I’m really close to adopting a a new super obnoxious reblogging my own stuff method
Where I basically just reblog the stuff I’ve written and am proud of every single day, multiple times a day. A morning reblog, an afternoon reblog, a evening reblog, a ‘I’m just about to go to sleep’, a ‘because I just feel like it reblog’, a anytime of the day reblog - why?
Simple. Because hardly anyone else is - reblogging that is. Now, I’m not saying much of my stuff is good enough yet to garner the big notes but gosh, it’s gotta be worth something - anything but no…its less than a handful of likes and one or two reblogs, IF I am lucky - most of the time, I’m not and the stuff I’ve worked hard on, the stuff I’m proud of, the stuff I want to share goes silently unnoticed.
Which is why I’m close to adopting this method. Why? Because while I do write just for the enjoyment of it and honestly do love to write, it is disheartening and discouraging when something I’m legitimately proud of, something that I put time and effort into creating is pretty much ignored. Well, no…I take that back. Most of the time, it isn’t downright ignored. It is instead passively liked. Which basically means people click on the little heart and move on their way.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Those likes do mean an awful lot and I’m grateful to anyone who likes my stuff but there is something you’ve got to understand. Likes are nice but what they are basically saying is that ‘it was good but not good enough to share’. To the writers, it is essentially saying:
It isn’t good enough to make me want to help it get more attention.
I’ve seen a lot of people say that notes don’t matter - that you shouldn’t do something for the recognition or the attention but because you like doing it and you want to give to the community. And I’m here to tell you that that is bullshit. Notes aren’t everything but they are massive confidence boosters. Why? Because they are concrete evidence that people like what you are posting, that people enjoy what you are posting, that people might even want more of what you’re posting. Without that, you start thinking ‘why bother? No one likes my stuff. No one enjoys my stuff. So why should I even bother?’
There are a great deal of posts circulating that are all about giving artists recognition - they tell you that if you see an artwork that you like, give it a like AND a reblog, make sure it gets shared because its a boost of confidence for the artist and encourages them to keep going. If not, there’s a big chance that they might get so discouraged that they stop drawing.
And that is not any different from writers. We need feedback, we need reassurance, we need confidence boosters, we need encouragement to keep going. Writing is not easy. Anyone who says it isn’t either has no respect for writing, is a flat out liar or gifted with a supreme talent and thus, their opinion has no meaning to everyone else. We need, desire and carve attention to keep us going. Even if our writing is sub par and needs work, we still want some kind of feedback. We need to grow and to grow, we need something to help us out. Whether it be reblogs, kudos, comments, anything - it is just as important and vital to us as it is to fan artists.
But, unlike fan artists, we rarely get that kind of attention. Most of us are lucky if anything we write breaks 50 notes and its a gosh darn miracle if something breaks 100 but I can guarantee that over half of the notes are likes with a smattering of reblogs. And that is exceptionally rare to see (usually only happens with nsfw content or with VERY popular pairings) - I’ve seen masterful works of fiction where the characters are professionally written and the stories are fantastical, and yet they only have 25, 30 notes (most of which, again, are likes). I’ve seen tear jerkers, thrillers, dramas, all sorts of beautifully written stories that quickly get lost and forgotten because no one bothers to reblog and share them.
Where is this all coming from? You’re probably asking yourself. After all, I don’t post nearly enough content to be considered among the greats and hell, it isn’t like my writing is the best in the world or like I ever finish anything I start. And, let me honest, it isn’t really about getting notes at this point…well, I take that back - it is because I relish in any attention because it boosts my confidence in my writing and makes me want to write more but really this isn’t about me. I know I need to work harder, to write more, to finish prompts and get myself out there before I can claim any kind of right to complain about how bad the Tumblr environment or well, ANY environment is for writers.
Nah, man. This isn’t about me. It sounds that way but it isn’t. I promise (What can I say? I’m bad at starting things and have to build everything up). What this is about is that while it is disheartening to see my own work go unnoticed, it is even more so when people whose work is magnificent, amazing, wonderful get zip…nada….NOTHING. And no one seems to care but despite that, there is also this startling attitude from the tumblr community where people are praising fanfiction, asking repeatedly for certain types of fanfiction, etc etc
And that’s great - I’m glad people are seeing fanfiction as less and less as this something that only the “weirdos” do and should be respected but that doesn’t mean a lot if that love, that appreciation, that excitement for fanfiction doesn’t translate over to the people actually writing it. Believe me, we love writing fanfiction. We love fanfiction and we love that a lot of people love it but damn, we need a bit of that love too. Don’t just say you love fanfiction, show us that you love it. We need that. We desperately, desperately need it.
Don’t just like, reblog. And for AO3 as well, if you like it, leave a kudos, a comment, a bookmark. Most of us post our stuff on AO3 so if reblogging stuff isn’t your style, head on over there to let us know we’re being appreciated. Doesn’t take a lot and trust me, that kudos, that comment, that bookmark - it goes a long way. It could be that little push the writer needs to finish the next chapter, to start up a new story or brightens up their day. It is important.
It isn’t fair to us to even have to consider continuously bombarding our followers with reblogs of our stuff in a desperate attempt to get it noticed. It isn’t fair that we have to beg (as I’ve seen many do) for reblogs and likes and kudos. It isn’t fair that we even have to ask people for any of that because you would like it would be a no-brainer that if you like something, you show it.
That’s really all we ask for. And really, it isn’t that much. If you can do it for fan art, then why is fanfiction any different?
blakekathryn
baratheonpilled
vaporwave
dailybridgerton
jacobvanloon
kaledo-art
