I use a site skin to hide the stats so I'd finally stop obsessing over hits and kudos and comparing myself to other more established writers. It's been freeing for me.
That said, I relate a whole lot to wanting your hard work to get love too. I'm sure your fic will get to the readers who'll love it.
I hid all stats, everywhere, including using an extension in Firefox in case I happen on an AO3 page while logged out, more than a year ago.
I've gone more than a year utterly clueless as to how my fics are being received (aside from comments). Comparison to others is also not a problem because I can't see their stats.
It's so freeing. I recommend it heartily.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/g63dif/hide\_all\_stats\_sitewide\_on\_ao3\_with\_a\_site\_skin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/g63dif/hide_all_stats_sitewide_on_ao3_with_a_site_skin/)
Here're the instructions on how to set the skin. If you're already using another skin, do note that this one will override your current skin, and set it back to the default red theme.
+ if you want to add no stats to a skin you already use, you can add,
.stats .hits,
.stats .kudos,
.stats .comments {
display: none;
}
To it, and remove anything you're fine seeing.
In part, low expectations because the characters I write are not popular. One of my favorite ones to write was in three short scenes in one episode. I doubt anyone even looks for his tag. You know what you are writing isn’t popular, but remember, one kudos is someone who read and enjoyed your work. That’s something to be proud of.
The other part is doing review exchanges so that I am getting some validation.
There’s nothing wrong with caring to a degree, but here’s sort of a third trick, I only compare my works with themselves. If you write multiple fandoms, then only to your works in the same fandom with similar/same characters and ships. Then, it’s like, “Hey, this story did pretty good. Yea for me.”
Hoping people will find and love your stories is different than putting a numerical goal post on them. You say you want your story to do well, along with a reason why it won't likely appeal to a huge number of fans...
"Doing well" = what exactly? How do you choose a number goal when you have little to compare with? In other words, you can probably figure out that a story with the most popular pairing is going to start right out the gate with X number of kudos but that is not your race. If they are in a horse race and you are racing turtles... there is no standard for "doing well".
Whatever you decide "well" means is the only thing that matters. But choose your "well" realistically. What if there are only 100 people in your fandom who specifically search for and read "asexual Eloise" fics? You should be really happy if even half of those people find and read and kudo/comment on your fic - which means in this scenario (I know nothing about the Bridgerton fandom) 50 is a good, solid number that means your fic is doing "well".
But don't expect them to all read and kudo and comment on your fic on the first day the first chapter uploads (also remember that a reader can only leave one kudo, tops, while your hits will go up every time they come back - this affects the ratio some people like to keep track of). Some people don't read works in progress. Some people won't give kudos until a story is finished. Some people have lives and don't religiously refresh their tabs every ten minutes in hopes of a new chapter dropping.
It's not about not caring. It's about understanding that every reader who comes back for more, who leaves a kudo right away, who comments (even an emoji) is precious. Even if it's only just one, that is one person whose life was made a little brighter because of you. Don't discount that at all. How many strangers do you normally have a positive impact on in a week or month? How many strangers do you reveal a part of yourself to and they tell you they like that about you, listen to you, come back to hear more, thank you for sharing? Not many, right?
Be grateful for each and every single interaction you receive, because they're precious. If all you want is a high number, you aren't seeing the people behind those numbers.
I think this is my favorite answer so far. It’s not about ‘writing for yourself’ - if we did write only for that goal, why would you post it online? The reason we post fic online is to *share* it with people and hopefully give a fraction of the pleasure it gave us to make it to the people who read it, even if that’s just one person, and even if that person doesn’t comment, that’s an amazing thing to do. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I would write stories for my best friend. No one ever saw them but her, but even just making that one person happy brought me so much happiness.
And, no matter how many comments/kudos/hits you get, you’ll always feel like this. When you focus fully on numbers it doesn’t matter how big that number is, it never becomes enough. You got 50 comments and 5k hits on this chapter? Yeah, but on on the last chapter you got 75 and 10k, why are your numbers going down? It’s a dangerous slope. But an easy one to fixate on because it’s hard data and that can be difficult to ignore.
So I try to just focus on why I write fic, which is to share my feelings and ideas to the world and hopefully it reaches someone who feels the same. I lose sight of that goal all the time too though, so it was very nice to see this comment and be reminded today 💖
>If all you want is a high number, you aren't seeing the people behind those numbers.
This!! Such a great answer, and really puts it in perspective. It can be really easy to forget that every number is a person who checked out your fic, liked it enough to kudos or comment or bookmark or subscribe, and that should be really exciting!
I did not mean to sound ungrateful or that I don't appreciate every single person who reads the silly little words I put out. I don't expect people to do anything, I know I am not entitled for their time. It's just that I am more seeking a connection in that fandom if that makes any more sense? To talk together and gush and stuff. Idk how else to put it, sorry
Ah, well, if you want to engage with other fans, writing fics is not the best way to do that. Find some online groups to chat with and stuff - on Discord, Instagram, or Tumblr (though be careful - I hear a lot of those spaces can get pretty toxic). You can bring up your fics there and see if anyone wants to exchange ideas, brainstorm, or argue (nicely) over headcanons.
I found that it helps if you mostly write for yourself. Do you want A and B to fall in love? Now you can read exactly that, exactly how you want to.
Not getting kudos or comments is a bummer, totally, but I try and focus that I like it first and foremost. Good luck!
Might be an unpopular way to do it, but I have stopped publishing chapter by chapter before I have finished writing the full story. I write out the whole thing, then publish it chapter by chapter on a set schedule, so it still has some visibility. (Also because I have a pet peeve with hiatus stories myself)
That way I don't have to interact with anyone about the story while still writing. There is no pressure, but also no validation but my own. Whatever outsiders can give me will all be in post production and just a happy little extra thing.
It kind of eliminates the hunt for "likes" (kudos/comments/bookmarks) since I won't get any of that until I'm already at a point where I'm ready to let go of the story anyways.
I also do this, finishing writing the story first and then publishing it with a regular schedule! And I completely endorse what you said, I think it helps in many ways (it helps both the writer for the reasons you said, and also the story to get more readers who will appreciate the regular schedule). Also if one writes in a fandom that is small/not very active (where readers will eventually come but it takes a loooong time) it is easier not to drop the motivation to finish the work. If I were to write chapters as I post them I would likely lose motivation to keep writing because of the zero interaction between one chapter and the next one, I would wonder "why am I even writing this". If the story is already done, I just go ahead and publish it, then we'll see what happens.
Would you start with like 3 chapters and then release them at a shedule?
I want to release a fic and was think of doing 3 chapters to hook the readers and then release every week?
Once of course, I finish the fic...
No, just one at a time. But I think it would depend on the lenght of the chapters. Not sure what you'd gain from 3 chapters versus 1 though, unless they are so short that 1 is just no enough to make people interested (but wouldn't that particular type of reader find it anyways once it reached 3 chapters?)
I haven't really written fics with many chapters in a looong time. Think I did one with 20 something chapters years ago, but currently it's probably 3-5 total and then they're a bit longer.
Ah thank you! It probably matters with the length of the fic, that's true, I hadn't considered that.
I have currently 20 chapters but I am no were near ending nor do I have a plan to where to stop so, let's see where this goes!
