sort of gratification or justification to why you are doing what you're doing. I myself am no stranger to that same thing.

A few years ago, I made myself a promise that if my writing ever became something that felt like a chore instead of something I'm passionate about, then I would take a break and focus on something else. I would never fully give up something I care about, I just wouldn't make it the primary driving force in my life. I would find something else that I enjoy while still keeping my writing in the back of my mind. I would always inevitably find myself being drawn back in as I thought of something fun or interesting I could add into my story, and it usually wasn't too long before I would start writing again at full speed.

I've read a few chapters of your story and from what I can tell, you have a very good eye for detail and a fun, albeit incredibly quirky way of writing dialog. Don't lose the spark and definitely don't force yourself to keep grinding away. All that will do is just build resentment towards something you love.

My suggestion is this: take a break! Do something besides focusing on this particular story. If you are still in a major "writing mood," write a new story just for yourself. While jumping to another website might result in better viewership, what if it doesn't? What if it does worse there? That's why you need to find your focus again. While the lack of dopamine hits from seeing those new views and comments popping up may sting a bit at first, it will be worth it when you are able to figure out where to go next.

 

[Yule]

Everyone has their own way of coping with burnout, which does seem to be the case here. Me, I cope by doing exactly this:

If you are still in a major "writing mood," write a new story just for yourself.

I'll never drop writing because I love writing my thoughts; it's just sometimes, I don't want to proofread, or think about what's enjoyable, or think about what makes sense to happen next. I just want to follow my train of thought and whisk it out in one go to never look back at it again. That's exactly what I did today, because I didn't want to write the thing I usually write, but I still wanted to write something. I sat down, forgot about what I usually write, and wrote out some 12000-word train of thought and made it into a story. Off you go, I'm never going to look back on you again. I don't care if people read that or not, I even wrote it on the description that I wasn't writing that for viewership.

Your way of coping with burnout might be different, but if you're still unsure what yours is, and if you still want to find your passion for writing, try remembering where it all started. How did you think of that story? What made you start writing it? What inspired you in the first place? If it was music, try listening to that same song. If it was a show, go watch the same show again. If it was a game, go play that game again. Maybe you'll remember where your passion came from, and maybe you'll discover it all over again.

And if nothing works, just forget about it! Those future chapters you might not be writing now will never be written anyways if you're burnt out. I'm not convincing you that it's okay, I'm telling you that it really is okay. There aren't many readers who'd want you to keep writing at a detrimental cost to your health, physical or mental. I promise.

 

[K5Rakitan]

Procreate, and then you won't have time to think about these things, let alone write.

 

[TheEldritchGod]

I'm expecting to get judged, criticized, maybe even shamed. It's a bit of a touchy subject and I don't expect everyone to understand it. These are my thoughts and feelings, so I apologize if I offend or upset anyone here.

Well, I'm not one to Kink shame, but if that's what you are into, Okay...

The story I'm writing is about 61 chapters in depth so far, I would guess that Act 1 ends somewhere between 3 - 5 chapters. I have an outline for Act 2 and Act 3, and furthermore, my story is already finished so I've been rewriting it as a second draft. It's been great seeing a new and improved Act 1,

Wait wait wait, Is act one ENDING IN 3-5 chapters, or act 1 ENDED chapter 5? I'm confused.

I wanted to go for a more serious approach because the first draft was heavily focused on smut.

Now see, that's yer problem. You assume smut isn't serious. it can be not serious, or it can be serious. The degree of seriousness has nothing to do with smut. I once got commissioned to do a story where the MC went back in time like quantum leap to his younger self so he could seduce his priest as a boy, but then he was supposed to discover there was a child sex trafficking ring and rescue the kid who was bullying him in the previous timeline from the sex traffickers. (I dropped the commission when it turned out the guy requesting it really just wanted to justify CP. In fact, it's the story which made me give up Ghost Writing entirely)

That was a SERIOUS story about smut.

DO NOT ALTER YOUR VISION. 95% of the time, you were right the first time Second guessing your story is a bad idea. Just start a NEW idea.

I wanted to change direction and build a new world, with believable characters that feel real.

Again, why bring up smut? You can have both.

I wanted to have a fantasy story with mature themes and character growth, while also having fun with the world building such as the lore, different/new species, and I even had fun creating a neat little magic system as well.

So do that.

