hey lovely ladies, enbies, and lads!! my dad published a book called “Gracie and the Snufflepuffs” by David Rowney. it’s a children’s book (about 28 pages) based on a story he used to tell me as a kid, so the main character is based off of child-me :D currently available via the link below in kindle and paperback form!
it’s so frustrating (and heartbreaking) to see so many writers going on indefinite hiatus / deleting their blogs because they are not motivated to write anymore. worst of all: people would always be like ‘no why are you leaving we don’t want you to do so :(’ but they were nowhere to be seen in our notifications beforehand. the lack of support on this platform is a huge issue and it’s a shame that content consumers don’t get the hint when writers have been waving the red flag for months. pleasesupport creators by rebbloging their posts, interact with them by leaving a few tags, a comment or an ask! if you’re too shy then hit that anon button and you’re good to go. show them that their works matter and you enjoy their blog, because when the decision to leave is made, it’s already too late.
Normally I’m not one to add my two cents to a post but I think this has inadvertently stumbled into exactly the reason why readers aren’t getting engagement: because their audiences are not communities and don’t see themselves as such, but ‘content consumers’.
Writers and artists create because they are compelled to, but they share because they want to engage with the community. When we approach their works with the emptiness of the term 'content’ that so characterizes the commercial media landscape, we devalue the work and intentions of writers and artists.
Yes, comment! Yes, reblog! Yes, support! Because as a reader and audience member you are a vital part of the community! I think there is this sense that you are only valued if you share your creative efforts, and only then can your voice be appreciated, and that simply not true! Audience, we love and appreciate you because we share for you! You are a part of the community too!
This is a really important thing to share. As someone who loves to write and create, I also love interacting with people on the things I create. Yes, I create them because I love doing it. Building new worlds whether via writing or art or even design is something that I feel like I thrive in. It’s when I’m in the best zone for me. It’s why I spend endless hours designing new things not only in the fandom world, but in my field as well that just get me so excited to talk about and share. I just LOVE creation and world building and what better place to get lost in that then in fandom?
It’s such a fun feeling to share something you worked hours on with someone out there who might see it and offer up their interpretations of it in a way that maybe you hadn’t considered or something about it touched them in a way that means something special to them. As an extreme introvert when I first started studying design I was terrified of showing my creations and having people say they were terrible. It scared me to get up and present my work because there’s that fear that someone is going to hate it. Each time you put yourself out there in displaying your art, you are offering a piece of your own creative center that you don’t often share with the world around you (at least for introverts like me). When someone offers positive feedback and a response no matter how little the response may be, no matter if it comes from an anon it makes my day. It hits a spot inside of my creative brain that makes me want to create more, to design and world build and feed not only my creativity but others around me with the idea of sharing these things that have inspired me.
So many times I’ve seen people get frustrated and give up because they pour their heart into something and then they are met by silence. Silence comes about for a lot of different reasons all personal, but silence can stifle a creative person’s drive to be creative as they start doubting themselves and wondering if what they thought was inspiring and fun wasn’t so great after all. All artists whether they are writers or artists are seeking out validation. They do what they do because of a love for their craft and their creations, but if someone gives artists love and support it can move mountains. Community is so important for artists, writers and readers alike! This message is such a good one to be heard and shared :)
Imagine for a moment that you are presenting your fic or artwork to an audience, matching the size of your fandom/ship/niche. But you send it electronically to everyone’s phones. They all get their phones out and everyone is looking at their screen. A few people smile while looking at their phone, or laugh, or gasp, or even cry, but you have no idea if they’re even looking at the thing you sent out into the audience. They could be scrolling on Twitter for all you know.
The auditorium is awkwardly silent. Your anxiety eats away at you. Was no one moved by what they read/saw? Was it awful? Was it boring? Did no one care? Did anyone even look at it?
That is how it feels when you put your heart into something, find the courage to share it with your audience, and receive absolutely no commentary on it. It’s no wonder artists and writers alike will walk off the stage and leave the room. And then some people, sitting there looking at their phones, who never said anything, have the audacity to be all “why would you leave???” as if leaving a silent audience we presented to is somehow inconsiderate on our end.
But then there’s someone who says something.