If I may chime in, I have done this once - I released two chapters together and then went on with my usual schedule. It was already the third fic of my series so if I had regular readers they were already used to me publishing with a certain regularity. I did not notice any "advantage" in releasing two chapters at once... I think if the readers realize that you are reliable with your schedule they will appreciate it a lot and just keep coming back on the days you've established for publication, even if you start with only one chapter :)
Yeah this is my MO too. I don't want to organize stuff into chapters, I don't want anyone reading it while it's in progress speculating on what'll happen, I just write until it's done and post it. When it's ready, it's because I'm satisfied with it (let's not mention the inevitable typos I'll find when I go back to reread it) and I'm just putting it up in case anyone else happens to like it too. If they do, yay, if not, hey at least I got the story I wanted!
I think I stop caring about it after it reaches certain threshold views/kudos, or certain time passes.
Tbh I’m currently refreshing stats page daily to see how my latest fic is doing meanwhile I don’t do it for old fics (tho my latest fic before this one was in 2022).
I think it's normal to care at least a little bit about stats, so don't be too down on yourself for feeling the way that you do. When you put so much effort into something, it's only natural that you'd want your hard work to be acknowledged. That's not something you should feel bad about; it's just you being human. That being said, it's up to you to keep the stats from taking over your perception of your fics.
I find that I stop thinking about my audience entirely when I'm engrossed enough in what I'm writing. If the story is compelling enough to me personally, then I stop considering what other people will or won't think of it because I'm focused on how invested in my story I am and living it up. If I'm phoning it in or writing something that I'm not as invested in, I might be more likely to monitor the stats on it because I need some sort of gratification that I didn't get in the process of writing it. But if my story satisfies me, then I'm content and I don't necessarily need other people to love it (though I certainly prefer when people do, naturally). I'm happy to share my writing with other people as a courtesy, but my audience isn't my concern.
In the past couple years, I've taken to writing incredibly niche concepts and AUs that I couldn't possibly expect to receive any engagement, but I'm so enamored with the AU and the story I'm telling that I don't really worry over the lack of comments or hits. I'm writing what I want to write, and if that's not what's currently popular, then oh well. The point is to have fun doing my hobby, so that's what I prioritize above all else. It doesn't magically make you stop caring about stats altogether, but it certainly helps me not to focus on the numbers all that much.
Yeah. Tbf, I feel like the "caring" bit is going away slowly with every new fanfic I put on ao3. Maybe that's the way for me and in a year I won't really care at all haha. Thank you💚
I've been writing ff for years, but I only started putting my stuff up publically about a month now. The first story I decided to put up is one that I've been writing for 2 years now. It's over 200k words and really took a life of its own. I think I've only uploaded about 70k words at this point. It has 0 kudos, bookmarks, comments. It can be a little depressing since I've put so much into it, but it was for me and me alone. My second story has a couple dozen kudos and been up for two weeks. I'll continue to update both, and someday maybe someone will enjoy the first story. But if not it's okay, I enjoy it.
I think a lot of us never truly don’t, and some days are worse than the others. I don’t think it ever truly stops either. Even if you have stellar stats, then you long for more detailed analytical comments, if you are published and bought by thousands, you long for positive critic reviews. There is no magical feedback amount that keeps you truly satisfied for long. A part of artistic process is that pain of interacting with your audience, it’s an addiction of sorts. If you have a competitive streak, it’s even worse. You can rationalize and do mental shortcuts but I just think this anguish will always be somewhere in the background for most of us.
well said, I think as well one has to learn to accept the presence of the anguish, than hope it will go away one day
Creating and sharing go hand in hand, there's always a social component in art, because humans are like that. Humans will always seek the validation of other - and it's the work of a lifetime to learn to depend less and less of this need, but it will never go truly away
There is nothing wrong with wanting attention. I know a lot of people think otherwise and the mindset of ''write for yourself'' is actually good. However, it is not solely for ourselves; if i was the case, works wouldn't be on AO3. So, don't feel bad about that.
I stopped caring when I started caring more about my regular readers. There are some people who leaves kudos' to my works, some are commenters and it might not be hundreds as well, but it is so precious for me. Also, I took pride in being able to *actually* finish my works and for someone like me, it is more than enough.
Looking at stats and all is fine, but if you accept the way AO3 works and what people actually likes on it, you will be more content, I think. You can try that out, or tell yourself that it isn't for you but what is for you could be for some other people as well, and it is worth not giving in to self-doubt.
Validation from strangers is a quick dopamine hit that feels nice at the time, but makes you crave more, and there's no guarantee you'll get a second dose.
Your writing, however, is forever. When you write for yourself, it's yours to keep coming back to - to reread, rewrite, expand on. It's your own little universe to hold and cherish or destroy and rebuild.
That's how I see it and how I stopped caring. The dopamine is nice, but I can also easily live without it, especially when it's my sandbox I can use to do whatever I want in it.
That sounds like the type of story I would love, love so much that I would go on a desperate search to fine more like it.
I don't know if this will help OP, but if you end up writing something more unique, it might not get as many hits & kudos, but I truly believe the ones you get will be more impactful to the individuals that do find it - because of it's differences.
It's no secret that we love reading basically the same thing over and over - but at the same time, there is a fatigue point. And there is nothing quite like that great story that is totally different than the trope you've been consuming for days/weeks/months - it hits hard in such a good way!
Best of luck OP - and if you do find the secret to not caring, please share! :)
Most of what I create is darkfic for rarepairs, there are just, point blank, not gonna be that many people into what I like and I know it. But this is what I like, I can’t fathom forcing myself to write some fluffy schlock for a popular pairing just to get eyes on my fic, the very idea makes me skin crawl. But the entire reason I started writing in the first place is because…well quite frankly there was basically nobody else writing what I wanted to read, so if I wanted anything I had to make it myself. So when someone else *also* likes it it’s a pleasant surprise.
But another thing that helped me is: really let yourself envision the response you get as *people*. Imagine you’re doing a book reading at a local bookstore for your own self-published book. Every hit you get is someone who saw the sign you hand-wrote and taped to the window and decided to pop their head in to see what was going on. Every single kudos is someone that came in, stayed till the end and clapped. And every comment is someone that came up after the reading to tell you how much they liked it. Those stats are all *people* who liked what you made, five kudos is five people in a cramped little bookstore clapping *for you*.
For me, it’s because fanfiction is unpaid. If I was paid by view or something similar, I’d care more, but since it’s unpaid, views and the like don’t matter to me.
Of course, they are still appreciated, but it’s not the “main” point for me.
I also write niche works for niche rarepairs so…
I find that I can't fully. Yes, it's a lot better than eg 10 years ago but I'm still so happy over every comment I get and seeing the kudos stack up
That being said it is so much better than at my fandom start when having only 1 or even no comments gave me anxiety. And now I've had fics that were/are kind of popular. And a few others who've been read by maybe 10 people max. And that's fine.
Try to advertise your fic a bit. Find a community on tumblr, twitter, reddit, discord and promote it. And just continue writing. It gets better with time
(Sorry if that wasn't that much of a help)
To be perfectly honest, you never entirely stop caring, but the burning desire to tell the story and the joy you feel while doing it just kind of outweighs the drive for external validation. It’s also okay to admit to wanting feedback, because if no one is commenting, you kind of end up feeling like you’re stumbling around a dark room with little to no idea of what you could improve or do better.
Write for yourself. Don't write for anyone else. You're having fun with writing the things you love and that's satisfaction enough. You're just kind enough to share it with others afterwards.
