Craving feedback vs. Staying motivated

[Fondofwisdom]

I struggle to lock in for writing, i try and get a chapter every week or two even if they aren't long, mostly because i thrive on feedback. Uploading more would probably get more eyes but its difficult to push for it.

Do i need to just separate myself from outside opinion and write for me even if i struggle to maintain momentum? or do i need to push harder and try and find an audience since that's what excites me about writing: sharing and discussing my ideas.

 

[Agentt]

Here's what I tell myself,

Fuck the readers.

They don't have any rights.

The readers do not matter.

I will change the tense midway through a sentence.

That's just part of who I am.

Daily Affirmations to tell yourself

 

[Bayleyrockstar]

I struggle to lock in for writing, i try and get a chapter every week or two even if they aren't long, mostly because i thrive on feedback. Uploading more would probably get more eyes but its difficult to push for it.

Do i need to just separate myself from outside opinion and write for me even if i struggle to maintain momentum? or do i need to push harder and try and find an audience since that's what excites me about writing: sharing and discussing my ideas.

First of all. If you aren't writing for more than a passing interest or hobby, then inconsistent scheduling is fine.

If you want to make a career out of it, your readers want consistency, proper editing, and a good story layout. All of which the pinned forum posts for beginner writers can explain.

Quite frankly, it sounds like you don't like writing, but instead enjoy book clubs or writing groups. And id suggest you check out any local programs.

As an emergency measure, if you do want to write, use a slopbot for feedback. Don't implement it's suggestions though, and don't think if it praises you you're a good writer, they're yesmen, and they're trained on more bad writers than good. But their affirmation can tickle that itch if only temporary.

 

[Fondofwisdom]

Here's what I tell myself,

Fuck the readers.

They don't have any rights.

The readers do not matter.

I will change the tense midway through a sentence.

That's just part of who I am.

Daily Affirmations to tell yourself

That's the sort of confidence I hope to have at some point, I guess i get too wrapped up in if what i make is good, but if I'm writing for others good becomes so subjective and intangible. Writing is decently fun, I get bogged down in the idea that it's not good enough to just write what I'm thinking about, it has to have a degree of accepted quality or it won't be worth peoples time, it has to make sense, it has to line up. and like obviously that's true for anything.

I just struggle to continue when I can't bounce ideas or writing off anyone else, it all makes sense to ME, I get what I'm saying, but whats the point if others don't.

I guess it boils down to, I want to write and share my ideas and see if they are good, but doing so is so annoying and confusing that i have no idea if I'm even close to the right direction for what people expect is good since i cant where my bar for quality and the general bar line up.

 

[Bimbanana]

I found a doggo!

 

[Fondofwisdom]

First of all. If you aren't writing for more than a passing interest or hobby, then inconsistent scheduling is fine.

If you want to make a career out of it, your readers want consistency, proper editing, and a good story layout. All of which the pinned forum posts for beginner writers can explain.

Quite frankly, it sounds like you don't like writing, but instead enjoy book clubs or writing groups. And id suggest you check out any local programs.

As an emergency measure, if you do want to write, use a slopbot for feedback. Don't implement it's suggestions though, and don't think if it praises you you're a good writer, they're yesmen, and they're trained on more bad writers than good. But their affirmation can tickle that itch if only temporary.

I'd say it's a hobby with room to grow, that growth thrives on attention and demand not from me but from others since hobbies don't pay bills.

I'm stuck in the space of: writing well is a pain in the ass, especially if no one reads or can tell me if I'm doing it right in the first place.
Not caring and just writing works but also it might keep me stuck out of the quality space if I'm not there.

 

[Agentt]

That's the sort of confidence I hope to have at some point, I guess i get too wrapped up in if what i make is good, but if I'm writing for others good becomes so subjective and intangible. Writing is decently fun, I get bogged down in the idea that it's not good enough to just write what I'm thinking about, it has to have a degree of accepted quality or it won't be worth peoples time, it has to make sense, it has to line up. and like obviously that's true for anything.

I just struggle to continue when I can't bounce ideas or writing off anyone else, it all makes sense to ME, I get what I'm saying, but whats the point if others don't.

I guess it boils down to, I want to write and share my ideas and see if they are good, but doing so is so annoying and confusing that i have no idea if I'm even close to the right direction for what people expect is good since i cant where my bar for quality and the general bar line up.

I get that mn, grabbing a friend to bounce ideas off and getting validation feels super nice.

 

[Bayleyrockstar]

That's the sort of confidence I hope to have at some point, I guess i get too wrapped up in if what i make is good, but if I'm writing for others good becomes so subjective and intangible. Writing is decently fun, I get bogged down in the idea that it's not good enough to just write what I'm thinking about, it has to have a degree of accepted quality or it won't be worth peoples time, it has to make sense, it has to line up. and like obviously that's true for anything.

I just struggle to continue when I can't bounce ideas or writing off anyone else, it all makes sense to ME, I get what I'm saying, but whats the point if others don't.