Someone says the dialogue was so witty, or the lighting in the artwork was so captivating, or the plot twist kept them at the edge of their seat, or the expression in a character’s face made them feel something. I now know that this person not only read/saw my work but they didn’t think it was absolute garbage. Until proven otherwise, creators assume their work wasn’t good enough.
We live in a fast paced world full of instantaneous information and so much fanwork that it’s like being at an incredibly overwhelming all-you-can-eat buffet at times. This is great because fic and art is so much more accessible now and it is so easy to share the things we like with others. But this means people have also gotten incredibly lazy when it comes to showing creators that they gave a damn.
Kudos/likes do little to encourage or inspire an artist/writer. Let me explain why. A lot of times, people will kudo a fic when they’ve only read the first chapter (even for a 50 chapter 150k fic). People will like an art to save it for later to reblog at another time. It’s so easy to press a button but there is little heart behind clicking an icon that is supposed to represent the very thing that is lacking. You don’t want to see your audience pressing a button to show they supposedly “liked” something and still be met with crushing silence - you want to hear people talking about the stories and art you’ve put your whole heart into making.
A chef doesn’t want people to silently eat their beautifully crafted meals and leave a tip - something that is pretty standard and expected regardless of the quality of the meal. There’s a reason why “giving compliments to the chef” is a thing! People want to know their work is appreciated when it is good! We want to hear it from the mouths of our audience. We don’t care people pushed the button. It does little to tell us if people enjoyed or even read our work.
People constantly say “I wish I could leave more kudos!!!” Guess what. I have mind breaking news for you. You can press buttons that show your love as many times as you want, on your keyboard, in the tags, in the comments, in the reblogs. You want to leave 500 kudos on your favorite fic? Leave a 500 character long comment. You want to like an artwork 100 times? Reblog it and leave 100 characters worth of tags. These very simple, very quick, very painless actions don’t feel like 100 or even 500 kudos to a creator, they feel like thousands.
The algorithms have gone to shit. All across the board: Instagram is a mess where even people with tens of thousands of followers are struggling to be seen unless they churn out something every hour, half the time posts don’t show up in the tags on Tumblr, Twitter is so clogged up with things that aren’t tweets from people you follow that tweets have a visibility period of a few seconds long. It is harder than ever for artists and writers alike to be seen that so many of us are standing awkwardly in front of silent audiences for far too long. We don’t know if people enjoy our stuff let alone if they’re even looking at it.We need to be told. Otherwise we will leave.
Welcome to Wednesday!! I have an update for the fans ofRun To You.
Don’t worry. The series is not going on hiatus or being abandoned. However, it will be delayed a little longer. I am so sorry. I never meant to start posting before I finished the story, but due to my magnificent procrastination skills, I had to post the first few chapters to meet deadlines for a challenge and bingo squares I used.
We’ve gotten to a tricky part in the tale, and I want to make sure that I don’t have any plot holes or miss a detail. So, it will be a couple of more weeks before the next chapter arrives. I want to finish the story before I start posting again. The concept and outline are there; I just need to fill in the blanks. The ending is already written…☺️
Here’s a little snippet that’s currently in one of the upcoming chapters.
The door opens, and he looks startled to see her. She pushes herself up, the sensation of pins and needles shoot up her spine, replacing the numbness, and she leans against the wall for support.
“Did you mean what you said earlier?”
He looks like a jungle cat ready to pounce. She nods, licking her lips.
“I need you to say it.” He growls, fingers furling and unfurling at his sides.
I appreciate your patience!
Any other authors or artists want to share something from a WIP?
Do some self-promotion! Get us excited about your upcoming works!
Tagging a few peeps that might have something to share.
So glad to hear that there will be more to the story. I love it. And will patiently not really wait (because you’re giving me no other choice, Kym! ).
And thank you for the tag; imagine I got a notification about it, lol. Obviously, I’m no writer. You know what I do, can’t really share any WIP, but there will be more of that. Like full-size Demon Dean - leftovers from your request, really, so I have more large GIFs of those long legs in action . The GIFset is ready long ago, but I will post it sometime next month. And I work on a few requests (awfully slow, apologies ).
I love the idea of self-promotion, so I’m going to tag a few of the many talented writers here to maybe share some of their WIPs with us. No pressure, but it will be lovely to see what you are up to.
@copperbadge ‘s original novels are always delightful.