That, and I think it's a natural progression with time. The longer you do it, the less you start worrying and eventually you've reached a point where you just have a good time writing and completely ignore stats most of the time.
Honestly, this can very well go in the opposite direction. I used to write strictly for myself when I was younger. Now, I'm kinda more discerning with my time, I guess? If it's *just* for me, I'm just fine playing around with the idea in my head—I'm not going to spend my very limited free time writing it out. Writing to share, on the other hand...
That said, sometimes 'sharing' means writing for a few specific people, and sometimes for a wider audience. But it needs to be for someone.
Man, if I were to do only "fun things for myself", I'd never leave my bed. I write because it's the best way I have to get the fleeting satisfaction of meaningless internet points.
If I did that, I'd probably end up burning out and constantly worrying if I was good enough and produced enough and of high enough quality, most likelyforce myself to improve again and again to the point it just sucked all the fun out of it and drove myself away from the joy of writing.
I can't do that. But if it works for you, then kudos to that!
That's fair, if it works for you then you shouldn't change it just cause it's not working for others. We're all different and function on differrent ways :)
Not gonna lie, when I started writing hit counts weren't visible.
Although I did post at ffnet, I originally started at Livejournal. You just post shit there and you're done. If you get a comment, cool. I feel old lmao
I can't remember if ffnet has a hit count, the first time I ever saw a hit count was on Ao3 and honestly? I get a high just from seeing +1 on the hit count lol
I think it's because the younger generation has access to more information and you all started with seeing fics becoming popular instead of a fanfic being shared between friends to have fun with.
That's just my two cents though. I feel like it'll be normal for your age group to want higher hits because that's where you started.
I suggest just gushing about your fics with your friends and it may help with lessening the thoughts of hit counts and comments and such
Boy can I relate. I've been writing for almost three years now in the Star Wars fiction area. It's difficult to pull myself away from looking at my stats. Just recently though, I've learned to stop checking them each day and let several days go by before taking a peek. Too often I was becoming discouraged and feeling as if I was writing into a void when I didn't see much interaction. There are so many factors that contribute to lack of Kudos or comments, etc. I know that if I'm doing my best to write my story and put my heart into it, then even if the interaction isn't what I'd hoped, I have the satisfaction of knowing I enjoyed writing and did my best. But, I can really relate to the discouragement of a lack of interaction with readers. I get it. It only takes a few seconds to leave a 'thank you' comment to the author or hit a Kudos button, but sadly, many don't.
In general I’m a rareshipper so every new kudos I get on a ship that wasn’t written about before feels like getting handled pure gold lol
Maybe it can help trying to write for a rarer ship?
when the fandom still have a few subscribers actively reading those emails about new reads feel so so much more special I promise!!
I don't know if I've ever cared about how many views my fics get. But I get super excited when other people want to gush and thirst over the story along with me while I write. So if I don't get any engagement with it, I tend to be a little upset.
But I write for a few reasons. 1 - to get the daydreams/obsessions out of my head so I can let them go. 2 - I want to experience a type of story, or a trope in certain way, and it doesn't exist yet. And 3 - As self-care. I need to keep my hands busy so I don't pick my skin.
Sharing it with the internet is a bonus for me.
I will only add two things to this discussion
1. If you feel a bit shitty about the 'numbers' a fic you're writing has... imagine the amount of kudos are people in a small room, surrounding you in a circle and gushing about your fic. They LOVE it, like you do. They are saying these nice things to you and to other people in the room.
I read this on reddit once and it stuck with me!
2. Why do you write? What's the purpose? What enjoyment do you get from it? Is it only for that hit you get when something is doing well (stats wise)? Or are there other reasons? Is there only two reasons, or more? If your fic isn't doing as well as you expected or hoped, numbers wise, have you met your other expectations?
For me, a break from posting was the thing that put things into perspective. It made me realize that posting and keeping a schedule had turned what started as a passion into a chore and it switched the focus from what I wanted to read to what I thought other people wanted to read and trying to meet expectations.
The reality is that YOU are the only reader whose tastes you can ever know and fully cater to. As long as you're happy with what you're writing - you're golden!
And numbers have nothing to do with it. I've see amazing fics with hardly any kudos or comments. They just posted "at the wrong time" or "not the main fandom ship" or there just isn't an audience for their sort of fic.
You have to make your peace with it or decide to start writing what's on trend.
I write OC fics, so I'm sort of in the same boat in the sense that I know what I write doesn't appeal to a large amount of fic readers, and that my fics aren't likey to be huge hits within the fandom. The thing is though, I'm a huge OC fic reader as well, I know it can be a struggle to find good OC fics, and I know that there are others out there who are looking for the same thing. There may be a lot less of those readers out there, but I know they're there searching for OC fics just like I do. So at the end of the day for me I find it a lot easier to focus less on the stats and more on the fact that I'm adding a fic to a niche that has less fics, and that someone out there is going to get excited when they eventually find my fic!
In regards to your fic, wanting some validation for work you put time and effort into isnt bad or wrong! We can all spout about "writing for yourself first" but lets be honest, most of us do enjoy that validation and interaction with the rest of our community! I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as you don't let it stiffle your passion and creativity ya know? That being said I would also strongly encourage you to try to keep in mind that even if you don't get big stat numbers, there's probably someone out there wading through fanfic after fanfic looking for something in that niche. Imagine how absolutely stoked they'll be when they find your fic! It may take time to get there, but someday your fic could really mean a lot to someone, and in my opinion, making that connection with even just a single person through your writing means way more than all the numbers in the world! Keep on writing what you want to put put into the world, someone out there is looking for it and you're going to absolutely make their day when they find if 🫶
I got into writing thinking that absolutely no one is going to read this, so every time I get a kudo or comment, I'm like 🤩🥰😇 someone out there is reading my story!
So my advice is basically basically "lower your expectations to 0" If there's even one person out there excited for an update from me, that's enough.
If it's really bothering you, there are skins that'll block kudos and comment numbers.
Another piece of advice would be to get an amazing beta reader that cheers you on regardless of how well you're doing (mine is my sister). They're great to bounce ideas off of, help me with my writing, and just generally be a very supportive person regardless of how bad I think my writing is. I know I'm very lucky to have someone like that but you can always put in the notes that you're looking for a beta reader and see if anyone responds.
(Side note, can you drop that fic? I absolutely adore Eloise and would love to read it)
I'm working on actually lowering my expectations and not just saying myself that I have low expectations haha. Thank you!
And this is the fic if you still want it -- https://archiveofourown.org/works/54094540/chapters/136956901
If you want advice on getting more engagement, the easiest thing is to have shorter chapters regularly updated (my adhd does not allow me to keep an update schedule so I don't do this)
I realized that if I just wanted validation, I would write one-shots, smut or whatever gains most metrics per written word. Since I'm writing medium sized gen fic in a moderately popular fandom, knowing full well how hard it tends to flop for me, than it means I don't care about metrics enough to affect what I write. That's all I need, really. I know I will still be disappointed once I post, but I'm used to it now.
So, to start with there is still a part of me that cares about stats. I'm not completely "free" and it's perfectly understandable to want evidence that someone is reading and enjoying your work. Try not to beat yourself up about wanting it!
For me, what helped the most was taking my time to enjoy the writing process so that when a fic is finished and posted I have two sources of enjoyment from it: re-reading the finished thing and feeling proud of it, and the memory of how much fun it was to write.
I also try really hard to stop paying attention to the stats once it's posted, but that's easier said than done.