I guess it boils down to, I want to write and share my ideas and see if they are good, but doing so is so annoying and confusing that i have no idea if I'm even close to the right direction for what people expect is good since i cant where my bar for quality and the general bar line up.

That's actually bad advice. The readers opinions do matter if you're doing it as more than a hobby.

I have a saying. "Write for yourself, then write for your readers."

See that. Despite saying write for yourself, the readers are still a factor. That's because they're who your writing for. But it also means you need to write what sounds good to yourself.

If you merely want feedback, there's a section of the forum that'll tell you if you're doing anything wrong if you post your story there.

If you need instant validation for motivation, talk to a LLM. But treat it's words with a grain of salt. I'm guilty of doing this myself, so it's nothing to be ashamed of. It's just another tool to make lives easier.

 

[Fondofwisdom]

I found a doggo!

It's just the picture i use for everything, based on a photo of my old dog. love your well dressed orc btw.

That's actually bad advice. The readers opinions do matter if you're doing it as more than a hobby.

I have a saying. "Write for yourself, then write for your readers."

See that. Despite saying write for yourself, the readers are still a factor. That's because they're who your writing for. But it also means you need to write what sounds good to yourself.

If you merely want feedback, there's a section of the forum that'll tell you if you're doing anything wrong if you post your story there.

oh for real? like i just toss the link there? I haven't scrounged around in forums in probably 10 years and i popped in on a whim. So proper etiquette with this stuff is a little lost to me.

 

[Bimbanana]

It's just the picture i use for everything, based on a photo of my old dog. love your well dressed orc btw.

Manners maketh Orc, my good doggo

 

[Bayleyrockstar]

It's just the picture i use for everything, based on a photo of my old dog. love your well dressed orc btw.

oh for real? like i just toss the link there? I haven't scrounged around in forums in probably 10 years and i popped in on a whim. So proper etiquette with this stuff is a little lost to me.

Yeah, there's a section for it, but you can just ask for feedback and post the URL to your story. There'll be people who will give you honest feedback.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

I have a saying. "Write for yourself, then write for your readers."

I would take that a step further, even.

"Would I enjoy reading what I just wrote?"

What I am referring to is stepping out of your self-bias and reading your work as if you just picked it up. Does it entertain you? Stimulate your brain in some way? Or do you actually find it boring or poorly written? What don't you like about it? Does it even do anything for the rest of the story?

You can't usually do this when you have freshly written something, but in a day or two, when you read it back to yourself, you can usually disassociate enough to see where your issues are.

If you find you don't like it, your potential readers probably won't either. This method only works if you are able to be logical and objectively honest with yourself.

 

[Eldoria]

When I first started writing fiction, I wasn't concerned with how many readers would read it; I was concerned with the content of the story, which subverted mainstream tropes. I cared more about what I wrote than what others thought of it.

 

[Fondofwisdom]

I would take that a step further, even.

"Would I enjoy reading what I just wrote?"

What I am referring to is stepping out of your self-bias and reading your work as if you just picked it up. Does it entertain you? Stimulate your brain in some way? Or do you actually find it boring or poorly written? What don't you like about it? Does it even do anything for the rest of the story?

You can't usually do this when you have freshly written something, but in a day or two, when you read it back to yourself, you can usually disassociate enough to see where your issues are.

If you find you don't like it, your potential readers probably won't either. This method only works if you are able to be logical and objectively honest with yourself.

I think that's a good point, but I don't necessarily think I am an average reader, not that I have a higher bar of quality but more that I naturally find I don't align with many people, I notice weird stuff or pick up odd patterns and I have to try and write for everyone, plus I have context for everything and understand my meanings and ideas.

I do my best to be objective with my own work, but It's hard to separate myself from all of my own bias, what obvious to me isn't always obvious, beyond that, is it only obvious to me because I know and am shrouded in my own context for everything?

 

[Bayleyrockstar]

I would take that a step further, even.

"Would I enjoy reading what I just wrote?"

What I am referring to is stepping out of your self-bias and reading your work as if you just picked it up. Does it entertain you? Stimulate your brain in some way? Or do you actually find it boring or poorly written? What don't you like about it? Does it even do anything for the rest of the story?

You can't usually do this when you have freshly written something, but in a day or two, when you read it back to yourself, you can usually disassociate enough to see where your issues are.

If you find you don't like it, your potential readers probably won't either. This method only works if you are able to be logical and objectively honest with yourself.

Yeah, that's a good one. I constantly do that. So it's good advice.

 

[Fondofwisdom]

When I first started writing fiction, I wasn't concerned with how many readers would read it; I was concerned with the content of the story, which subverted mainstream tropes. I cared more about what I wrote than what others thought of it.

A big part of why I started this story was to do something similar, but I cant pretend that discussion and feedback don't fuel me greatly.

 

[PRM2009]

"Honestly, I don't write for attention. I write because I love it — because these characters, this world, this story — it's mine. No one else can decide how good my imagination is. That's not for them to judge.
Feedback is welcome if it helps me improve, but I don't need it to keep going. I genuinely believe that if your story is good, the readers will come naturally.
My creation. My imagination. That's enough for me."