y'all I need help im losing motivation for my book

so I am writing my book on a school laptop which I know blah blah blah but I'm losing my motivaion for my book all because of a toxic friend told me it was "shit quality and nobody likes it" and I'm slowing making my chapters less and less pages but I'm losing the motivation to keep working on The Beauty In The Stars and I need help on how to keep it going without it feeling like I'm rushing through to get it done Please help!

The first negative feedback is like one of the great filters for writing. A lot of people will quit after it. Don't be the one who quits. Be the one who continues to improve and makes your story better. Anyone can criticize something, but it takes a real one to continue through all of the criticism.

uhhh honestly I'd reccomend just taking a bit of a break and slowly rereading your novel, you'll get some fresh ideas and relaxation time helps with gaining confidence/motivation back

Can I read it?

My novels received a lot of hate, but I decided to keep writing anyway. My biggest motivation is that I have nothing to eat tomorrow and my Patreon supporters are keeping me alive so I have to give them new chapter everyday.

Well 'Shit quality' doesn't tell you a lot. Is the issue with action? pacing? character? Unless its something helpful there's no point engaging with it. Elsewise yeah, it's probably not a work of earthshattering brilliance - it's your first attempt at writing a novel. Just keep going and keep your eyes out for areas that you can improve. Think of it as ironing out the shittiness now, so your fifth novel will have a better chance of breaking out.

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

so I am writing my book on a school laptop which I know blah blah blah but I'm losing my motivaion for my book all because of a toxic friend told me it was "shit quality and nobody likes it" and I'm slowing making my chapters less and less pages but I'm losing the motivation to keep working on The Beauty In The Stars and I need help on how to keep it going without it feeling like I'm rushing through to get it done Please help!

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Look, I can't believe I'm saying this...but yeah, take a look at my stories, especially The Human Saint is Bored. I completed 400+ chapters, 21 books, 5 arcs, and a million and 300+ thousand words, yet the stats are dismal. No one, or only a few (most from other sites, too) reads it. Maybe because they get intimidated by the wall of text, or my way of writing, which boils down to what I want to write, not the readers want to read.

Still, I told myself, "Heh, fuck those naysayers. I'll finish this story because I want to tell a story and never quit on it!" So after six years, I finished it.

So what can you get from my own experience?

1) If that crazy, weirdo NTR-looking pirate chef man named Hans did it, so can you. I believe that you have more potential than me, who sticks to his own beliefs that somehow someday his work would be recognized (I gave up on that, but I'm still writing).

2) Filter comments that align to your vision. You won't have your hobby checked by a policeman, mainly because their views are different from you. Of course, they won't appreciate that; they might even think of it as shit incarnate. Look for people who will try to sample your work, rather than force others to check on it.

3) If you go 'writing,' this hobby is 95% suffering and 5% appreciation. There are more downs than ups, so you really should steel yourself for what's coming, or adjust your goals for the story. There's no harm in doing that, because, see, if everyone listened to their critics, we'd have THE SAME stories uploaded. AND THAT IS FREAKING BORING.

So yeah, grit your teeth and make that bad feedback a way to power your 'comeback/vengeance'. You got this. Best works always come from 'slow cooking,' so if you feel like you're rushing things, or slowly burning out, take a break. Take a deep breath. Then, come back when you're ready to write again.

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

so I am writing my book on a school laptop which I know blah blah blah but I'm losing my motivaion for my book all because of a toxic friend told me it was "shit quality and nobody likes it" and I'm slowing making my chapters less and less pages but I'm losing the motivation to keep working on The Beauty In The Stars and I need help on how to keep it going without it feeling like I'm rushing through to get it done Please help!

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First, take a break.

And go read some more books. And possibly your own book too.



Indie game devs, are successful, foremost bc
1) They are gamers (not programmers only)
2) They have fun with their product (in this case, you must like writing OR your story)


And i once saw a story of someone that said his livestream had low viewers. Until a chatter said : urg.....its not you are bad but its kinda hard to watch (before leaving)
To this, he took his time to watch his own streams, and indeed saw his flaws.
(Its like singing, you think you do great, but only by watching yourself you will see the flaws)

VanVeleca said:

uhhh honestly I'd reccomend just taking a bit of a break and slowly rereading your novel, you'll get some fresh ideas and relaxation time helps with gaining confidence/motivation back

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Van basically said the same things as i just said.

Break + Look at your work

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Another thing is, humans somehow fail the worse they try harder(and stressed). Mentality is a shitty mystery of the human brain.
Its like a irl version of "desire sensor" in games. But its your own body.

Have you ever wondered why so many depiction in shows/movies there is this painter or writer that is smoking/depressed bc of no idea?
Well, its a true thing.
Meanwhile you have the famous Archimedes that thought of the buoyancy, while taking a bath.


And speaking of bath, ironically, the brain when less stressed, OR AT THE PINACLE OF NOT THINKING,
will be a bitch and think total random thoughts. (just like thinking your cringe moments in your life, while trying to sleep)




But yeah.
Take a break. Go have fun. And come back to writing when you feel ready.

Our_Lady_in_Twilight said:

Well 'Shit quality' doesn't tell you a lot. Is the issue with action? pacing? character? Unless its something helpful there's no point engaging with it. Elsewise yeah, it's probably not a work of earthshattering brilliance - it's your first attempt at writing a novel. Just keep going and keep your eyes out for areas that you can improve. Think of it as ironing out the shittiness now, so your fifth novel will have a better chance of breaking out.

