Where did the love go?

[AuthorsDread]

Agreed.

 

[Temple]

I certainly feel better after I stopped behaving like that.

Yep, I remember when you were like that, especially back in RR. And I was like that too. When someone asks for advice on how to get views, I do tell them whether they want to sell their soul or not.

I suppose a new writer needs to be on the road to burnout first and realize that we have enough soul-selling going around that they should at the least protect their passion.

 

[bulmabriefs144]

Every time, a new author asks for advice on here, there are some older members who parrot something along these lines:

The popular genres are Gl, GB...

Why? Why must you tell a writer, who is still fresh to the craft, to not write what he or she loves and gives him or her a dopamine spike, but the popular genres? Why ruin the magic for them? Since when have views and trending became more important than having fun?

Because, let us face it, if we wanted something to suck our souls out, we'd do overtime. For free!

As a writer, the best advice you can take is from business owners. Specifically conservative business owners. I say this not because conservatives are any better than liberals, but that pandering (especially to popular token groups) is a real menace to liberals. Conservatives understand that they will never please that fanbase, and they flatly tell them, "Sorry guy. If you don't like it, go some place else." You have to run your business the way that makes you happy. When it isn't fun, you quit or take a break.
An author has to run their book writing like they run their ideal business, about what they want, not about what capricious "fans" tell them are popular now.

Let's use an object lesson. Here's a webcomic artist, Jeph Jacques.

https://questionablecontent.net/

Jeph Jacques of Questionable Content has had issues with depression and anxiety in the past, which have on occasion caused him to take a day or two off from drawing the normal strip. However, in 2012, he stabbed his hand in a drunken stupor and took two weeks off from his comic after a Tumblr user sent him an angry and belligerent post over one of his latest comics. What did he do? He didn't draw Hollywood Homely nerd Marigold "fat enough" in a swimsuit.

That's right. The fanbase was so unpleasable, that they had a drunken breakdown and stabbed their hands.

You won't please the fans, and trying might lead you to a bad place. But if you please yourself, you might have fans.

 

[RepresentingDesire]

As a writer, the best advice you can take is from business owners. Specifically conservative business owners. I say this not because conservatives are any better than liberals, but that pandering (especially to popular token groups) is a real menace to liberals. Conservatives understand that they will never please that fanbase, and they flatly tell them, "Sorry guy. If you don't like it, go some place else." You have to run your business the way that makes you happy. When it isn't fun, you quit or take a break.
An author has to run their book writing like they run their ideal business, about what they want, not about what capricious "fans" tell them are popular now.

Let's use an object lesson. Here's a webcomic artist, Jeph Jacques.

https://questionablecontent.net/

That's right. The fanbase was so unpleasable, that they had a drunken breakdown and stabbed their hands.

You won't please the fans, and trying might lead you to a bad place. But if you please yourself, you might have fans.

"If you try to please everybody, you please nobody." is one of the most important things artist or creators should know especially because they are themself a part of everybody and nobody.

 

[bulmabriefs144]

Yes, that. Without the hand stabbing incident.

 

[ConansWitchBaby]

I recall telling the guy who wanted to suck off a 4th reich isekai to go for it. We are very loving and supportive here.

 

[Sylver]

I made a recent post asking for help with getting more readers and views on my story, and I appreciated the replies I got back. I understand what you're saying, I wanted to add from my perspective. I love writing, I grew up reading and following cartoons, shows, fairy tales and the like. Writing wasn't something I thought about until 6 years ago, and I've been writing ever since.

I'm actually writing a story on Scribblehub that has been posted before on a different site. However, this is my second draft, so it shares a lot of similarities and differences. I don't want to just copy and past my content, I want to get better at writing the characters, describing the scene, the emotions, and the story. I want to learn this craft and master it, I want to get better.

But there are 2 core reasons behind my writing. I write because I love writing these fun little stories in my head and seeing them come to life, and I write in the hopes of entertaining others and to let them experience the same joy I did when I was little and watching my shows or reading my books. Getting hearts or likes is helpful, but getting readers is what really motivates me. Omg, someone left numerous comments on several chapters of mine last month and it so made my day!

But yea, I heard about what genres are popular and that's fine. I think it's up the writers themselves, whether they prioritize the fame or the stories they tell. I, like many others, want both, and I like to push myself to get more readers, more views, and get better at my writing along the way. I hope my perspective added a bit to this conversation :)

 

[TheMonotonePuppet]

Every time, a new author asks for advice on here, there are some older members who parrot something along these lines:

The popular genres are Gl, GB...

Why? Why must you tell a writer, who is still fresh to the craft, to not write what he or she loves and gives him or her a dopamine spike, but the popular genres? Why ruin the magic for them? Since when have views and trending became more important than having fun?

Because, let us face it, if we wanted something to suck our souls out, we'd do overtime. For free!

So, the next time someone asks for advice on their story, why don't you take the time to read their questions, even if they are a wall of text, instead of telling them they have to turn their hobby into a job? For every train, there are passengers. Even for stories which are not from the popular genres.

Just let them have fun, give them a couple of constructive advice based on reading their story, if you really want to be helpful, and enjoy the fact that they will bring their own style to this wonderful site.

Instead of telling them to churn another GL/GB/Isekai/and so on story, which, if they don't like any of these genres, might swear them off writing.

Rant over.

I fully agree. A lot of the advice that gets given is more jaded than a xianxia harem novel.

 

[Deleted member 84247]

I fully agree. A lot of the advice that gets given is more jaded than a xianxia harem novel.

A lot of people have been burned, so they reach out to external factors out of their control. The "jaded" come from their experience, or they think that other's experience are everyone's. So they become more jaded than @AYM's favorite waifus.

 

[prognastat]

There is truth to it so it's probably worth being aware of it. At least it helps when you see a bunch of GL GB novels take off like rockets while your novel is only building slowly. There is a reason there are jaded people after all.

The important thing to know yourself and why you are writing though. Do you enjoy those tags yourself? Great go wild and write stories with those themes. If you get almost all of your validation for writing externally and need that dopamine hit to keep writing then probably try writing with those themes because chances are you will see more readers, comments and likes writing those than you were when you weren't.

If however you don't enjoy those themes and at least a decent portion of your validation for writing comes from within and feeling good about what you write independent from what others say is important then even if it might work at first it will kill your passion for writing and do more harm in the long run.

Also if you are writing with any intent to make it a real job(less likely here, but for writing in general) then you will need to learn about appealing to some kind of market at least. It's really hard to create a completely new market. Odds are higher if you are writing something that doesn't fit an existing market that you aren't a pioneer and that once people realise this your story will take off. The more likely possibility is you are just writing something that will never be popular.

Do keep in mind that tastes vary from site to site. For example the tags that are popular here are quite different from those that will work on WN or RR. Sure there is overlap, but they have different types of members with different tastes. The GB/GL stuff for example is very popular here. Isekai and overly dark/edgy protagonists are very popular on WN.

TL:DR
It depends on what your real motivations for writing are. Some people can write to those tags and love it and for others it will kill their passion. Introspection is key.