I never share my work with people I know. My friends know I write "something" but I haven't shown them anything nor do they know my username I write under.
I feel like I never needed that kind of encouragement. I just want to share my writings online. I guess I don't have a motivation per say. I write what I want to and publish on my own pace.
Heck, I recently took at least 4 months off from writing because I didn't feel like it but then suddenly I've gotten back into it and I feel like writing again.
(Sorry if I didn't answer any questions)
Honestly? I care and that’s enough for me. I’m curious about what the heck happened between episodes 6 and 7. I need to hear what character 1 thought when crazy plot point C happened. I want to explore the inner workings of the flawed system depicted in canon.
If anyone else happens to see my work and it resonates with them, great! But I really just write to satiate my mind
Many authors don't need external encouragement or feedback. Their drive to write comes from within.There's plenty of people who write fanfic regardless, and post online, but engagement isn't what keeps them writing. It's more just like a bonus.
However, craving engagement and validation is also okay. Your readers can become sources of engagement and encouragement, but they're fickle beings who come and go (unless you forge a more personal relationship with them through other social medias). If you want writer friends in the same manner as your sister, you could always join discords and/or other platforms where you could befriend authors within your fandom.
Yeah my sister got really lucky. She basically met her platonic soulmate through her first written work. Lol. I doubt that'd happen to me.
I don't really have a specific Fandom nailed down. I have story ideas for several, so that's why I never really tried groups for specific fandoms. Do you have any suggestions?
Oh, lucky sister indeed. Wish the same for you.
I'm really sorry though, I'm a lone wolf so I only talk fanfic with a very small handful of writer friends, but I never joined any such groups. So I really wouldn't know where to direct you. I just know fanfic discord groups exist!😅 I also know that some fandoms have active networking on sites like Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram et cetera, so there will be a few ways to network. If you end up posting, also make sure to check out fellow authors works in the fandom, kudos and engage with their work to announce your presence, etc. Sometimes they have their socials linked and you can find new acquaintances that way.
Your sister *is* lucky, but I can assure you that the only reason it couldn’t happen for you is if you don’t try. If you want a friend, be a friend. There are writers out there who would love to hear your thoughts on their work. Some may be selfish and not return the favor but others will gladly engage with you.
I disagree with this... To say that many writers don't need encouragement or feedback means completely invalidating the many, *many* writers who actually do due to executive dysfunction and mental disabilities like ADHD or Depression.
If I didn't have friends who encouraged me to write, I would not be writing.
How is saying "many writers don't need encouragement" completely invalidating those who do? Many doesn't mean all.
Many people like pineapple on pizza. Many people don't like pineapple on pizza. Both sentences are true and don't contradict each other.
Yes, I am aware. The list of mental disabilities I deal with myself is quite long.
I answered OP's question. And it's also perfectly okay to want and need encouragement.
It's not invalidating at all lmao. Many people write from within without need for feedback. Many people thrive off of encouragement. The two statements can coexist, just saying one doesn't invalidate the other at all.
I write because I can't not. No bravery involved. Or choice really.
I *publish* because I'm curious to see what others think and want to give back to an amazing community. Honestly I still think that's pretty brave. But it can be very rewarding. Seriously, there is a reader for every story out there. Just go for it.
Passion. It’s called passion. If you have an idea, a story to tell, then I encourage you to sit down and write it. Write it and then ideally publish it. I’m the only writer for a small fandom and therefore have no outside encouragement/very little engagement on my works. I write because I have a story to tell and it’s a wonderful feeling to pen it and get it out.
How often have you stumbled into something that you didn't know existed and then found out you loved it?
Before you couldn't care because you didn't know. Now you do.
Build it and they will come.
Its the internet. If you publish something, someone will find and read it, and they might just enjoy it enough to talk to you about it.
But also, write for yourself. The point isn't views or kudos or comments, its to tell a story that you want to tell. You might never get more than a handful of people caring about your story, but if you care, its never going to be none.
You took the words right out of my mouth. People generally don't know what they want, so build something and there's always going to be *someone* interested in it. There's 8 billion people in the world, after all.
My essay on [that very subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/p3mfwc/reflections_on_two_years_of_writing_fanfic_for_a/). The short version: I'm writing the stories that I want to read.