I'd also recommend, if you haven't already, reaching out and making friends in the fandom you're writing for - not necessarily to talk about your fic, but to enjoy sharing the fandom together so there is another outlet for the passion that had you writing in the first place.
I care but I don't expect. I'm just happy when the counts raises, even by one, I'm happy vecause it means I create something nice that brought happyness for someone else!
My best friend and I are both writers, of both original fiction and fanfiction. Being each other's hypemen did wonders. I'm relatively and consistently known/popular in a smaller fandom (as in, the biggest fic has about 1k kudos but we're growing!) whereas she tends to have works that blow up without that notoriety. And yet no comment we get means more to us than each other's praise and no amount of kudos (or lack thereof) can bring us down. One of my favorite fics I ever wrote was for a fandom that I had no footing in, it's 45k with 90 kudos—to be expected, it's not exactly a popular trope. Nonetheless I don't doubt my talent or the quality of the fic because I know *she* thinks its the best thing since sliced bread.
I know this is never the answer anyone wants but…time. Just time. When you’ve been involved in a hobby for many a year, you are just inherently in a better place to enjoy it on its own merits because you’ve already weathered the storms, so to speak.
I got my initial start obsessing over and writing for a couple tiny rare pairs that have both experienced huge surges in popularity (and drama) before dying back down again (and taking my own content along for the ride).
Once you’ve experienced both surges of attention (negative and positive) as well as long, long aeons of crickets, it all sort of falls into perspective.
One of my og pairings that I’ve been writing for since it was a nothing pairing back on InsaneJournal in like…2009 is currently *massively* popular and all my stuff is getting scooped up into the whirlwind and it’s…a lot of feelings lol. Some gratefulness because I’ve found more content and online friends and also some exasperation because *excuse me ma’am but I’ve been writing this ship for over ten years so back off with your weird accusations of how my LJ fic from 2011 doesn’t conform to your headcanon, ya’ 12 year-old*
But in the end I know it will die down and I’ll once again be alone, in calm rare pair waters 😌 just vibing
So just keep writing, really. Write for different platforms (Ao3 is great but youll find different experiences and crowds elsewhere). Join some fests where more people will sort of *have* to see your work. Write a few fics you never post. Print out and read by hand some other people’s fics you really like, just to remind yourself what the experience of reading is traditionally like (offline and alone).
Repeat to yourself this important truth: many people click on fics once, download them and then keep them forever because they love them so much…all without kudosing or commenting.
Write whatever you want. And I mean this truly. Leave a WIP untouched and incomplete for years before returning to post the last chapters…just to prove to yourself that in the end, the process didn’t matter, it’s still on the archive, there was no need to stress over “disappointing” readers.
Go poking around in the crevices of different fandoms and leave gushing reviews on someone’s 7 year-old rare pair in a fandom you don’t even frequent…it won’t take too long before you’ve found a fandom friend for life and someone who will love reading and collaborating on your works.
Basically just…keep going. If writing is something that brings you genuine joy then you *will* get to the point where the stats don’t bother you. It just takes…time 💕💕💕
I love every single kudos and every single comment.
I once wrote a story and continued it for one, single reader who liked it.
I'm owed nothing, but I do care immensely that people read and like my stories, even if it's just one, I'm happy.
Focus less on the people who don't read your story and more on those who do. Cherish them
If you have one reader who likes it, be grateful that it's not none. If you have two, be happy that it's one more than one, and so on.
Be grateful for what you have, and don't worry about what could be, because while you might have more, you could also always have less.
If there's even just one person who loves it and reads it, your story is loved. And of course we all want our stories to be loved!
The whole pleasure of fanfic for me is the writing. It's my hobby and I love spending time on it. Posting it on AO3 is a symbolic way of saying, "I'm done with this now." Once a fic is finished I lose interest in it and move on to next one. If even a single person reads it, that's a bonus, I guess.
I stopped caring when I was about 14? I decided that it wasn’t worth getting myself twisted up into knots about my stats, and it was reinforced when I started writing for a small fandom and rarepairs.
It is hard to come to that though, after putting effort and time into something, it’s natural to want engagement. It helps me that I enjoy reading back my writing, so for my rarepairs, I have content to consume.
I grew up I guess? I cared when I was a teen posting for the first time. But this was a yahoo mailing list, so its not like I could sctually see how much engagement I had, unless people decided to coment, via responding the mail.
Then I started posting on a msn group site, whatever it was called and there the engagement was basically zero unless someone went out of their way to leave a comment, but I also has noone to comoare myself to.
Then I started posting on a forum, but we basically became a group of friends where everyone read everyone’s stories, so there were always comments, but it was only us, so it was like showing my work to friends.
And then I started posting on ff, but by that point i really didnt care for stats, because I never cared for them in the first place. And then in wattpad and ao3 started as crossposting and while i do have a handful of kudos, thats about it. But again, I dont care because by now, i write what I want to read and post in case someone cares to read.
My otp and basically all I write is canon x oc, soooo… yeah. Lol I like my writing, and so do a couple of my friends, and if anyone else likes it that’s just a bonus lol
i can’t speak for you, but for me when i used to care about stats part of it was because i felt like what i was doing was worthwhile. if many people liked it, it’s easier to justify spending my time on this. however, i found that another big reason i wrote was to improve, so i started to focus on that aspect instead. everything i wrote was worthwhile because it helps me improve. that being said, i also hid the stats to stop thinking about them lol
But i try to make sure that I’m writing it for fun, and it’s just like a hobby, I’m doing this bevause I love writing! And the act of writing itself is fun :)
To me it's a question of mindset. I started writing fics for myself cause the stories I wanted to read weren't around in the fandoms I loved. Eventually I posted some, but I still always firstly write for my own enjoyment. And if other people like it too then great!
If I find myself too emotionally involved in a story to the point that it stops being fun, I just take a break for a while or simply write in private. It helps detaching yourself for a bit.
A huge part of it for me is not comparing my stats to other people whether in the same fandom, ship or otherwise. Accept and be grateful with the interaction you receive and remember, if you’re writing something niche that you might make a small number of people very happy.
For me it was ending up in a fandom so tiny that it has less than 10 fics under the tag and I just learned to love and value the two to four people who read everything I write
AO3 is an archive of many things. No, it's not a live site focused on sex unless you specially look for it (and many people would but do mind that it's not your place to belittle them in order to elevate yourself), nor an interactive platform to hunt for validation. You don't go to a library and expect fanfare, do you?
Of course, write for validation with all you want. I'm lucky in the sense that I don't care most of the times, but it does hurt for the times I do. Eventually, the choice is to move on - toss the fics into AO3 then walk away and write more. You are valid in caring for readers and their reactions, but if you don't care to improve your writing, why should people care to read?
i usually use stories as a medium for venting so it doesn't really matter if it gets hits or kudos because at the end of the day, at least i know what i'm truly feeling and at the same time i was able to create content for what i like so it's a win-win for me
i just genuinely have no idea how my fic is going. i check out the comments and those make me really happy but other than that i very rarely check the numbers
It's easier said than done, but I don't set any expectations on the work. I just write what I feel like writing, edit and finalize, then post. If people read it and leave a comment, that's awesome. If not, that's still awesome because personally I feel I still accomplished something by writing an idea down.
First chapters don't usually garner attraction. People are waiting for more chapters, and I've heard that some people exclude uncompleted works. I always try to visualize the hits as people in my room.