I think what's difficult to realize is that no one is as invested into this story as I am, and that kinda bites.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAaaaaaaaaaa...
Dude! Dude. Dude... dude...
Ahem.
Gaze upon: HKN
It has a fan base of maybe... MAYBE a dozen. I don't care how many readers, I know how many active readers I have. 12 is pushing it.
I have 135 chapters, only JUST made it to Book 2 and it's 306k words. This fucker is supposed to be 3 books, and will top out at about... I want to say... 800k words.

I am maybe the only one who REALLY is invested in it.

The rest of my books? WAY more popular. Why? Because HKN is serious as a heart attack. No Smut. Its a tale where everything that happens, every thing you read means something. NO WASTED WORDS. I keep it as TIGHT as possible. It is one DENSE mutherfucker. Yes. 306k words and it is TIGHT.

Most People don't read that shit.

That's fine. I want to write the story. I'm writing the story. I'm the only one who needs to care. However...
Chapter 121:

I spent 121 chapters to just really NAIL that pathos. It's rough around the edges, but HKN is a GOOD BOOK. Not a popular one, but GOOD.
Good books are rarely popular. You wanna be popular, or good?

Be JRR Tolken. Don't be GRR Martin.

It bites because writing is a hobby and a passion of mine, it's something I learned to do as an escape and a form of progressing in something I liked. I've been writing for 5 years, worked on numerous stories, experimented with different genres.

Kay...

Most importantly, I wrote because I had creativity, I had ambition, I wanted to make stories that I felt were special or unique, and I wanted to entertain the readers.

Hold it. Ambition? To WHAT? To just... Entertain? That doesn't fit. Explain. DEFINE.

And I have, for a time. I was on a different website for 4 years give or take, it was difficult but I did fairly well. I left the site because I wanted to start over with my new experience, since that website included a lot of stories from when I first started, with cringe writing and funny tropes. I like reading them because it shows me how far I've improved over the years haha!

Wait... you abandoned your readers then wonder why nobody is reading you?

But, this is where the criticism might start, I'm just not receiving as much progress as I had hoped for.

DUH.

And I'm not too sure why, is it my writing? The ideas? The characters? Is it the blurry cover art image? The introduction chapter? The way the story progresses, or perhaps the smut?

You abandoned your readers. DUH. All that might be a problem, but you had readers then went somewhere else. No wonder it's decreased.

I've no clue x) and frankly, it's starting to stress me out.

wrote at a website where people could find me, then I went somewhere they couldn't. I have no idea why I have less readers because people are creatures of HABIT and don't like doing anything NEW. I don't care how much people hype up Royal Road. I keep forgetting the place exists.

This past weekend, I couldn't write because I just felt defeated. I kept thinking what was the point, when the only comments I would receive were mostly from two friends? And then I realized that those two friends were the main ones providing the feedback and likes that kept me adding new chapters.

DUDE... dude...
Okay okay okay... Look. DO you play TTRPG? I was the DM. or GM. Or ST. I was always the guy running the game, never the player. THAT is running a story for a handful of people. If you only got two readers, then you got two readers, but you shouldn't be writing the story because of two people, unless you are getting feedback like in a TTRPG. Write the story to tell the story, or write the story for the readers.

PICK ONE.

You cannot have two masters.

And it was like this terrible realization because the image was broken, and now I realize that not many people have been following the story for nearly 10 chapters now. And that really sucks, you know? It sucks because it is what it is, because some stories just don't make it due to bad luck.

Huh? Didn't make it?
What are you doing? Trying to make money? Give it up, PAL. You only have 5 years of experience. You want to make money at this, you gotta GRIND. it becomes a JOB. You need to slam out 40k words in a MONTH like CLOCKWORK. It sucks. Don't.

Because maybe it's not my writing, or my characters, or my premise, the setting, maybe I did everything well and it just isn't what people are looking for. And I can't change that.

Nah. it's always your fault. Here:

Spoiler: How to Self Motivate

Tell yourself, "NO ONE LOVES YOU! YOU ARE A WASTE OF SKIN! YOU ARE ONLY WORTH SOMETHING WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING! IF YOU AREN'T DOING SOMETHING, WHAT GOOD ARE YOU? EVERY MOMENT YOU WASTE NOT DOING SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE, A BABY KITTEN DIES! IF YOU ONLY TRIED HARDER, THERE WOULD BE LESS DEAD LOVED ONES IN YOUR LIFE! EVERYONE YOU EVER LOVED THAT DIED IS YOUR FAULT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WORK HARD ENOUGH!"