Everything@ekjohnston writes stops my heart and then starts it again, but this time filled with more joy than before. Aetherbound was one of those books I would have turned over and immediately started back at page 1 as soon as I finished it except I realized it was 3 am and no one in the house had eaten dinner yet.
@duckprintspress (which I own) and @oficmag both work with fanfiction authors to publish their original work, and nearly all the authors are on tumblr (tho some don’t openly connect “fandom them” to “author them.”)
@therkalexander has written the most amazing and comprehensive take on the Hades x Persephone myth I’ve ever seen! You have to check out her novels, starting with “The Receiver of Many”, if you even have a passing interest in Ancient Greek literature and culture!
Happy Pride! This month we’ll feature a few Pride centric prompts. We hope you enjoy!
Here are a few rules we ask you to follow:
1. Remember to tag @writer-wednesday and #Writer Wednesday, we want to see all the amazing stories you create. This also gives us a chance to reblog on this page, so others can enjoy as well.
2. Tag your fics correctly. If you’re writing a reader insert please note if it is a Female, Male, Gender Neutral, etc… Some content may be triggering to readers and we want to respect that, so tag all warnings appropriately.
3. Share this post, so other writers can play too!
4. HAVE FUN! (And remember to reblog, comment, and like).
Another wonderful submission, this time from @lady-of-glass-and-bone who is also the photographer, who is happy to provide any information should you have questions as to the location and what. If you’re interested in sending in a submission, check out our pinned post for details.
If this prompt inspires you, here a few guidelines to keep in mind when participating:
1. Remember to tag @writer-wednesday and #Writer Wednesday, we want to see all the amazing stories you create. This also gives us a chance to reblog on this page, so others can enjoy as well.
2. Tag your fics correctly. If you’re writing a reader insert please note if it is a Female, Male, Gender Neutral, etc… Some content may be triggering to readers and we want to respect that, so tag all warnings appropriately.
3. Share this post, so other writers can play too!
4. HAVE FUN! (And remember to reblog, comment, and like).
Another wonderful submission, this time from @lady-of-glass-and-bone who is also the photographer, who is happy to provide any information should you have questions as to the location and what. If you’re interested in sending in a submission, check out our pinned post for details.
If this prompt inspires you, here a few guidelines to keep in mind when participating:
1. Remember to tag @writer-wednesday and #Writer Wednesday, we want to see all the amazing stories you create. This also gives us a chance to reblog on this page, so others can enjoy as well.
2. Tag your fics correctly. If you’re writing a reader insert please note if it is a Female, Male, Gender Neutral, etc… Some content may be triggering to readers and we want to respect that, so tag all warnings appropriately.
3. Share this post, so other writers can play too!
4. HAVE FUN! (And remember to reblog, comment, and like).
Synopsis: Life changes dramatically for a peaceful society when they become subject to a war on freedom
There weren’t always dragons in the valley.
Up until 50 years ago, there were only peaceful beings in this canyon which I looked at through eyes swollen with tears. Where hundreds of colourful, cozy wooden houses once lined the edges of the Sapphirus lake, there were now domineering, grey, square-brick settlements. Large pipes extended from the structures like thick, rubber entrails, plunging into a sliver of what the lake used to be. For every settlement, there was a dragon chained to the roof. They would often try to break free from their roles as giant, fire-breathing guard dogs. But the chains are unbreakable - just like we thought we were 50 years ago.
I remember so clearly how it felt, my brother Jasper and I sitting in our boat on the Sapphirus lake. This extraordinary lake was nestled comfortably in the Sapphirus Valley which ran through the center of our island, Smaragdus.
The waters of Sapphirus lake were so calm and the wood so sturdy we barely felt a ripple. My father and I had built a new boat from oak planks which we had been able to afford due to selling more Sapphish. We had our beautiful Chercat, Greta, to thank for that - every time we fished she sat at the bow of the boat, her lush coat brightly burning auburn as the sun beat down. She was big enough to see across the lake for long distances - her eyes, although smooth, large, and glowing like carnelian gemstones, were sharp as daggers, flitting over the glittering water, as if they were firing tiny arrows into the deep blue.
Often we got lucky on days when the water was clear. The Sapphish came within inches of the surface, and Greta was so fast, there were times I’d blink and she’d already caught three. Her record was 67 in one hour.