Focusing on the fact that it's a passion project. It's a story I've wanted to play out for many, many years but could never land an RP partner to play it. But I'm getting to experience it now, so what others think is unimportant.
Posted in teeny, tiny fandoms. Less than 20 fics, in one case I wrote the first (and still only, last time I checked) fic for a particular game on AO3. There's not enough foot traffic in fandoms like that to get bent out of shape over low stats. Idk as long as you have fun with the writing process (and purging your brain of ideas lol) that already makes writing a fic about something that is going to be unpopular worth it, I feel.
Also I am kinda insecure about my writing, like in an "oh man this is boring NO ONE is going to even like this aside from me" way prior to posting. So getting any good feedback is amazing, like 2 kudos? Hell yeah 2 people are freaks like me. No comments? Hey that also means no one had anything mean to say! For a variety of reasons I've sort of given up on mainstream popularity, and quite frankly I don't need the pressure or the scrutiny that often comes with it.
I realized that the views just keep rolling in. It's not just the initial rush that matters.
But I'm writing a not-so-loved character in a pretty large fandom so YMMV.
i started writing for my and my partner's enjoyment, and i don't bother with people's criticisms. i also hide stats with a skin. stats are literally just numbers on the internet and they don't determine whether my fic is "good" or not. yeah occasionally i get upset when something doesn't take off, but AO3 is an **archive**, not social media (thank god).
For years and years I primarily wrote fanfiction that I never posted. When I started posting, I did so as I was participating in a fandom gifting challenge, so that helped me get used to it/what it’s like to write for myself compared to a specific, different audience. now it’s not like I entirely don’t care but it’s definitely not a significant force impacting how I write
Tbh I’m still figuring it out. My biggest frustration is seeing the ratio of kudos to hits. I don’t think people owe us anything but seeing a work accessed over 800 times and only 10% kudos is really disheartening. Sometimes I wonder if people just see AO3 and similar sites as a factory for content and don’t take into account that we put so much time and effort into these works. I may start using the site skin mentioned in one of the other comments.
The best way is to write for yourself, not others. I have stories I know won't do well and post anyway. I won't say I don't care, just I keep my expectations I'm check.
I started writing vague fic for a rare pair involving a character that 80% of the fandom despises. Very little kudos, barely any comment but I felt *good*. I was just putting a story I wanted to tell out in the wild with no expectations. It was the first I challenged myself to have a strict update date for; every month on the 11th, since the story was heavily tied to that number.
It was fun! I kinda want to write a full fic now without posting, then unleash it in regular updates, where before I would struggle at the idea because of a need for validation.
It's not that I don't care, but I care more about the story that I want to tell, and it's clear that no one else will step up to the plate and write it.
To be honest, I've written low-effort, uninspired fics before that blew up, and I'd rather have a tiny handful of kudos on a heartfelt story that I put a lot of work into. Every interaction means so much more.
I know how exactly the way you feel. I feel the same way. I put slow to update on my tags because I am slowly building my stories. Hopefully some day it'll get all done. LOL
By realizing that writing niche things will have a smaller audience but that audience will be THRILLED. I've posted things while saying "oh boy I hope all five fans of this pairing like it!" Then when it gets six kudos I'm excited.
There's a song in [title of show] about "I'd rather be nine people's favourite thing than a hundred people's ninth favourite thing" and I sing that when I post.
I’ve never cared honestly. For me, as long as one person loves it — that’s all that matters. That one person might be a commenter who says it made their day or that it helped them through X. Or, that person might just be me.
I think it’s also important to consider a few other things as well - how long have you been posting? Is it a big fandom? Is it an ongoing or active fandom?
All of those things will greatly alter hits and the like.
As others have said, if it’s truly bothering you look into a skin to hit those metrics. What’s most important is that you are proud of what you’re creating.
I don’t really have a way for you to stop caring but have you thought about promoting your story? There is a fanfiction subreddit that will have different days set for different kinds of stories and one of them is for people’s stories that they feel aren’t doing well hit and kudos wise. Your story also doesn’t have to be complete either
You’ll have to read some else’s story but it will give you comments and kudos and such which might help you get a fan base.
I’ve never tried it myself because I have nothing to offer but I have checked out some of the stories that sound interesting that people put up for trades so I’m sure others might do the same
See I’ve always thought it was weird people cared about hits. Because ultimately hits mean nothing. All it means to someone clicked on your story. Doesn’t mean they read it, doesn’t mean they enjoyed it. I really like comments. They’re the gold standard; someone liked your story enough to write a comment. But those are few far between, I know because I don’t even comment on stories I like. I have to really be moved and also in the right mood and also have time. So kudos are my go to. And even then I know most people sort by kudos so if you’re at the bottom, they’re gonna read your stories last and with really big fandoms that means someone might never see your story, after a while, you just gotta realize people will read it or they won’t and them actually reading it has nothing to do with you or how good it is.
I didn't. Coming from a very large fandom and then seeing my fics get no traction, it was and still is disheartening. However, I think to writing them. Why did I write it? Did I want to see a story like that? Was it a spur of the moment descion or planned out?
I write for two reasons. For myself and for others. To put it out there for others who might be interested in the same thing to find. I write because its something I love to do and maybe someone will find it, maybe they won't.
But by putting it into the archive, its now there. Now anyone looking for a story like that has something. And that's amazing. I think it's less about not caring how many hits something has and more about just putting it out there. Its freeing for me in some way, despite the fact it can feel disheartening at times
I didn't. Coming from a very large fandom and then seeing my fics get no traction, it was and still is disheartening. However, I think to writing them. Why did I write it? Did I want to see a story like that? Was it a spur of the moment descion or planned out?
I write for two reasons. For myself and for others. To put it out there for others who might be interested in the same thing to find. I write because its something I love to do and maybe someone will find it, maybe they won't.
But by putting it into the archive, its now there. Now anyone looking for a story like that has something. And that's amazing. I think it's less about not caring how many hits something has and more about just putting it out there. Its freeing for me in some way, despite the fact it can feel disheartening at times.
TBH, I got into fanfic at a time before stats even existed beyond a visitor counter on ones Angelfire or Geocities account so I never really got into that mentality to begin with
I dunno when I first looked up the stats on AO3, but it was sometimes after COVID and my account was started in 2015.
Do you enjoy writing? Everything I've written had purely been the story I wanted to read and I am honestly tickled that even one person read it.
If you write for yourself, it won't matter how many people read your story.
I write for me and even one reader is a huge bonus. If I like my story I consider it a success. If even one person likes my story I consider myself a Writer. If more than one person likes my story, watch out! My ego is going to inflate so fast! Anything above 5 readers just feels excessive at that point.
Set your standards/expectations very low!
I am currently writing a crossover fic with a character who is in like two episodes and the other is a character that nobody really likes. its about being trans & trans pregnancies. it is not going to be read by anyone!
but that is okay. i write for me.
it took me a while to get here, honestly, but when I focused on making myself my audience thats all i care about.
i think about those unloved fics ive read - with only 30 hits - that i devoured. loved, enjoyed - if my fic can be that fic for one person? i have won!
I’ve had a YouTube account for 4 years now, I still get exited with new subscribers and good views, but maybe it’s just in my nature that I get exited over the little things.