Then I get back to writing.

Where the carrot fails, the stick provides.

So, I think I'll push forward to finish act 1 of the story. After that, I don't know. I might take an extended break to compose myself and see if the story catches any new readers. Or I might just move on to a different website and try my luck there.

When was the last time you just daydreamed about the story?

I've no complaints about Scribblehub or the community, you guys have been really welcoming and supportive and that's likely what I'll miss the most if I do leave.

Well, we haven't really talked much, now have we?

I wrote this post because it's the product of these thoughts culminating in my head for a few weeks now, and it's gotten to the point where I'm losing the drive to write more chapters. There's just no audience for it, there's some views but it's nearly invisible when there's so little comments and feedback. You guys did everything well, it's just me who's not doing so hot as of now.

My friend is trying to quit smoking. You know what I said to him?
NOBODY LIKES A QUITTER.

Maybe I'm being selfish, maybe I'm being manipulative, I don't know and I hope it's neither of those things.

Why?
Why are those things BAD? Why do people think everything has to be BINARY and can't just be on a continuum? You can be Selfish and Manipulative AND have someone else's best interests at heart AT THE SAME TIME, you know?

A lot have said to me that you shouldn't write for the views or recognition because it's a codependent cycle where you'll find yourself wanting more and more and it just doesn't end well. That you should write because you enjoy it, not because others like your work. And that is true, but I see it in this way: when a story writer gets their show in the air or on streaming but very few people watch it, there's nothing they can do besides to drop it, because it's not making enough revenue or feedback as they had hoped.

Oh. No no no. It's just that the Dopamine drip won't sustain you. You need motivation BEYOND the Like Button. You shouldn't write for the likes OR for the fact you like it. Liking writing is a HORRIBLE reason to write. No no no. Starvation is a MUCH better motivator. I wrote SO MUCH MORE when I needed the money. PAIN is a much better reason to write than happiness. When you can't pay for something your loved one needs, YOU FIND A WAY TO MAKE MONEY.

But then again... you aren't writing to WRITE, are you?

You want to have FUN at this, not WRITE.
CHOOSE.

Look. Serious time.
Are you looking to leave behind some sort of mark on the world where HUNDREDS OF YEARS FROM NOW someone is going to stumble across your story in some dusty archive and go, "WOW. That changed my life. I feel so much better and can find a reason to live one more day as I get forced back into the Canadian maple mines as a slave for my AI overlord."

Or do you want to enjoy writing?

Because being productive and creating something "serious" has little to do with FUN. You wanna play with the BIG BOYS? It's gonna HURT. You had better be willing to write until your eyes BLEED, Mutherfucker. WRITING SERIOUS SHIT IS SERIOUS SHIT. It ain't FUN. You think JRR Tolken, the GRANDFATHER of fantasy had FUN grinding out new LANGUAGES and shit he never published just because it was FUN?

No.

People like that are tortured.

I wrote 112 HANDBOOKS about d20 3.0/3.5 over a four year period because it was a FUCKIN' Obsession. The largest one was over 6000 PAGES. ONE. ONE HANDBOOK WAS 6k PAGES. Why? Because I was working nights, the job sucked, and it took my mind off the pain.

Then I released it for free. You can still get a copy. However, that work is now the basis of my latest book. I spent FOUR. FUCKIN. YEARS on SHIT that had nothing to do with writing fiction, but if I had not, I couldn't write my latest book.

You are a serious writer or you enjoy writing. It is a rare case you can have both.

Stephen King is the top living author of our age. He writes 8-12 hours a DAY. He is serious. THAT isn't FUN. That's fuckin' work, my friend.

And it's similar here, I aim to write because I enjoy it and I want others to enjoy what I have to share.

Then just write for the fun of it and stop with the goddamn BS.

Anyway, that's all. My next chapter is due tomorrow, I've had it saved as a draft for some time. I just needed to share what's been bothering me for a while now.

NP.

I'm sorry if I upset some if you guys or if this post was more of an eye roll, but I appreciate you guys for taking the time to read it.

I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU.

Do not be surprised when you return home today and find every square inch of your bedroom covered in ice. I put it there. I have accepted the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge on your behalf. I have arranged the ice in a complex mathematical equation as a show of sportsmanship towards you. If you can figure out the equation before it melts, you may yet survive.

