People apparently don’t feel great about writers asking for feedback.
Okie now, I’m not sure if I’ve made this clear but I write for me. I’ve got about ten fics that haven’t seen the light of an online day. They’re mine and mine alone. I post, however, for my readers… and ask for very little in return.
Will I stop posting if I get little to no feedback?? No. I still post. I’ve been posting with a lack of feedback for almost a decade, by now I’ve got thick skin about it. I will, however, stop tagging if someone doesn’t give me love back.
Now there are people (like @risingphoenix761 and @pisces-cutie) who give incredible feedback that I sometimes have to scroll through to read. Then there are people (like @mrswhozeewhatsis and @mariekoukie6661) who comment on pretty much everything. And then there are people (like @fangirl-and-medstudent-help and @maddiepants) who are my serial ASKers. These people (and every single person who leaves feedback) mean more to me than I could describe, and they inspire me to actually write on my computer instead of watch food videos on Facebook or Scared Buddies on YouTube.
However, I have left a fic hanging for almost two years because of the lack of love. It got nothing, I gave nothing. My well of inspiration dried up and the muse for that fic quit… for nearly two years.
I won’t do that again because I’ve grown and notes don’t define my actions. But people who I tag define whether or not I continue to tag them. Nothing comes for free, you want something work for it.
In saying all of this, I know people who will tag and ask for nothing in return. I know people who have quit this site because of the lack of love. I respect their decisions, and I respect them as people not just writers. If someone has incredible content I’m not going to let their pleading for feedback stop me from enjoying something that makes me happy. So getting turned off by posts begging for more reblogs… kinda shines a light in you corner. No need to feel shirty with writers if you’re giving them the love they deserve.
Imagine walking into your local book store and seeing signs everywhere advertising your favourite authors book and being like, ‘Gosh, aren’t they desperate… no thanks’. Hell, your favourite shows get cancelled if they don’t recieve enough good feedback or love.
We might not be Stephen King or the CW, but we’re still creators and we still require something from our audience.