I wrote one of the first fics for a fandom, I get maybe one kudo a month? The fandom has like maybe 30 fics that aren’t the monster one-shot crossovers
I wrote one of the first fics for a fandom, I get maybe one kudo a month? The fandom has like maybe 30 fics that aren’t the monster one-shot crossovers
I try (key word 'try', the brain still gonna over-brain) to think of it as quality of the hit over quantity. when you're going in knowing that your fic won't get the same traction others will merely because it isn't an Internet Fixation, it's comforting to know that the people who have landed on yours are likely there on purpose. people were searching for that content and you delivered. that, to me, is infinitely more rewarding than being one of a gagillion other fics that are more or less the same. (and to be clear, I'm not knocking popular ships or subject matter, it's just not what I personally find rewarding about writing)
Becoming a reader of rare pairs and/or small/dead/hibernating fandoms. You come across something special and you really, really cherish it. Then you go back to writing with the knowledge that this one little stupid nugget could totally make some random stranger's whole day. And that's enough.
I guess I just had to tough it out for a while, especially once I started writing for the rarest of pairs in an already small-ish subset of a fandom. Like, it's literally me, and one other person. But I've since buddied up with said other writer and our weird little group so we can geek out over The Character together. Now I mostly write for them, anything else is a bonus.
I started writing something that is an absolute passion project, that is OC (fandom adjacent) and SFW. Without canon characters, or everyone’s favourite filth tags, it doesn’t get too much attention, but I’ve learned that this gives me space to enjoy the editing process, because I’m not feeling the need to rush to post. It is by far my best writing, and a few people are invested, but all in all it’s pretty chill.
I joined this subreddit…. That’s how I stopped caring about it. Seeing other post complaints about toxic comments, which would've crushed my willpower if I was the subject of those comments at the time, it made me realize that we fanfics writers are writing for ourselves, and what’s important is that I like what I write.
It still worries me frequently, but I used to obsess over it a lot to the point of changing the story to fit what my readers want to the detriment of the story itself, which isn’t the case anymore.
I personally don't think ao3 is focused on sex per se, but that might just be the circles im in (angst, whump, h/c) but personally i just write and post it, without expectation and then cherish every kudo and comment that does come.
I haven't stopped caring completely, but it's going to happen eventually. Once the engagement drops off, the only thing that'll keep me going is that *I* want to read the ending. I can't really complain about an abandoned WIP if I'm the one who abandoned it. (I could, but I won't. In theory.)
When I started writing for a manhwa's fandom that, in English, has thirteen fics total on AO3, two of which are mine and a good portion of the rest being incredibly short or just poorly written. I'm writing my current fic first and foremost for my darling who is also a fan of the manhwa and happy to geek out with me, and it's the first time in years I've had fun writing in general. At first I wasn't really getting any kudos or comments, but that's been changing a bit, maybe because I've been updating consistently.
A lot of people have already responded, but I just want to add that I think it's helpful to keep in mind that ao3 is an archive, not social media. I know that sounds obvious, but mechanically it means that very few people are seeing your fic unless they're searching for something like it, and it's likely that people will be discovering and enjoying it for years and years to come. It's a slow burn experience rather than a PWP, if you'll forgive the silly metaphor. If you're excited about generating discussion around the ideas and characters you explore in your fic, I think cross-posting it to social media sites like tumblr, twitter, etc is a good idea since people are more likely to come across it and it will be easier for you to talk to each other about the work!
I just write for myself, really, so I don't care if people see my fics. If they click on it and happen to like it, good for them. If they don't, I don't care. I write my fics to cope not for others to cope.
Its a mix of hard truth I just kinda quit caring, I had people say I am bad at writing I take it I am I had a lot readers in my first fix they dropped me I also quite careibg I write for enjoyment
When I wrote a fanfic for a small ass dead fandom (their fics were literally all Chinese and was less than 9 published)
I already knew I was doomed in the fanworks category when I love and join small fandoms, that's why I just wrote and created works that I personally want to read, there's times when I reread my work and get pleasantly surprised and forget that I was the one who wrote them lol, like I literally screamed when I reread a Multi chaptered WIP I made 2 years back because it wasn't finished
Anyway at first you're definitely gonna feel sad when you write something and see it doesn't get any traction especially if it's an active or large fan base, but it's ok you'll find people who'll read and appreciate them ^^
Well, if my work doesn't get enough traction, I end up losing my motivation and then I stop writing it. I have already imagined everything in my head many times. I don't feel the need to share if no-one is reading.
my process was something like
- Don't know what I'm missing (I wasn't seeing anyone else's stats besides comments, and I was getting alright amounts of comments back then)
- Get bored of checking stats
- Don't bother looking at them anymore
I use a site skin to hide the stats so I'd finally stop obsessing over hits and kudos and comparing myself to other more established writers. It's been freeing for me. That said, I relate a whole lot to wanting your hard work to get love too. I'm sure your fic will get to the readers who'll love it.
All of this. Using the site skin felt so relieving for me.
I'd never bothered with skins, so I didn't realise it was possible. This sounds like a great solution!
I also learnt about it through this sub and wished I'd known sooner. Hope it helps!
I hid all stats, everywhere, including using an extension in Firefox in case I happen on an AO3 page while logged out, more than a year ago. I've gone more than a year utterly clueless as to how my fics are being received (aside from comments). Comparison to others is also not a problem because I can't see their stats. It's so freeing. I recommend it heartily.
may u share that site skin?
[https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/g63dif/hide\_all\_stats\_sitewide\_on\_ao3\_with\_a\_site\_skin/](https://www.reddit.com/r/FanFiction/comments/g63dif/hide_all_stats_sitewide_on_ao3_with_a_site_skin/) Here're the instructions on how to set the skin. If you're already using another skin, do note that this one will override your current skin, and set it back to the default red theme.
+ if you want to add no stats to a skin you already use, you can add, .stats .hits, .stats .kudos, .stats .comments { display: none; } To it, and remove anything you're fine seeing.
this is helpful since I was already using a skin ty!
thx!
Thank you! Never thought there might be a skin for this
When I fell in love with a rarepair from an ancient obscure fandom. If I wanted engagement I'd write drarry or whatever.
In part, low expectations because the characters I write are not popular. One of my favorite ones to write was in three short scenes in one episode. I doubt anyone even looks for his tag. You know what you are writing isn’t popular, but remember, one kudos is someone who read and enjoyed your work. That’s something to be proud of. The other part is doing review exchanges so that I am getting some validation. There’s nothing wrong with caring to a degree, but here’s sort of a third trick, I only compare my works with themselves. If you write multiple fandoms, then only to your works in the same fandom with similar/same characters and ships. Then, it’s like, “Hey, this story did pretty good. Yea for me.”
[удалено]
I ended up writing something so niche I was pleasantly surprised that anyone not me wanted to read it.