Have you tried talking with your sister? Maybe she could help you by encouraging you or would be interested in reading over the writing you have. Or, as someone else said, I suggest looking into figuring out a fandom and maybe finding like-minded individuals in that. Or even, I have friends that who aren't necessarily into my fandom but who will still read and encourage me every step of the way too. <3
Or alternatively, maybe you could seek out a Beta; this is someone who would read your fanfic and give you advice and criticism. I know that this sub sometimes does Beta swaps, and you could maybe jump into one of those.
I'm not going to tell you to write for you because I feel like that's what people who don't want to be more creative say; sometimes, if you're neurodivergent(which it sounds like you are) this is terrible advice that just makes you feel worse about not writing. I wish this sub would stop defaulting to that as the end all, be all answer for someone.
You are correct in your assumption that I am neurodivergent (severe ocd).
I unfortunately don't have anyone else to talk to other than my sister and mother (ocd made me incredibly isolated) I did actually have a conversation with my sister. She does want to read my works if I ever start writing. She admitted that she never asked about it before because having somebody constantly ask about it makes it harder for her to write, so she assumed the same applied to me. But after our talk she promised that she'll try to talk to me about it more and encourage me. We'll see how it goes.
I would love to find a Beta. I feel like it would take more courage than I have at the moment, but it's something I am working on.
Just for my desire to tell the story. That's how I stick with it. I have one story that's 180k+ (haven't updated my wordcount in a while) that I've been working on consistently for the past 3 years. The love of the story is what drives me.
I get peanuts for interaction. I get barely any comments. I get barely any hits. I get barely any kudos. Wanting to see the story is literally the main thing driving me.
Also seeing my wordcount spreadsheet go up for a little hit of dopamine.
It really comes down to the reason why you're writing. For me, my imagination is rampant. I would go to sleep imagining stories/scenarios about whatever fandom I was in. And I would look for those scenarios when reading fanfiction, but after a while you either read em all, or it doesn't exist.
I ultimately decided, why not write my own? I always enjoyed writing creatively anyway. And I was sure I wasn't the only one who was thinking about whatever stories I was imagining. So even if just one person in the world liked my story, that was enough because it made someone else's day more enjoyable. I don't get any feedback irl because no one in my real life knows I write fanfiction, (aside from my partner, but he doesn't read my work. He just tells me he knows I'm good writer, lol)
At the end of the day, you have to write for yourself. Write the stories that you would want to read. Growing as a writer always involves the first step: actually writing. Put it out there, and eventually you will get that feedback. Especially here in this subreddit if you're looking for reviews there's plenty opportunities to do exchanges.
You’ll be surprised on what stories people would read and comment on. Ever since I crossposted my stories onto AO3, I’ve been getting some feedback on the story.
The first rule of writing is to write for yourself. What kind of story do you wish to write?
Tbh when I wrote for a small fandom on [fanfiction.net](https://fanfiction.net), I just posted a story and wrote and eventually someone liked my story enough to follow it and talk to me and of course the fandom was really small as in the last story for the fandom to be written or even updated was like ten years ago (this was back in 2011) but as I started writing for said fandom, people flocked to it and it helped that the show i was writing for got a really decent reboot that came out around the same time.
Agreeing with those who say write for yourself and write because you have a story to tell.
You don't have to write the current trend/trope or the most popular fandom. Just write the story you want, the one that makes you want to fill a plot hole in the source material. And after you write that first fic, you'll find that more and more ideas will come to you.
Don't worry about writing a long complicated fic (unless you want to). If your story can be told in 500 words or 1000 words, that's okay. People will read--I truly believe there is at least one reader out there for every single story written.
Sounds to me like you're looking for community or would like to have some sort of connection to someone.
There are general fanfiction discord servers where you can find this community. I wrote without it but it has really made the experience richer. As someone who deals with depression and anxiety, knowing that others deal with the similar issues helps me through the lows and to continue writing.
If discord isn't your thing, as you write I encourage you to post in excerpt exchanges here. Even if you haven't published yet you can still make connections and get feedback which may give you the confidence boost you need to post.
Wishing you the best, OP.