A big portion of Smagdarus’s economy came from our large Sapphish population and the fact they grew and reproduced at rates that were higher than anywhere else in the world. As a result, many valley dwellers, including my father, my brother, and I, made our living catching Sapphish, and for centuries Chercats had proven to be invaluable companions for fishermen.
The seasons when the waters were cloudy and we were struggling to catch Sapphish were the times when Greta’s skills really shone through - the long tufts on the ends of her ears rapidly extended and contorted until each tuft resembled a small fish. She then dangled her head over the boat and carefully threaded them into the water. Not only did this lure Sapphish to the surface - the tufts were highly sensitive to vibrations and could locate a shoal half a mile deep, telling us where to aim our fishing lines.
The Sapphirus lake had magical properties. If townspeople weren’t making money from Sapphish, they were selling tomatoes the size of pumpkins and broccoli resembling small trees that had flourished with water from the lake. Every year my dad entered the valley’s annual contest of who could grow the largest sweet potato - but to make it grow to the biggest size was a laborious task.
Tudwrig was a nocturnal capybara who my father had been friends with since I was a small child. Every year he volunteered a helping hand in the months leading up to the sweet potato contest, making sure the potatoes were thoroughly watered whilst we were sleeping. In exchange for his time, my dad gifted Tudwrig butternut squashes to keep himself and his large family nourished. They lived in the forested wetlands at the base of the valley where the land began to flatten out. The people who had journeyed out of Smaragdus were well acquainted with the capybaras as the wetlands were the only way to access the sea but most people who were born in Smaragdus happily lived out their whole lives there.
And a happy, peaceful life it was. Smaragdus had been a socially democratic nation for over a hundred years, and our current governor of 30 years, Ozgur, had taught the citizens of our small island to value community over wealth and to accept your neighbour no matter what colour, gender, age or species they were. Necessities were prioritized over dispensables and so natural resources were protected and shared equally among citizens. For example, if my family caught more Sapphish than others, we often sold our usual share and then gave the excess to our neighbours.
One morning, everything began to change. Our town Tel-i-can swooped into the valley in the early hours and we heard the thud of the daily newspaper on our lawns as the giant bird strategically dispersed them out of its throat pouch from a significant height. We heard its shrill squawk notifying us that it had finished the paper round before it flew away. The front page that day boldly read “Ozgur Baker, Prime Minister of Smaragdus, dies aged 97. Adopted son Jaxon Baker to become new ruler”.
Jaxon Baker was an Immortal from a land across the sea known as Adamas Island. He had been discovered by Ozgur ten years ago when he washed up on the Smaragdus shoreline, his clothes ragged, his skin yellowing, blistering burns everywhere. He was only a teenager and it was obvious he had endured something unimaginable. Ozgur took him under his wing and gave him a place to call home in his monastery which sat comfortably in the hillside overlooking the valley.
“It will be strange having someone new in power after 30 years. But I’m sure Mr. Baker will carry on Ozgur’s legacy. Don’t you think, Ruby?” My dad commented that morning during breakfast, sipping on his lavender tea.
I nodded my head as I tore off chunks of my pancake and tossed them into Greta’s mouth. I wasn’t sure how else to react. At the age of 15, I had known no leader other than Ozgur.
"I hope Jaxon is kind like his dad,” said Jasper, “because if he’s not, we’re going to be stuck with him forever.”
My brother’s words have haunted me ever since.
About a month after Jaxon came into power, Tudwrig visited one evening. We had arranged to play a game of Risk before my father, brother and I went to sleep and Tudwrig watered our crops. When he arrived, he appeared visibly shaken by something. I poured him a fresh glass of water.
“Are you okay? Come on, sit down.”
Tudwrig sat down, took off his herringbone cap, and started fiddling with it nervously.
“Have you seen anything strange happening?” He asked.
“Strange in what way?” responded my dad, a look of concern on his face.
“…I’m not sure if I’m losing the plot,” Tudwrig continued, his voice cracking slightly, “but I think I saw the silhouette of a dragon last night. Flying towards the sea.”
My brother, father, and I exchanged disbelieving glances across the table.
“Tudwrig…” my dad said, trying his best to sound understanding (even though we all thought he had eaten one too many psychoactive swamp-pods), “…you know there’s never been any dragons in Smaragdus, don’t you?”