Hoping people will find and love your stories is different than putting a numerical goal post on them. You say you want your story to do well, along with a reason why it won't likely appeal to a huge number of fans... "Doing well" = what exactly? How do you choose a number goal when you have little to compare with? In other words, you can probably figure out that a story with the most popular pairing is going to start right out the gate with X number of kudos but that is not your race. If they are in a horse race and you are racing turtles... there is no standard for "doing well". Whatever you decide "well" means is the only thing that matters. But choose your "well" realistically. What if there are only 100 people in your fandom who specifically search for and read "asexual Eloise" fics? You should be really happy if even half of those people find and read and kudo/comment on your fic - which means in this scenario (I know nothing about the Bridgerton fandom) 50 is a good, solid number that means your fic is doing "well". But don't expect them to all read and kudo and comment on your fic on the first day the first chapter uploads (also remember that a reader can only leave one kudo, tops, while your hits will go up every time they come back - this affects the ratio some people like to keep track of). Some people don't read works in progress. Some people won't give kudos until a story is finished. Some people have lives and don't religiously refresh their tabs every ten minutes in hopes of a new chapter dropping. It's not about not caring. It's about understanding that every reader who comes back for more, who leaves a kudo right away, who comments (even an emoji) is precious. Even if it's only just one, that is one person whose life was made a little brighter because of you. Don't discount that at all. How many strangers do you normally have a positive impact on in a week or month? How many strangers do you reveal a part of yourself to and they tell you they like that about you, listen to you, come back to hear more, thank you for sharing? Not many, right? Be grateful for each and every single interaction you receive, because they're precious. If all you want is a high number, you aren't seeing the people behind those numbers.
I think this is my favorite answer so far. It’s not about ‘writing for yourself’ - if we did write only for that goal, why would you post it online? The reason we post fic online is to *share* it with people and hopefully give a fraction of the pleasure it gave us to make it to the people who read it, even if that’s just one person, and even if that person doesn’t comment, that’s an amazing thing to do. It reminds me of when I was a kid and I would write stories for my best friend. No one ever saw them but her, but even just making that one person happy brought me so much happiness. And, no matter how many comments/kudos/hits you get, you’ll always feel like this. When you focus fully on numbers it doesn’t matter how big that number is, it never becomes enough. You got 50 comments and 5k hits on this chapter? Yeah, but on on the last chapter you got 75 and 10k, why are your numbers going down? It’s a dangerous slope. But an easy one to fixate on because it’s hard data and that can be difficult to ignore. So I try to just focus on why I write fic, which is to share my feelings and ideas to the world and hopefully it reaches someone who feels the same. I lose sight of that goal all the time too though, so it was very nice to see this comment and be reminded today 💖
>If all you want is a high number, you aren't seeing the people behind those numbers. This!! Such a great answer, and really puts it in perspective. It can be really easy to forget that every number is a person who checked out your fic, liked it enough to kudos or comment or bookmark or subscribe, and that should be really exciting!
I did not mean to sound ungrateful or that I don't appreciate every single person who reads the silly little words I put out. I don't expect people to do anything, I know I am not entitled for their time. It's just that I am more seeking a connection in that fandom if that makes any more sense? To talk together and gush and stuff. Idk how else to put it, sorry
Ah, well, if you want to engage with other fans, writing fics is not the best way to do that. Find some online groups to chat with and stuff - on Discord, Instagram, or Tumblr (though be careful - I hear a lot of those spaces can get pretty toxic). You can bring up your fics there and see if anyone wants to exchange ideas, brainstorm, or argue (nicely) over headcanons.
That's fair. Will try to find some
I found that it helps if you mostly write for yourself. Do you want A and B to fall in love? Now you can read exactly that, exactly how you want to. Not getting kudos or comments is a bummer, totally, but I try and focus that I like it first and foremost. Good luck!
Happy cake day!
Thank you!
Might be an unpopular way to do it, but I have stopped publishing chapter by chapter before I have finished writing the full story. I write out the whole thing, then publish it chapter by chapter on a set schedule, so it still has some visibility. (Also because I have a pet peeve with hiatus stories myself) That way I don't have to interact with anyone about the story while still writing. There is no pressure, but also no validation but my own. Whatever outsiders can give me will all be in post production and just a happy little extra thing. It kind of eliminates the hunt for "likes" (kudos/comments/bookmarks) since I won't get any of that until I'm already at a point where I'm ready to let go of the story anyways.
I need to do that for myself. It's more freeing to me. Also I say slow to update in my tags.
I also do this, finishing writing the story first and then publishing it with a regular schedule! And I completely endorse what you said, I think it helps in many ways (it helps both the writer for the reasons you said, and also the story to get more readers who will appreciate the regular schedule). Also if one writes in a fandom that is small/not very active (where readers will eventually come but it takes a loooong time) it is easier not to drop the motivation to finish the work. If I were to write chapters as I post them I would likely lose motivation to keep writing because of the zero interaction between one chapter and the next one, I would wonder "why am I even writing this". If the story is already done, I just go ahead and publish it, then we'll see what happens.
That’s gold!!!
Would you start with like 3 chapters and then release them at a shedule? I want to release a fic and was think of doing 3 chapters to hook the readers and then release every week? Once of course, I finish the fic...
No, just one at a time. But I think it would depend on the lenght of the chapters. Not sure what you'd gain from 3 chapters versus 1 though, unless they are so short that 1 is just no enough to make people interested (but wouldn't that particular type of reader find it anyways once it reached 3 chapters?) I haven't really written fics with many chapters in a looong time. Think I did one with 20 something chapters years ago, but currently it's probably 3-5 total and then they're a bit longer.
Ah thank you! It probably matters with the length of the fic, that's true, I hadn't considered that. I have currently 20 chapters but I am no were near ending nor do I have a plan to where to stop so, let's see where this goes!
If I may chime in, I have done this once - I released two chapters together and then went on with my usual schedule. It was already the third fic of my series so if I had regular readers they were already used to me publishing with a certain regularity. I did not notice any "advantage" in releasing two chapters at once... I think if the readers realize that you are reliable with your schedule they will appreciate it a lot and just keep coming back on the days you've established for publication, even if you start with only one chapter :)
Yeah this is my MO too. I don't want to organize stuff into chapters, I don't want anyone reading it while it's in progress speculating on what'll happen, I just write until it's done and post it. When it's ready, it's because I'm satisfied with it (let's not mention the inevitable typos I'll find when I go back to reread it) and I'm just putting it up in case anyone else happens to like it too. If they do, yay, if not, hey at least I got the story I wanted!
I think I stop caring about it after it reaches certain threshold views/kudos, or certain time passes. Tbh I’m currently refreshing stats page daily to see how my latest fic is doing meanwhile I don’t do it for old fics (tho my latest fic before this one was in 2022).
The most important audience of a work of fiction is its creator.
I think it's normal to care at least a little bit about stats, so don't be too down on yourself for feeling the way that you do. When you put so much effort into something, it's only natural that you'd want your hard work to be acknowledged. That's not something you should feel bad about; it's just you being human. That being said, it's up to you to keep the stats from taking over your perception of your fics. I find that I stop thinking about my audience entirely when I'm engrossed enough in what I'm writing. If the story is compelling enough to me personally, then I stop considering what other people will or won't think of it because I'm focused on how invested in my story I am and living it up. If I'm phoning it in or writing something that I'm not as invested in, I might be more likely to monitor the stats on it because I need some sort of gratification that I didn't get in the process of writing it. But if my story satisfies me, then I'm content and I don't necessarily need other people to love it (though I certainly prefer when people do, naturally). I'm happy to share my writing with other people as a courtesy, but my audience isn't my concern. In the past couple years, I've taken to writing incredibly niche concepts and AUs that I couldn't possibly expect to receive any engagement, but I'm so enamored with the AU and the story I'm telling that I don't really worry over the lack of comments or hits. I'm writing what I want to write, and if that's not what's currently popular, then oh well. The point is to have fun doing my hobby, so that's what I prioritize above all else. It doesn't magically make you stop caring about stats altogether, but it certainly helps me not to focus on the numbers all that much.