I'm going to go lie down for now.

Wear a sweater. It'll be rather nippy in your room, right about...

NOW.

Thank you.

Oh no no no...

THANK YOU.

 

[Kalliel]

So, in short, you lost motivation because your work didn't get enough attention.

Sounds like a skill issue to me.

You either write what is popular or write what you like. In rare cases like mine, where one enjoys writing what is popular, it is a different story. Do not expect huge success if you don't cater to the audience. It is very simple.

 

[Sylver]

THANK YOU

I can't really tell about what I just read, whether it was sarcasm, motivating, or hard truth? So, thanks either way I suppose

Procreate, and then you won't have time to think about these things, let alone write.

And if I said I can't have kids?

 

[Voidiris]

I'm expecting to get judged, criticized, maybe even shamed. It's a bit of a touchy subject and I don't expect everyone to understand it. These are my thoughts and feelings, so I apologize if I offend or upset anyone here.

Well you should absolutely expect that for everything you will ever do.

I think what's difficult to realize is that no one is as invested into this story as I am, and that kinda bites.

It's kinda hard to not do that, I don't know your book, as long as your book is no Nowhere Star that has a lot of quality not many will have as much interest in your book as yourself because it's just another web novel on this site.

I kept thinking what was the point, when the only comments I would receive were mostly from two friends? And then I realized that those two friends were the main ones providing the feedback and likes that kept me adding new chapters.

Friendship at it's worst best.

And it was like this terrible realization because the image was broken, and now I realize that not many people have been following the story for nearly 10 chapters now. And that really sucks, you know? It sucks because it is what it is, because some stories just don't make it due to bad luck. Because maybe it's not my writing, or my characters, or my premise, the setting, maybe I did everything well and it just isn't what people are looking for. And I can't change that.

Maybe post it on more site or just have more patience.

Maybe I'm being selfish, maybe I'm being manipulative, I don't know and I hope it's neither of those things.

Well your post could be quite the good manipulation and especially this sentence helps, everything we do can manipulate others or rather influence.

 

[BlissyMKW]

and I wanted to entertain the readers.

There's your first problem. As mentioned in a previous post, you can't have it both ways unless you think you have enough luck to win the lottery multiple times over. What the masses want may not be what you want, but if you want to please the masses, you gotta play ball with their game.

Or I might just move on to a different website and try my luck there.

This line, however, is not a good look at all. You're basically saying "if I don't get popular enough, I'll just throw away the readers I do have and start over somewhere else." You already said you did it once before, and if you do it again and people find out, do you really think people will have faith in your work?

Don't get me wrong, I get wanting people to see your hard work. But there are times where you just need to say "who cares what other people think? As long as I enjoy it, that's all that matters." Be selfish all you want. Humans are selfish by nature, after all. If you're feeling burned out, take a break, go write some other thing, move away from your PC for a while and do some other hobby you may have, but abandoning the time and effort you put in should be a last resort. Imagine working on something and then just throwing it all away because "it wasn't popular enough." Congrats, all that time you spent on that thing, wasted, and you'd only have yourself to blame.

when a story writer gets their show in the air or on streaming but very few people watch it, there's nothing they can do besides to drop it, because it's not making enough revenue or feedback as they had hoped.

Or they could look at what went right and wrong and use that to improve next time. Sure, when money is involved, it's a different story, but not everything is going to be a smash hit that everyone and their grandma will know about. Even then, that positive reception can easily be destroyed due to how fickle the masses are. Once again, best to just ignore the masses and do your own thing. As far as I'm aware, you're not getting paid for this, so just do things at your own pace.

On another note, from what I see often, people on ScribbleHub has a habit of binge reading. I myself am also guilty of waiting for large chunks of something to be released to read it. Many don't even comment in general, and trying to get them to is like Wile E. Coyote trying to catch the Roadrunner and failing 100% of the time.

Since I feel like I'm going all over the place, I'll say one thing. Take a couple weeks off and clear your head. If you still want popularity rather than your own selfish desires, then I'd recommend getting an outline for some type of LitRPG ready to go. Otherwise, keep moving forward on what you want, and if other people like it, then that's fine.

 

[Sylver]

Well your post could be quite the good manipulation and especially this sentence helps, everything we do can manipulate others or rather influence.

I did consider my post being seen as that kind of tactic, it's why I shared it on the author section rather than the reader general section. The post was a soft rant really, my exposure of what troubled thoughts and feelings came to mind.