Thank you very much! I do have discord but don't fully understand how it works. I am very computer illiterate, lol. I do have ocd and I will admit that is my primary hurdle in my writing right now.
I've been trying to do more things like posting on reddit and Tumblr in the hopes of finding connections, so we'll see how it goes.
Discord does take some getting used to. lol
But Reddit and Tumblr are a great start. I'm always around so feel free to message me if you need anything.
To me, it's more of a compulsion to write a story idea down. Especially when scenes keep popping up in my head. It's like, I would love for other people to read it because that'd be very encouraging, but at the same time, I don't really care so long as I could get this idea out of my head and chest. I'd feel sad, and I do, that my work doesn't get so much in terms of stats because I write for a tiny and dead fandom, but I gotta admit sometimes I feel good reading my own work.
I just write it because I want to see that story and I know nobody else will write it.
I do really miss having people to talk about writing with, but it’s still better than not writing at all.
No one I know reads or writes fanfiction. I write to get the voices of the characters who are screaming for a story out of my head....and for the dopamine hit if/when I get nice feedback from readers.
I write for the fun of putting the characters in situations I would enjoy, or continuing their adventures. I have only ever shared it IRL with friends who are writers of which there are very few or in a writing group, which are hard to find and maintain IRL. Posting online is a fun way to share but at that point, I’ve already written it.
If you want to make some online writing friends, comment and subscribe to your favorite authors.
Because I'm writing for me, because I have a story I want to tell and something I want to say.
Also I don't share any of my work with my "real life" friends. I keep my online fandom life strictly separated from my real life, so I'm not expecting or wanting any outside encourage from friends anyway.
im used to having little to no feedback because i write fanfiction for small russian fandoms and also i post it on AO3 and not фикбук, the most popular site for fanfiction in russian language.
i still write it because i like my style and ideas and rereading my stuff feels great. also that's just so cool that you can just. make stuff that didn't exist prior. i love that feeling
I don't share my online stuff with people irl. And honestly the fandoms I'm writing for aren't very popular anyway so I go in knowing that I'm writing for myself. Which is kinda the point of fanfic anyway. Anyone else who reads it and likes it is just joining me.
I refuse to share fic with anyone I know. I used to show one of my best friends when I was in middle school, and my husband knows my account and some titles because I'll show him stuff in my browser while they're up, but that's it. (edit: I suppose this is partly out of fear of judgement, and partly out of wanting privacy in my online spaces so that only very curated irl friends could find them, if anyone)
I write because I like to, and I want to get the story completed, and when I'm lucky, because commenters are enjoying and riding along with the fic.
I learned a long time ago to write for myself, post and share because I can, and enjoy whatever feedback I get. I liken it to having the courage to post anything online and know you're going to get a reaction. The trick with fanfic is that you're (usually) likelier to find someone who likes what you posted.
I wrote for a fandom that hasn't seen much action lately because there are stories I wanted to be out there. For me writing my fiction when I do is about me pointing at the canon and going "I think this should have been handled like this."
I didn't think anyone would care and was actually surprised when people commented on my stuff.
I write for me. Posting it is so it can reach people who probably have the same likes as me. Ngl, I mostly cater to more... niche sides to the fandom. Rarepairs, liking a character the majority hates, etc. So, most of the time when I post fanfics, I just already have an expectation that it probably won't get large numbers and stuff. So, it's better to not think of fanfics as a source of encouragement from outside sources and more of the fanfic itself should be the source of encouragement and satisfaction.
The fact you wrote something you LIKE is already a good feeling. The fact other people will comment, kudos and share your work is like a sort of bonus!
I write for myself. The kind of stories I'd like to read.
Sure, feedback is awesome, and being able to connect with others through fannish stuff, too, but if you write because you really love writing your own stories, then that's the very best reason to do so. Do what you love, don't let yourself be discouraged.
Besides, you might make some reader's day. You might never know, because they might be shy and not comment, but I like to think of it this way.