My father was right. There had been a mandate in place for centuries, even before Ozgur, prohibiting any harmful species on our island which could be weaponized. Dragon eggs were traded illegally or between countries that were at war, as dragons could be trained to disintegrate entire villages in minutes.
“Yes… maybe I am imagining it.” Tudwrig said, but then stated firmly, “But I’m telling you, something doesn’t feel right about Jaxon.”
A few days later, an ear splitting gunshot shattered the tranquil quiet of a Sapphirus morning. Due to our pacifist state policy, pretty much everyone in Sapphirus had never heard a gun in their life. Families who had been woken by the blast warily opened their front doors in their pajamas, many too nervous to take a full step outside. Their eyes frantically scoured the surroundings for the source of the ominous sound. Then a piercing scream immediately diverted their attention to one garden.
To read the rest of the prologue, please follow the link below and please consider sharing - you are supporting a writers’ dream!
I’ve read all kinds of posts both from writers and readers lamenting about comments on fic. Authors are upset when they don’t get any, readers don’t know what kinds of comments to leave, etc. And it finally clicked in my brain why I think a lot of people don’t bother writing comments.
And this is what it boils down to:
Writers do not want praise. We just want to talk about our story.
I can’t speak for everyone obviously - but I think the majority of writers don’t care so much for the “omg you’re a brilliant writer!!” comments as much as we just want to hear your thoughts on the story. Even if it’s just your thoughts as you’re reading of “oooh x happened! I can’t believe y said this! What’s going to happen now that z has happened?!” We literally just want to talk about what we’ve written like you would with a friend about a tv show. We’re not out here demanding praise like some entitled narcissist.
While praising our writing skills or writing style is appreciated, it doesn’t need to be said on every fic and every chapter that you read. If you regularly comment on someone’s work that’s telling enough that you like our technique. Readers shouldn’t feel pressured to have to praise a writer’s abilities every time they want to comment.
In the grand scheme of things, talking about the fic/chapter is actually more helpful to us writers instead of spewing praise. It’s the same with artwork. As nice as it is that people tell me “wow your art is so pretty!” it’s a LOT more useful to me to get comments like “I love their expressions!” or “the lighting on this is gorgeous!” because then I know WHAT people are liking about it. If no one ever comments on my backgrounds, I now know what to improve. If most people comment on liking the expressions, I now know the strong points of my art and can use it to my advantage to make even better art in the future.
The same goes for fic. If multiple people tell me they liked a certain part of the story I now know that things similar to that are a hit. It’s feedback I can use to improve the story and give my readers more of what they want. Without that I have no idea what they like about the fic.
Talking with a writer about their story also gives them inspiration!! Nothing gets us more in the mood to work on a fic than to have people wanting to talk about it. A lot of times just talking about one of my fics with someone will give me that push to continue working on it. Getting a comment that just says “great chapter” or “you’re a great writer” doesn’t do much to motivate us to continue that particular fic. But if you talk about the story and the characters it gives us motivation to continue working on it, may even give us ideas for future chapters. I would hope that those of you with “comment anxiety” find this approach so much easier than trying to praise the writer every time you read.
So that fic the author hasn’t updated in forever that you’re dying to read? Talk to them about the fic and the elements of the story! It will make the writer want to talk to you about it and will get their mind thinking about it, hopefully inspiring them to continue where they left off. Fics that are left in silence are more likely to be abandoned or even deleted because nothing feels worse than putting your heart into a story to have no one say anything about it.
TLDR; Writers do not want praise, we just want to talk with our readers about the story itself, and these are the kinds of comments that inspire us to keep writing more.
AMENDMENT >>> Some people are misinterpreting my words so I just wanted to make something clear. I am not trying to police how people comment - I am merely reassuring readers that not every writer is an entitled asshole who expects you to comment about how talented they are and what a gift they are to the fandom. I’ve seen this attitude in writers occasionally and I want people to know that most of us writers are not like that. We love any and all comments but you do not ever need to feel pressured to say how amazing we are and lick our boots. There is nothing wrong with praising the writer, in fact a lot of us love it, but it is not something that should be required if you feel inclined to comment.
A good writer will love any positive comment whether there be praise or not. A good writer will never have expectations or demand something of their readers. A good writer will appreciate their readers and cherish the comments they receive.
This, exactly this! When we say we want comments, we don’t mean praise, we just mean we want interaction!
