hey there, I just read the first chapter of CAITH and I'm starting chapter 2 as we speak. love it already.
my question is: how did you get your story out there so quickly? it's so popular (as it should be, the writing is amazing). can you give any advice to other fan fic writers regarding how to get more hits and kudos and comments on their fics? thanks!
I really believe that sometimes itās just the luck of the draw! Iāve had fics go big before, and Iāve got a ton that never get more than maybe a hundred kudos. I wrote a big fic for last yearās DAURB and at 70k+ words it just never really did that well in terms of stats. Iām not a better writer now than I was a last summer by any metric, but Iām telling a story over a longer period of time that Iām really passionate about and personally obsessed with, which goes SO far. I really am having fun, feeling connected to the work and the fandom community, and it shows!
BUT! Some things Iāve noticed that DO help get and keep people hooked on a story: a fun trope, consistent updates, visuals, and community.
People like age gap stuff. People like emotional slow burns. People like tropes! Pick one you love too, so itās fun to write. A solid, well written take/twist on a classic will already have a built in audience.
When starting CAITH I wrote 12 weeks ahead to give myself a solid cushion, so I was writing this for a few months before posting it. I had 2-3 really awesome friends cheering me on during that process. I wrote enough for me to feel good about being able to post once a week until the story is done, but that may be a different amount for others. I know people who write and post as they go weekly, I know people who finish the fic before posting chapter one. Posting once a week around the same time of day is helpful, the consistency builds trust which means more people reading before itās finished. People are hesitant to read a WIP, so the first month or so I was posting it was mostly being read by people who knew and liked my previous work, or who were taking a big chance on me.
I am VERY LUCKY so many people have felt inspired to draw things, and I know a lot of people have found this fic because of the art. If you donāt draw or have people drawing, mood boards, collages, playlists, memes etc are all really fun ways to talk about your story.
I think part of why people are making things like art for this story is that I am engaged in fandom community. I participate in bangs, I beta read for others, I hang out in discord servers where we workshop things and I chat with my friends/readers about the story. Fandom is always best when itās a communal thing, and I really do make an effort to be an active part of the community.
I hope this helps. My biggest takeaway for any fandom thing is HAVE FUN. Thatās all that matters.
