I think I'm at that point in my life where I'm not into pouring heart, effort, and time into fics nobody engages with.
See, whenever authors complain about the lack of engagement, we always get slapped with the generic advice: just write for yourself, as if wanting to engage with our readers for something shameful.
As if we should be disgusted with ourselves for craving the connection with our fellow fans, but the thing is, most of us already write for ourselves.
We tell ourselves funny little stories in our heads, we daydream, we write notes and messy drafts. And guess what? It's fun and satisfying, and no one gets to see those stories. No one gets to read them. That's what writing for ourselves looks like.
But when it comes to posting - it's work. If you want the story to be somewhat good and not riddled with errors and typos (so as not to provide TikTokers with more ammunition for the videos where they mock fics for not being perfect, or if you simply take pride in your work), you have to edit. You have to proofread. You have to give it to beta readers. You have to proofread again, then post, come up with a summary and tags, and maybe promo the fic. All this is not a super fun process. At least not for me, and not for the majority of my writer friends.
We do it to engage with the fandom. With other fans. We want to share our unhinged headcanons and funny scenarios, and enjoy other people's reactions to seeing our blorbos going through situations.
Contrary to popular belief, authors are not chasing fame or ego pats or publishing deals, unless you're MsKingBean, apparently. Just connections. And every time it's missing, and we happen to complain about people being unwilling to comment or interact in any meaningful way, we hear "just write for yourself."
Careful what you wish for. Because authors might just take your advice to heart - and then there will be no more fics for you to read.
germansingergirl
stormborns
turnnoffyourmind
yousharknotpass
2087
izzy806
