Another personal anecdote: I am writing a fandom fic now (and finished another). I get some foot traffic, even likes/bookmarks, but barely any feedback or comments. I really have no idea what readers think, aside from like one commenter on the old fic.
Based on what I’ve read in other communities, that’s a common phenomenon. There’s just less engagement proportional to the (also lesser) reader count these days, and it kinda feels like writing into a black hole.
I shifted my mindset to get around any issues. I don’t write for anyone else. I write for an audience of one, me. I find myself interesting, however vain that might sound, and therefore I write. I don’t know how much that helps you, if you’re looking for constructive criticism, but it’s the only way I’ve managed to continue enjoying the act. Well, that and passing it along to the kids in the form of verbal collaborative storytelling.
Another personal anecdote: I am writing a fandom fic now (and finished another). I get some foot traffic, even likes/bookmarks, but barely any feedback or comments. I really have no idea what readers think, aside from like one commenter on the old fic.
Based on what I’ve read in other communities, that’s a common phenomenon. There’s just less engagement proportional to the (also lesser) reader count these days, and it kinda feels like writing into a black hole.
I shifted my mindset to get around any issues. I don’t write for anyone else. I write for an audience of one, me. I find myself interesting, however vain that might sound, and therefore I write. I don’t know how much that helps you, if you’re looking for constructive criticism, but it’s the only way I’ve managed to continue enjoying the act. Well, that and passing it along to the kids in the form of verbal collaborative storytelling.