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Who do you write for?
That's the question I'm asking myself right now. I get anxious and upset when no one comments on a story, and so the only way to counter that feeling is to ask the question - who do I write for? And the answer is, I write because I cant help it. I have to. So even if nobody likes a story or not, I'll have to keep writing anyway.
Still anxious about the lack of interest in my last story, though ....
Comments
Write for yourself.
Write to please yourself. Try not to wallow in self pitty. Try to write things that make you feel happy. You can only re-live the past for so long. People get tired of it. People have their own pasts to cope with, and often do not wish to think of it.
G
Who I write for
I use to think I wrote for my own ego. I love watching hit counts, kudos and comments as people told me how wonderful I was.
In a way, I still do.
But, I realize that I am also writing to give voice to a segment of Transsexuals that go unnoticed in literature. I am trans, but for me it is not about clothes and makeup and sex. My stories don't follow some of the trappings that I find in other works and I realize people appreciate what I do and that I express in words what they are feeling.
So, who do I write for. I write for the non-fetish m2f transsexual who wants to read stories about people like them and aren't interested in gratuitous sex, trips to the salon, or 15 pages describing what a dress looks and feels like.
Right now, I am wearing a new dress I bought on Ebay, but I'm really not thinking that I am wearing it, it's not what I am about and I write for people who are like me.
Katie Leone (Katie-Leone.com)
Writing is what you do when you put pen to paper, being an author is what you do when you bring words to life
Well Said
I am right there with you.
Megan
People say, "You don't know what you had until it's gone." Very true, but also equally true is, "You don't know what you've been missing until is arrives."
I write for me, but do love
I write for me, but do love to hear when people love it. Love getting comments, but the kudos mean more to me only because that means it touched somebody, who was afraid, or didn't know what to say in a comment. Kudos, give me an idea of what people like to read. I only wrote to please people once and hated what I wrote. I write because the characters in my mind are impelling me to write their story.
For me...
Writing is cathartic, I am in a situation I can't get out of easily. So I write about the feelings of hopelessness I have, its a way of getting it out of my system. When something pops into my head I generally have to put something about it down real quick or I lose it. Then I'll go back and fill it out, unless its a poem or verse. Those usually come out all at once due to what I'm feeling at the time. Smiles, Jenn.
Upon my liar's chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
It depends...
My answer to your question is "it depends"... One of my stories was originally written as a "gift" to a friend of mine. (It was appreciated, apparently.) My first story - was one I was talked into writing (No, not the story itself, but just to write it.). It's shared here on BCTS, and was my first writing of anything NOT REQUIRED by school or work in over 35 years... (IMO it's not real good, but it had a nice following for it's 33 3k word chapters.) My short stories have many reasons for writing. One actually was started as a joke in IM chat that I put some words around... Three others, in retrospect, were me working out my coming out to my wife... I'd started a fourth, but came out before finishing it... With a far better outcome than I could ever have expected.
So, as I say, why I write... It depends. What I post and what I write are NOT the same thing. And, I posted some things here - that I eventually pulled (even though some had a number of comments, asking for more). (I pulled my non TG stories.)
Why you write? Only you can know - really. You may tell us reasons, but only you know if they're your only reasons or even your most important ones. A separate thing you may want to think about is why do you post? There have been many discussions over the years on what it takes for a story to get lots of Kudos now... But also comments, etc.
Best wishes,
Annette
I love writing
but I love it even more when other people enjoy the stories I have written.
I long ago gave up on the idea that comments have any meaningful message about my stories. It's simply that a small percentage of readers take the time to comment on stories and try to make me feel good. However the vast majority of people who read stories, will probably not even bother to click on the Good Story button.
Get used to it. Do as I have done and turn off public comments - then you won't have to worry about how many you don't receive!
Write for yourself, sure in the knowledge that the majority of people who read will not comment or give Kudos.
I write because I love to...
I started writing to find some way to allow the inner me expression and release. I wrote for purely selfish reasons and because it helped keep me sane (questionable I know). If I'm honest I still write for my own pleasure, but get enormous pleasure when others enjoy my work. I still write for me...if others like it then that's a bonus. That might sound odd but at least I might avoid being guilty of commercialising my work.
There's no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothes!
I can't not write
I plot stories in my sleep. I write dialog in my head while driving. Scenes and locations occur to me while reading, drawing, eating, watching television or walking the dog. I can't not write.
I do imagine an audience for what I write (or draw) but it varies as to what exactly I am writing. But first of all, I have to be pleased with it, so I guess in a large part, I write for myself.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
This is Closest to my Thoughts
I would say I create characters, scenes, worlds, and conversations because they are always coming into my head and need to be exorcised. But I would not attempt to craft them into a story if I did not have an audience to which I could present it. I would never finish anything, barely do anyway, without this incentive of eyes seeing it.
One thing I will say about writing, is has shrunk the amount I read on this and Fictionmania to almost nothing. I still read my favourite sci fi authours, again not as much as I once did, but around TG fiction, I feel that my time should be spent writing. But this quirk does not really make a contributing part of the community. And since I am a poor reader and commentator, why I should I expect readers and comments? That said, amongst the comments I have received, there have been a number of wonderful ones that make me feel that it is worthwhile to turn ideas into a posted story.
I think I write mostly for
I think I write mostly for myself generally, though I do have some exceptions. I have hopes of getting some of my stuff published once its ready and in that sense, I guess I write for people that are similar to me in a way.
However, I've discovered lately that some of what I write is just because I feel a need to do so. Especially with my changing situation over the last year, I write to try and put a face on what I feel and what I think. I want to be able to show that nothing is as black and white as certain people want us to believe, and no matter who we are, we fall into that trap every so often. So I write to try to keep myself from becoming jaded.