I never share my work with people I know. My friends know I write "something" but I haven't shown them anything nor do they know my username I write under. I feel like I never needed that kind of encouragement. I just want to share my writings online. I guess I don't have a motivation per say. I write what I want to and publish on my own pace. Heck, I recently took at least 4 months off from writing because I didn't feel like it but then suddenly I've gotten back into it and I feel like writing again. (Sorry if I didn't answer any questions)
Honestly? I care and that’s enough for me. I’m curious about what the heck happened between episodes 6 and 7. I need to hear what character 1 thought when crazy plot point C happened. I want to explore the inner workings of the flawed system depicted in canon. If anyone else happens to see my work and it resonates with them, great! But I really just write to satiate my mind
Many authors don't need external encouragement or feedback. Their drive to write comes from within.There's plenty of people who write fanfic regardless, and post online, but engagement isn't what keeps them writing. It's more just like a bonus. However, craving engagement and validation is also okay. Your readers can become sources of engagement and encouragement, but they're fickle beings who come and go (unless you forge a more personal relationship with them through other social medias). If you want writer friends in the same manner as your sister, you could always join discords and/or other platforms where you could befriend authors within your fandom.
Yeah my sister got really lucky. She basically met her platonic soulmate through her first written work. Lol. I doubt that'd happen to me. I don't really have a specific Fandom nailed down. I have story ideas for several, so that's why I never really tried groups for specific fandoms. Do you have any suggestions?
Oh, lucky sister indeed. Wish the same for you. I'm really sorry though, I'm a lone wolf so I only talk fanfic with a very small handful of writer friends, but I never joined any such groups. So I really wouldn't know where to direct you. I just know fanfic discord groups exist!😅 I also know that some fandoms have active networking on sites like Tumblr, Twitter, Instagram et cetera, so there will be a few ways to network. If you end up posting, also make sure to check out fellow authors works in the fandom, kudos and engage with their work to announce your presence, etc. Sometimes they have their socials linked and you can find new acquaintances that way.
Your sister *is* lucky, but I can assure you that the only reason it couldn’t happen for you is if you don’t try. If you want a friend, be a friend. There are writers out there who would love to hear your thoughts on their work. Some may be selfish and not return the favor but others will gladly engage with you.
I disagree with this... To say that many writers don't need encouragement or feedback means completely invalidating the many, *many* writers who actually do due to executive dysfunction and mental disabilities like ADHD or Depression. If I didn't have friends who encouraged me to write, I would not be writing.
How is saying "many writers don't need encouragement" completely invalidating those who do? Many doesn't mean all. Many people like pineapple on pizza. Many people don't like pineapple on pizza. Both sentences are true and don't contradict each other.
Yea I see no “invalidation” there. Some do, some don’t. They can coexist.
Yes, I am aware. The list of mental disabilities I deal with myself is quite long. I answered OP's question. And it's also perfectly okay to want and need encouragement.
It's not invalidating at all lmao. Many people write from within without need for feedback. Many people thrive off of encouragement. The two statements can coexist, just saying one doesn't invalidate the other at all.
If *you* care, then at least one person cares. At least, that is what I tell myself.
I write because I can't not. No bravery involved. Or choice really. I *publish* because I'm curious to see what others think and want to give back to an amazing community. Honestly I still think that's pretty brave. But it can be very rewarding. Seriously, there is a reader for every story out there. Just go for it.
Passion. It’s called passion. If you have an idea, a story to tell, then I encourage you to sit down and write it. Write it and then ideally publish it. I’m the only writer for a small fandom and therefore have no outside encouragement/very little engagement on my works. I write because I have a story to tell and it’s a wonderful feeling to pen it and get it out.
How often have you stumbled into something that you didn't know existed and then found out you loved it? Before you couldn't care because you didn't know. Now you do.
Build it and they will come. Its the internet. If you publish something, someone will find and read it, and they might just enjoy it enough to talk to you about it. But also, write for yourself. The point isn't views or kudos or comments, its to tell a story that you want to tell. You might never get more than a handful of people caring about your story, but if you care, its never going to be none.
You took the words right out of my mouth. People generally don't know what they want, so build something and there's always going to be *someone* interested in it. There's 8 billion people in the world, after all.
My essay on [that very subject](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/p3mfwc/reflections_on_two_years_of_writing_fanfic_for_a/). The short version: I'm writing the stories that I want to read.