Hearing some good advice is helpful and very appreciated though. Others aren't the kindest but I do comprehend what they're saying.

 

[Cosmictapestry]

Honestly, comments and reviews are rare. I’m a binge reader; I only read complete works. Even if I really like it, I rarely leave a comment. So, I don’t think it is something to be discouraged at. Having two loyal readers are good. The story I’m currently writing wasn’t doing so well at the start, but a friend stood by my side, read, and enjoyed it. So it kept me going.

 

[Voidiris]

Honestly, comments and reviews are rare. I’m a binge reader; I only read complete works. Even if I really like it, I rarely leave a comment. So, I don’t think it is something to be discouraged at. Having two loyal readers are good. The story I’m currently writing wasn’t doing so well at the start, but a friend stood by my side, read, and enjoyed it. So it kept me going.

Indeed there are only a few readers like me that comment under every chapter, I only know including myself 6 people that comment under nearly ever chapter they read.

 

[MatchaChocolate69]

Everyone has already said useful and true things.
Actually, Eldritch god said some right and valuable things, even though they were written in a tedious and verbose manner, and he might seem gruff. Read between the lines.
Kalliel was more concise, with the bitter truth, even though it's one side of the coin.

Never expect anything. No one cares about your story, only you do (it's an extreme to get you in the right mindset).

Never trust your friends and especially do not write for them. At best, they are condescending.

Don't you think about your characters? They deserve to complete their story.

But the real question is: do you care about your story? Does it bring you joy to write it? If not, then the problem lies there.

I've also been having trouble lately, but what keeps me anchored is wanting to know how my story ends.

I'm expecting to get judged, criticized, maybe even shamed.

Royal Road is the right site!

Another thing I've wanted to tell you for a long time is that it's not obvious to receive interactions or feedback.
One thing you can try is using polls, which require little effort from the readers, just a click, and it's more likely to get a response to a survey than a like or a comment.

 

[Voidiris]

Everyone has already said useful and true things.
Actually, Eldritch god said some right and valuable things, even though they were written in a tedious and verbose manner, and he might seem gruff. Read between the lines.
Kalliel was more concise, with the bitter truth, even though it's one side of the coin.

Never expect anything. No one cares about your story, only you do (it's an extreme to get you in the right mindset).

Never trust your friends and especially do not write for them. At best, they are condescending.

Don't you think about your characters? They deserve to complete their story.

But the real question is: do you care about your story? Does it bring you joy to write it? If not, then the problem lies there.

I've also been having trouble lately, but what keeps me anchored is wanting to know how my story ends.


Royal Road is the right site!

Another thing I've wanted to tell you for a long time is that it's not obvious to receive interactions or feedback.
One thing you can try is using polls, which require little effort from the readers, just a click, and it's more likely to get a response to a survey than a like or a comment.

There are stories with hundreds of chapter that get in the later chapters only around hundred readers and no comments at all, of course there are exceptions like Rhaps high quality story that always gets around 6 comments but that's more because the readers that are reading it are people that comment like me.

 

[Sylver]

This line, however, is not a good look at all. You're basically saying "if I don't get popular enough, I'll just throw away the readers I do have and start over somewhere else." You already said you did it once before, and if you do it again and people find out, do you really think people will have faith in your work?

Thank you for the response.

I should take a moment to elaborate on this, I had 4 years of work on a different website. I left because it was heavily focused on smut, and I wanted to write a more serious take that did not fit in line with the overall consensus. I've stayed in touch with some of the readers who reached out, so when people say I've abandoned readers, I beg to differ.

Besides, the story was very messy and the novel I am writing was just one story branch from a convoluted mess. I had always intended to start over because of that, I believe you can't remove parts of your story or repost them, at least not in the website I was using.

 

[ForestDweller]

There are stories with hundreds of chapter that get in the later chapters only around hundred readers and no comments at all, of course there are exceptions like Rhaps high quality story that always gets around 6 comments but that's more because the readers that are reading it are people that comment like me.

Yeah, to be honest, I see those kind of writers and I say they're crazy. Imagine all that effort for nothing.