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+1
His friend sure could have told more.
Doesnt take 5s to say : your mc is cringe, or this scene is cringe (this way the OP can upgrade it or get better)

It sounds like the cliche male friend that do pranks/dont care/push face into cake.
This kind of thing should be taken with a grain of salt.

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

so I am writing my book on a school laptop which I know blah blah blah but I'm losing my motivaion for my book all because of a toxic friend told me it was "shit quality and nobody likes it" and I'm slowing making my chapters less and less pages but I'm losing the motivation to keep working on The Beauty In The Stars and I need help on how to keep it going without it feeling like I'm rushing through to get it done Please help!

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Hey! You can refer to my thread based on this topic, many people have provided their support and opinions in it, which kind of helped me get back i believe it will help you too. :) Lastly, I will say Keep going and finish what you started. https://www.scribblehubforum.com/threads/how-to-move-forward.27307/

It's all nonsense. When you're thrown off track by a simple, "nobody will read you," it means you're unsure of your own story. Firstly, criticism must be objective. So if people won't read you because of the main character's hair colour, that already sounds like nonsense. So, first of all, you need to either come up with concrete examples to answer the question "why won't people read you?"
Secondly, try to solve the problems that could actually affect the audience.
Thirdly, you need to choose your audience. For example, if you're writing philosophy, and for completely objective reasons, most people might not read you. And not being prepared for that is simply wrong.
Basically, when you've squeezed everything out of yourself and they still tell you "nobody will read you," well, it'll be a shame. But at least you can say that you did everything possible, and anyone who doesn't read it is a fool.

In most cases, or just always. The questions and answers to them are nonsense. But you need to know the answers.

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

so I am writing my book on a school laptop which I know blah blah blah but I'm losing my motivaion for my book all because of a toxic friend told me it was "shit quality and nobody likes it" and I'm slowing making my chapters less and less pages but I'm losing the motivation to keep working on The Beauty In The Stars and I need help on how to keep it going without it feeling like I'm rushing through to get it done Please help!

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Well, I won't say "Everything is fine. Keep writing!"

If a friend criticizes your writing after reading it, there are two possibilities:

(1) Your writing doesn't suit his/her taste. Reader dislke the content of the story because his/her taste is different.

(2) Your writing is difficult to read. Reader find it difficult to get into the story.

Therefore, you can ask or clarify your friend, "Where is the mistake in your writing? What makes your friend think your writing is bad?"

If the answer is about taste, then you can ignore it (you can't please everyone).

If the answer is about storytelling, about how he/she finds it difficult to get into your story, then you can accept the criticism and start improving the quality of your narrative.

You know... for some writers, criticism is unsettling. But for others, criticism is a golden opportunity to improve the quality of the narrative.

Without criticism, writers may repeat the same mistakes.

Do what you want, write because you want to, because you enjoy it.
You won't please everyone, some might find you cringe while others will like what you write, that simple.

It's likely your story has some technical problems, maybe some grammar or who knows, but you can always go back and fix issues. You can learn, you can get better. What you can't fix is people.

Eldoria said:

(1) Your writing doesn't suit his/her taste. Reader dislke the content of the story because his/her taste is different.

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Eldoria said:

cringe

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Here is one good example. El Dorado is allergic to cringe while a different reader embrace cringe. Their tastes are different.

Fairemont said:

Can I read it?

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ofc

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

ofc

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Do you have a link? Or at least a title? Lol

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

I'm losing my motivaion for my book

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Well let's go find it silly, where did you last see your Motivation?
You may think this is a joke, but I'm serious. What drove you to share your stories to begin with? That's how you get your motivation back.

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

a toxic friend

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From the sounds of it you already recognise that the feedback wasn't really constructive and that they clearly don't have any investment in you developing your skills and creativity.
Any and all skills can be improved over time, the fact you didn't drop writing on the spot already means you are moving in the right direction.

Back when I was first learning to write I ripped names out of books I was reading at the time and tried to build similar stories to the things I'd seen, it was bad, even though I don't have any drafts of it now, I know it was probably really bad.
Having people who can see your effort helps a lot and thats what kept writing in my head all these years, one teacher who actually took an interest.

And you don't always need motivation to write, but make sure you give yourself permission to stay creative, scribbles, stories, tabletop games, any art or crafts. Communities are usually going to try and be constructive where possible and theres no expectation to stay constantly active, pop by and say hi whenever you need.

Fairemont said:

Do you have a link? Or at least a title? Lol

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its callled The Beauty In The Stars

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

so I am writing my book on a school laptop which I know blah blah blah but I'm losing my motivaion for my book all because of a toxic friend told me it was "shit quality and nobody likes it" and I'm slowing making my chapters less and less pages but I'm losing the motivation to keep working on The Beauty In The Stars and I need help on how to keep it going without it feeling like I'm rushing through to get it done Please help!

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Being a cis-het male, BL isn't really my thing. But I read the 1st chapter and your writing is fine. I felt the infatuation was kinda cute actually. IMO as long as you enjoy writing, keep going, you'll have readers.

WAk3_UP_WAK3_UP said:

so I am writing my book on a school laptop which I know blah blah blah but I'm losing my motivaion for my book all because of a toxic friend told me it was "shit quality and nobody likes it" and I'm slowing making my chapters less and less pages but I'm losing the motivation to keep working on The Beauty In The Stars and I need help on how to keep it going without it feeling like I'm rushing through to get it done Please help!

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There's a saying in English, "Nothing worth doing is easy." Don't you think that every single athlete who ever won at the Olympics at one point felt so tired that they didn't want to train? Of course they felt tired, but they trained anyway. Fuck your friend (not literally; that's how STDs spread), keep writing!