Samirah M. Johnstone
I write for....
Harvey. ;-)
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
I write for you
and him and her or 'him' and 'her' and you and you and you across the street and in the next town or over in Australia or Asia or Europe and of course I write for the satisfaction of putting my thoughts down on a computer or paper. Don't you do the same?
My feeling is that the responses or kudos we receive depends on so many things and lack of response is not that there is a lack of interest. Some subjects are popular and as we see from the Valentines competition a great idea doesn't always attract the response anticipated. We aren't all romantics and we don't all like fantasy stories and some don't like long stories or multi episodes.
You posted two short stories and in terms of kudos per word for the first one you scored high. So how about your average for comments per word? You might be top of the league this morning.
I often take a look at your blogs as you share your views so you must have made an impression because you get comments. You give lots of comments on other stories.
So just enjoy and others will enjoy too.
You write for yourself and others
I am one of those who can't write, fiction anyway. I spend a lot of time here at BCTS reading yours and others' stories. I don't always comment, less than half the time in fact. If it is a good story, I will leave a kudo. If I can say something that has not already been said then I will comment.
There are several authors here that I follow. You are among them. Whether we comment or not, know that your efforts are appreciated by many readers. Please continue to share what you write for yourself.
Much love,
Valerie R
Much Love,
Valerie R
Who?
...disguised as a mild-mannered reporter, I write for a great Metropolitan Newspaper.... No...that's not it. Oh, yes... I write the songs that make the whole world sing... No! Wait! That's not it either. To quote Asimov, "I write for the same reason I breathe ... because if I didn't, I would die."
Love, Andrea Lena
I write the songs that young
I write the songs that young girls sing....
oops, no, that's something else.
Seriously, I primarily write for me. Its a way of expressing what i'm feeling/thinking, or wish fulfillment to a degree. I do like to think that others will enjoy it and try to keep them in mind as well.
Hugs,
Kristy
You
I write for the person reading this comment right now. Hi there. Thanks.
I Write
With the sole intent that one day maybe a hundred years from now, my stories will make it into school curriculums and some english teacher will force students to listen to their analysis of my writing. "Towards the end of the first book, when Michael finally puts on a bra for the first time, the writer uses this scene as a metaphor to describe how Michael will be supporting his two girls who have been held captive for the past-"
"-No, it's Michael putting on a bra for the first time. Period."
People say, "You don't know what you had until it's gone." Very true, but also equally true is, "You don't know what you've been missing until is arrives."
While this would be kind of
While this would be kind of funny, I feel sorry for the students. Interprete text blabla... I hated this work in school. Seriously, there are so many cool things you could do in language classes... like writing stories... but no, they need to interprete shit into the stories that the author most likely didn't even think about.
Reminds me of the
scene in Back to School with Rodney Dangerfield who hires Kurt Vonnegut to write his paper about Kurt Vonnegut. The teacher fails him stating "Who ever you had write this, doesn't know shit about Kurt Vonnegut." I joke about it, but in reality, I agree with you.
People say, "You don't know what you had until it's gone." Very true, but also equally true is, "You don't know what you've been missing until is arrives."
Myself
I write for myself. Because I enjoy it and until recently I was afraid to share my work with anyone else, thinking it wasn't good enough. Now it only matters if it's good enough for me. I just write for the pleasure and the idea that I can create a world of my own that nobody else can duplicate because it comes from my mind and heart. I share my work now not to write for others but to share my world and thus part of myself with others.
The kudos and the comments are always awesome, but it's really creating and sharing that world that makes it worth it to me, because I get pleasure from that. Write for yourself first because nobody can know your world like you.
Amethyst
Don't take me too seriously. I'm just kitten around. :3
Do I write for my self?
That is a very good question. Once I thought I knew the answer. I'd have said that I write because I would like to put order to the ideas and pictures swirling around in my head. I'd have said that I write because I HAVE to.
When I joined this site over 5 years ago, It was because a story that I had read ignited new product in my mind.
I wrote the first few episodes to try and clear my mind of them. However, the popularity of the story, the kudos, and the fantastic comments it generated began to make me write for everyone who enjoys this site. Writing became a high, a driving force to generate more attention. I became obsessed with posting 3,000 - 6,000 words a week. I loved the way the readers would argue with one another over what or how a character should act or do. The one posative thing that came from the story was that I began challanging myself to create scenarios to back my characters into corners and then try to get them out. I also used it as a tool to improve my writing skills and styles.
14 months ago, I pushed myself for NANOWRIMO. Due to holidays and my employment, November is a rough month to write. I ended up with 49,500 words that month. missed the 50,000 by 500. I'm pretty pleased with that. However, From 12/2011 until 2/2013 I didn't write more than a few paragraphs. I wasn't obsessed with writing, I just didn't have time and if I did? well, I was blocked. My Muse abandonded me. I think she went on holiday. you all know how that feels. And you know what? during this time, I didn't die.
So maybe I do write for myself...... Who am I kidding. I write because I want to share all of the ideas, pictures and stories in my head.
I write...
...because it has a theraputic affect on me. If I didn't write, i'd probably start eating the lead paint again.
Hugs....
A heavily leadened Brat
My two stories worth...
One was a contest, my first. It was also something I've wanted to try for a long time, a SciFi story. I am addicted to SciFi in a major sort of way, but nowdays the video genre sucks.
The second was for me, it came straight from my soul, many part were autobiographical, which I didn't realize until I finished the story. My subconscious wrote this one.
Nowdays it is just finding time that is the issue, I would like to continue writing.