It's why my update speed has slowed down considerably from when I started writing. I used to be hyped waiting for people to comment, looking at stats, but four years in, that hype is gone now. I only write when I'm in the mood to and it often means no new chapter for an entire month. My ratings are in the dumps, new readers only get to the early part of the story before leaving, or leaving the usual critiques that are hundreds of chapters late, and the handful of people sticking around don't really leave comments that stimulate me anymore. Not to mention Covid is no more so work is crushing my soul.

And with the rise of ai, I'd rather have an ai I can write together with like in a roleplay. Still not there yet unfortunately.

I've abandoned stories before. The only reason I don't abandon my story is because I still have things I want to write. That and some people are throwing their money away on my Patreon, funding my next artwork for the story. I'm having more fun commissioning artwork over writing the story.

 

[fluffypie374]

Not getting the love from your readers? Well, I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. You wouldn't get this from any other guy...

We're no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I...

A full commitment's what I'm thinking of. So, go tell your novel and its readers: Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you!

 

[nemonusquam_]

Consistently posting your story on sites like SH and RR is not only an exercise in improving your prose, but in learning to take feedback healthily (or the lack thereof at times!), meeting deadlines, writing even when you don't feel inspired, an exercise in willpower when you trudge on with your story on the days you feel it's not worth a damn, learning to kill your darlings, recognizing what works and what doesn't, self-marketing and separating yourself from your work.

It's not easy and it might feel like a thankless job at times; you read those Trad Pub success stories on the internet, and authors will be saying they worked on some 5+ novels before they wrote the one that was actually their debut. We're on a different playing field, but I think the idea behind it is the same.

You have 35k views, 400 favorites and 378 readers; I would be ecstatic with such stats! Dispel the gloom, you're doing fine. And also, what's the alternative? To not share your story and let it build up like a pent-up dam in your head? Something tells me the story-teller in you wouldn't like that at all! ;)

 

[Sylver]

Imagine all that effort for nothing.

Exactly! I know writing here is voluntary but... well some feedback at least would be nice! Preferable good feedback but heck, even criticism or negative feedback is some feedback. I'll keep writing but the feedback I got here was mixed to positive, some writers have good intentions but frankly, they're not great at cheering people up when they're down

Readers forget the importance of feedback. Small comments go a long way in cheering up a writer, especially when she feels like there's no one reading it. Seriously, many chapters I see that gain plenty of comments are so kind and you can see the readers speculating for what may come forward. That investment is precious, but incredibly rare in my case. Just need to be patient I guess, I know some readers have my story on a waiting list. But if that happens to often, the bad result would be a writer dropping their work because no one gave it much interest when they were still active. I hope not to meet that fate a second time

Not getting the love from your readers? Well, I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. You wouldn't get this from any other guy...

We're no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I...

A full commitment's what I'm thinking of. So, go tell your novel and its readers: Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you!

Thanks just a bit of cheer helps a bunch!

It's not easy and it might feel like a thankless job at times; you read those Trad Pub success stories on the internet, and authors will be saying they worked on some 5+ novels before they wrote the one that was actually their debut.

What brings me down are those miracle stories several writers here have hit a wide and still growing audience on their first story. If I really get desperate for views, I'll break down and turn my stuff into LitRPG because it seems to be quite a popular tag on the site. Not a causation, just a correlation thing.

Writing can be a very thankless task, and I'm happy for those who find success in it. But understand that all the advice in the world doesn't lead to success, sometimes you just end up unlucky and people don't read your work, and you're left in the dark wondering why that is.

You have 35k views, 400 favorites and 378 readers; I would be ecstatic with such stats!

I am thankful for this so far, to an extent. I'm an ambitious girl, sometimes too ambitious, and I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others. Part of what concerns me is the ratio between favorites, readers, and views. Sure, I seem to have views but the favorites and readers count don't match up. I know a handful of stories that have less views but more readers and favorites.

Ultimately, I'm in the dark and the post was me ranting about how I felt for several weeks. Occasionally my story will get a boost in views, but so little readers is the story bad? Is it the writing? The tags, the cover art? I hear fox girls are more popular in the site, would the story have done better if the MC was a fox girl instead?

I don't know, but now you get the idea why I value feedback so highly. It's just hard to write a story for an audience that you can't hear, or an audience that doesn't last. I even tried posting every weekday at a consistent schedule to see any changes, but they were minimal. I don't know, I'm that John Travolta meme where he looks around wondering where everyone is and some may call me selfish for wanting more but, well, I write to entertain others

I hope the stats improve in the future, I guess we'll see. Just bites that some stories hit big and most others don't.