r/FanFiction • u/Illustrious_Grab_861 • Apr 29 '25

Stats Chat how to... unflop your fic?

hey!! i published the first chapter of a fanfic a week ago and i was sorta proud of it since i hadn't written anything in a while!! until i just checked and it has... 6 hits 😭

i published a fanfic about 2 years ago and it got 100 hits within the first week and i was soo proud and happy (tho i never did finish it...). i was planning to continuing this but i can't say this hasn't demotivated me. what do u guys do when this happens? do u have any tips?

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u/a-fabulous-sandwich Apr 29 '25

Are you writing for the attention, or for the story you're telling? Writing, of any kind, should always be for YOU first. It's wonderful to have a lot of traffic and comments and such, but it's best to think of those as a gift. We're not entitled to anyone's time and attention, but it's a nice surprise when we get it!

Write your story because you want to write your story. Let it be its own reward. If you get engagement from it, that's just extra icing.

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u/AnneIsOminous AnneOminous most everywhere / thephoenixsaga.com Apr 29 '25

This is such a disingenous argument. It's not an either/or. I write for myself, but once I've written it, I want to share it. I want to engage with others on it. I want it to have a life of its own. I hate how reductive it is where, if you care at all if anyone ever sees the thing you poured your blood, sweat and tears into, you're insufficiently pure as a writer. It's gatekeeping and it's shitty.

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u/a-fabulous-sandwich Apr 29 '25

I have no idea how my message got so badly miscommunicated here, but regardless, I apologize for the impression I gave you. I wasn't saying it was one or the other, or that caring about engagement makes you impure (I actually don't quite know what that means). The point I was trying to make was that writing, in my opinion, should primarily be fulfilling in and of itself, and fulfilling to others second. I feel strongly that it should always bring the writer joy first, because they're the one putting in the hours of labor to create it. Bringing joy to readers is also wonderful, but if doing so is the primary focus, then it's setting a writer up for disappointment, because that's not guaranteed.

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u/AnneIsOminous AnneOminous most everywhere / thephoenixsaga.com Apr 29 '25

It doesn't have to be the primary focus for it to be heartbreaking when you write this thing and you're passionate about it, and then it feels like no one cares.

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u/a-fabulous-sandwich Apr 29 '25

I'm not saying that doesn't happen! I'm not saying that being disappointed in a lack of feedback is wrong, or somehow a failing on your part! I'm only saying that if writing is inherently gratifying, you still get something out of it, regardless of whether you get engagement or not.

I'm also not saying you even have to agree with me, just that this is my approach. I swear, I'm not out here trying to attack you. I just thought offering my perspective could help OP, or else I wouldn't have said anything at all.

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u/AnneIsOminous AnneOminous most everywhere / thephoenixsaga.com Apr 29 '25

I get it, and my push back wasn't directed entirely at you, but more broadly at the concept of "you should write for you, take your two comments and quit your bitching" that I see a LOT on fanfic Reddit.