Circlejerking
If you want to see one of the very best explanations for circlejerking, I advice joining a few writing communitys.
The first poster is sad about not getting any kudos and comments and wants to stop writing. The commentors are trying to be uplifting and telling the OP that people are like that. Loving to take the free of money provided content and just consuming it, without being thankful. Its not the OPs fault!
The next post is about being super angry about getting some unwanted "constructive critic" (it was word for word stated as such in the post). They included a screenshot and go on a tangent about not being able to take that and that their heart is broken. The commentors got angry together with the OP. How dare anyone critic their free of money provided work?! They should be fucking happy that there is someone providing all that entertainment.
(The screenshot showed a comment, that in the end pointed out that it had sometimes been hard to know who was talking in the moment and that maybe the OP could make that clearer the next time.)
The next post is about feeling as if they are bad at writing and finding no motivation to write. Especially since they don't seem to get better and since then not getting kudos or comments. The commentors told them it would get better and that readers should show more engagement or fandom would die out.
Do you see it? The circle with the jerking? That happens in a lot of the writing communitys. They are all babying each other so much and "protecting" themselves from any "hurt" coming their way and so nothing will ever change about their work.
I still remember a comment from YEARS ago, as I still wrote in my native language. As one reader asked me, why it feels as if my characters don't feel anything. As if the breakup doesn't hurt.
To this day, this has been one of my most cherished comments, because I didn't double down or got butthurt and cried over mean assholes. I read my story again, gave it to a friend and they told me it does feel a bit soulless. And I sat down and god damn worked on it. Actually I might have worked a bit too much on it lol.
Somehow it feels as if so many of these writers are more busy with being hurt about stuff than actually sitting down and write. Because they should do it because they like doing it. And not to chase some kudos. Because, what do you know? I got more engagement as my writing got better and in english I am still lightyears from where I want it to be.
In short: Stop circlejerking yourself and others. Sure, real, constructive critic might hurt in the first moment but afterwards it should lit a fire under your ass and not start the tears.