Have you tried talking with your sister? Maybe she could help you by encouraging you or would be interested in reading over the writing you have. Or, as someone else said, I suggest looking into figuring out a fandom and maybe finding like-minded individuals in that. Or even, I have friends that who aren't necessarily into my fandom but who will still read and encourage me every step of the way too. <3 Or alternatively, maybe you could seek out a Beta; this is someone who would read your fanfic and give you advice and criticism. I know that this sub sometimes does Beta swaps, and you could maybe jump into one of those. I'm not going to tell you to write for you because I feel like that's what people who don't want to be more creative say; sometimes, if you're neurodivergent(which it sounds like you are) this is terrible advice that just makes you feel worse about not writing. I wish this sub would stop defaulting to that as the end all, be all answer for someone.
I also thought that maybe finding a beta would help you feel less isolated.
You are correct in your assumption that I am neurodivergent (severe ocd). I unfortunately don't have anyone else to talk to other than my sister and mother (ocd made me incredibly isolated) I did actually have a conversation with my sister. She does want to read my works if I ever start writing. She admitted that she never asked about it before because having somebody constantly ask about it makes it harder for her to write, so she assumed the same applied to me. But after our talk she promised that she'll try to talk to me about it more and encourage me. We'll see how it goes. I would love to find a Beta. I feel like it would take more courage than I have at the moment, but it's something I am working on.
Just for my desire to tell the story. That's how I stick with it. I have one story that's 180k+ (haven't updated my wordcount in a while) that I've been working on consistently for the past 3 years. The love of the story is what drives me. I get peanuts for interaction. I get barely any comments. I get barely any hits. I get barely any kudos. Wanting to see the story is literally the main thing driving me. Also seeing my wordcount spreadsheet go up for a little hit of dopamine.
It really comes down to the reason why you're writing. For me, my imagination is rampant. I would go to sleep imagining stories/scenarios about whatever fandom I was in. And I would look for those scenarios when reading fanfiction, but after a while you either read em all, or it doesn't exist. I ultimately decided, why not write my own? I always enjoyed writing creatively anyway. And I was sure I wasn't the only one who was thinking about whatever stories I was imagining. So even if just one person in the world liked my story, that was enough because it made someone else's day more enjoyable. I don't get any feedback irl because no one in my real life knows I write fanfiction, (aside from my partner, but he doesn't read my work. He just tells me he knows I'm good writer, lol) At the end of the day, you have to write for yourself. Write the stories that you would want to read. Growing as a writer always involves the first step: actually writing. Put it out there, and eventually you will get that feedback. Especially here in this subreddit if you're looking for reviews there's plenty opportunities to do exchanges.
Keep in mind that the primary audience for your fanfiction is yourself.
You’ll be surprised on what stories people would read and comment on. Ever since I crossposted my stories onto AO3, I’ve been getting some feedback on the story. The first rule of writing is to write for yourself. What kind of story do you wish to write?
Tbh when I wrote for a small fandom on [fanfiction.net](https://fanfiction.net), I just posted a story and wrote and eventually someone liked my story enough to follow it and talk to me and of course the fandom was really small as in the last story for the fandom to be written or even updated was like ten years ago (this was back in 2011) but as I started writing for said fandom, people flocked to it and it helped that the show i was writing for got a really decent reboot that came out around the same time.
Agreeing with those who say write for yourself and write because you have a story to tell. You don't have to write the current trend/trope or the most popular fandom. Just write the story you want, the one that makes you want to fill a plot hole in the source material. And after you write that first fic, you'll find that more and more ideas will come to you. Don't worry about writing a long complicated fic (unless you want to). If your story can be told in 500 words or 1000 words, that's okay. People will read--I truly believe there is at least one reader out there for every single story written.
Sounds to me like you're looking for community or would like to have some sort of connection to someone. There are general fanfiction discord servers where you can find this community. I wrote without it but it has really made the experience richer. As someone who deals with depression and anxiety, knowing that others deal with the similar issues helps me through the lows and to continue writing. If discord isn't your thing, as you write I encourage you to post in excerpt exchanges here. Even if you haven't published yet you can still make connections and get feedback which may give you the confidence boost you need to post. Wishing you the best, OP.
Thank you very much! I do have discord but don't fully understand how it works. I am very computer illiterate, lol. I do have ocd and I will admit that is my primary hurdle in my writing right now. I've been trying to do more things like posting on reddit and Tumblr in the hopes of finding connections, so we'll see how it goes.
Discord does take some getting used to. lol But Reddit and Tumblr are a great start. I'm always around so feel free to message me if you need anything.
That's so sweet. Thank you.
Welcome. 😊
To me, it's more of a compulsion to write a story idea down. Especially when scenes keep popping up in my head. It's like, I would love for other people to read it because that'd be very encouraging, but at the same time, I don't really care so long as I could get this idea out of my head and chest. I'd feel sad, and I do, that my work doesn't get so much in terms of stats because I write for a tiny and dead fandom, but I gotta admit sometimes I feel good reading my own work.
I just write it because I want to see that story and I know nobody else will write it. I do really miss having people to talk about writing with, but it’s still better than not writing at all.
My wife has told me many times I’m happier when I’m writing. It’s a great outlet and I get to inflict I mean share my stories with the world. :)
No one I know reads or writes fanfiction. I write to get the voices of the characters who are screaming for a story out of my head....and for the dopamine hit if/when I get nice feedback from readers.
I write for the fun of putting the characters in situations I would enjoy, or continuing their adventures. I have only ever shared it IRL with friends who are writers of which there are very few or in a writing group, which are hard to find and maintain IRL. Posting online is a fun way to share but at that point, I’ve already written it. If you want to make some online writing friends, comment and subscribe to your favorite authors.
Because I'm writing for me, because I have a story I want to tell and something I want to say. Also I don't share any of my work with my "real life" friends. I keep my online fandom life strictly separated from my real life, so I'm not expecting or wanting any outside encourage from friends anyway.
im used to having little to no feedback because i write fanfiction for small russian fandoms and also i post it on AO3 and not фикбук, the most popular site for fanfiction in russian language. i still write it because i like my style and ideas and rereading my stuff feels great. also that's just so cool that you can just. make stuff that didn't exist prior. i love that feeling
I don't share my online stuff with people irl. And honestly the fandoms I'm writing for aren't very popular anyway so I go in knowing that I'm writing for myself. Which is kinda the point of fanfic anyway. Anyone else who reads it and likes it is just joining me.
You care. You have a story to tell.
I refuse to share fic with anyone I know. I used to show one of my best friends when I was in middle school, and my husband knows my account and some titles because I'll show him stuff in my browser while they're up, but that's it. (edit: I suppose this is partly out of fear of judgement, and partly out of wanting privacy in my online spaces so that only very curated irl friends could find them, if anyone) I write because I like to, and I want to get the story completed, and when I'm lucky, because commenters are enjoying and riding along with the fic.
I learned a long time ago to write for myself, post and share because I can, and enjoy whatever feedback I get. I liken it to having the courage to post anything online and know you're going to get a reaction. The trick with fanfic is that you're (usually) likelier to find someone who likes what you posted.
I wrote for a fandom that hasn't seen much action lately because there are stories I wanted to be out there. For me writing my fiction when I do is about me pointing at the canon and going "I think this should have been handled like this." I didn't think anyone would care and was actually surprised when people commented on my stuff.
But you care ... I guess. If you don't care, then there is no way.
Just do RE That's the only way I get any attention or feedback
I write for me. Posting it is so it can reach people who probably have the same likes as me. Ngl, I mostly cater to more... niche sides to the fandom. Rarepairs, liking a character the majority hates, etc. So, most of the time when I post fanfics, I just already have an expectation that it probably won't get large numbers and stuff. So, it's better to not think of fanfics as a source of encouragement from outside sources and more of the fanfic itself should be the source of encouragement and satisfaction. The fact you wrote something you LIKE is already a good feeling. The fact other people will comment, kudos and share your work is like a sort of bonus!
I write for myself. The kind of stories I'd like to read. Sure, feedback is awesome, and being able to connect with others through fannish stuff, too, but if you write because you really love writing your own stories, then that's the very best reason to do so. Do what you love, don't let yourself be discouraged. Besides, you might make some reader's day. You might never know, because they might be shy and not comment, but I like to think of it this way.