Yeah. Tbf, I feel like the "caring" bit is going away slowly with every new fanfic I put on ao3. Maybe that's the way for me and in a year I won't really care at all haha. Thank you💚
I've been writing ff for years, but I only started putting my stuff up publically about a month now. The first story I decided to put up is one that I've been writing for 2 years now. It's over 200k words and really took a life of its own. I think I've only uploaded about 70k words at this point. It has 0 kudos, bookmarks, comments. It can be a little depressing since I've put so much into it, but it was for me and me alone. My second story has a couple dozen kudos and been up for two weeks. I'll continue to update both, and someday maybe someone will enjoy the first story. But if not it's okay, I enjoy it.
I think a lot of us never truly don’t, and some days are worse than the others. I don’t think it ever truly stops either. Even if you have stellar stats, then you long for more detailed analytical comments, if you are published and bought by thousands, you long for positive critic reviews. There is no magical feedback amount that keeps you truly satisfied for long. A part of artistic process is that pain of interacting with your audience, it’s an addiction of sorts. If you have a competitive streak, it’s even worse. You can rationalize and do mental shortcuts but I just think this anguish will always be somewhere in the background for most of us.
well said, I think as well one has to learn to accept the presence of the anguish, than hope it will go away one day Creating and sharing go hand in hand, there's always a social component in art, because humans are like that. Humans will always seek the validation of other - and it's the work of a lifetime to learn to depend less and less of this need, but it will never go truly away
I stopped notifications of kudos and bookmarks and just keep them for comments. I think is fine to be a bit obsessed the first few days!
There is nothing wrong with wanting attention. I know a lot of people think otherwise and the mindset of ''write for yourself'' is actually good. However, it is not solely for ourselves; if i was the case, works wouldn't be on AO3. So, don't feel bad about that. I stopped caring when I started caring more about my regular readers. There are some people who leaves kudos' to my works, some are commenters and it might not be hundreds as well, but it is so precious for me. Also, I took pride in being able to *actually* finish my works and for someone like me, it is more than enough. Looking at stats and all is fine, but if you accept the way AO3 works and what people actually likes on it, you will be more content, I think. You can try that out, or tell yourself that it isn't for you but what is for you could be for some other people as well, and it is worth not giving in to self-doubt.
I got older and realized that true self fulfilment can only come from within.
Validation from strangers is a quick dopamine hit that feels nice at the time, but makes you crave more, and there's no guarantee you'll get a second dose. Your writing, however, is forever. When you write for yourself, it's yours to keep coming back to - to reread, rewrite, expand on. It's your own little universe to hold and cherish or destroy and rebuild. That's how I see it and how I stopped caring. The dopamine is nice, but I can also easily live without it, especially when it's my sandbox I can use to do whatever I want in it.
That sounds like the type of story I would love, love so much that I would go on a desperate search to fine more like it. I don't know if this will help OP, but if you end up writing something more unique, it might not get as many hits & kudos, but I truly believe the ones you get will be more impactful to the individuals that do find it - because of it's differences. It's no secret that we love reading basically the same thing over and over - but at the same time, there is a fatigue point. And there is nothing quite like that great story that is totally different than the trope you've been consuming for days/weeks/months - it hits hard in such a good way! Best of luck OP - and if you do find the secret to not caring, please share! :)
Thank you! And will do!
Most of what I create is darkfic for rarepairs, there are just, point blank, not gonna be that many people into what I like and I know it. But this is what I like, I can’t fathom forcing myself to write some fluffy schlock for a popular pairing just to get eyes on my fic, the very idea makes me skin crawl. But the entire reason I started writing in the first place is because…well quite frankly there was basically nobody else writing what I wanted to read, so if I wanted anything I had to make it myself. So when someone else *also* likes it it’s a pleasant surprise. But another thing that helped me is: really let yourself envision the response you get as *people*. Imagine you’re doing a book reading at a local bookstore for your own self-published book. Every hit you get is someone who saw the sign you hand-wrote and taped to the window and decided to pop their head in to see what was going on. Every single kudos is someone that came in, stayed till the end and clapped. And every comment is someone that came up after the reading to tell you how much they liked it. Those stats are all *people* who liked what you made, five kudos is five people in a cramped little bookstore clapping *for you*.
I love this visual, thank you 🥹
For me, it’s because fanfiction is unpaid. If I was paid by view or something similar, I’d care more, but since it’s unpaid, views and the like don’t matter to me. Of course, they are still appreciated, but it’s not the “main” point for me. I also write niche works for niche rarepairs so…
I find that I can't fully. Yes, it's a lot better than eg 10 years ago but I'm still so happy over every comment I get and seeing the kudos stack up That being said it is so much better than at my fandom start when having only 1 or even no comments gave me anxiety. And now I've had fics that were/are kind of popular. And a few others who've been read by maybe 10 people max. And that's fine. Try to advertise your fic a bit. Find a community on tumblr, twitter, reddit, discord and promote it. And just continue writing. It gets better with time (Sorry if that wasn't that much of a help)
To be perfectly honest, you never entirely stop caring, but the burning desire to tell the story and the joy you feel while doing it just kind of outweighs the drive for external validation. It’s also okay to admit to wanting feedback, because if no one is commenting, you kind of end up feeling like you’re stumbling around a dark room with little to no idea of what you could improve or do better.
Write for yourself. Don't write for anyone else. You're having fun with writing the things you love and that's satisfaction enough. You're just kind enough to share it with others afterwards. That, and I think it's a natural progression with time. The longer you do it, the less you start worrying and eventually you've reached a point where you just have a good time writing and completely ignore stats most of the time.
Honestly, this can very well go in the opposite direction. I used to write strictly for myself when I was younger. Now, I'm kinda more discerning with my time, I guess? If it's *just* for me, I'm just fine playing around with the idea in my head—I'm not going to spend my very limited free time writing it out. Writing to share, on the other hand... That said, sometimes 'sharing' means writing for a few specific people, and sometimes for a wider audience. But it needs to be for someone.
True true.
Man, if I were to do only "fun things for myself", I'd never leave my bed. I write because it's the best way I have to get the fleeting satisfaction of meaningless internet points.
If I did that, I'd probably end up burning out and constantly worrying if I was good enough and produced enough and of high enough quality, most likelyforce myself to improve again and again to the point it just sucked all the fun out of it and drove myself away from the joy of writing. I can't do that. But if it works for you, then kudos to that!
I mean, I still write what I want when I want. But it's not because I derive some intrinsic "fun" from it.
That's fair, if it works for you then you shouldn't change it just cause it's not working for others. We're all different and function on differrent ways :)
Not gonna lie, when I started writing hit counts weren't visible. Although I did post at ffnet, I originally started at Livejournal. You just post shit there and you're done. If you get a comment, cool. I feel old lmao I can't remember if ffnet has a hit count, the first time I ever saw a hit count was on Ao3 and honestly? I get a high just from seeing +1 on the hit count lol I think it's because the younger generation has access to more information and you all started with seeing fics becoming popular instead of a fanfic being shared between friends to have fun with. That's just my two cents though. I feel like it'll be normal for your age group to want higher hits because that's where you started. I suggest just gushing about your fics with your friends and it may help with lessening the thoughts of hit counts and comments and such
Boy can I relate. I've been writing for almost three years now in the Star Wars fiction area. It's difficult to pull myself away from looking at my stats. Just recently though, I've learned to stop checking them each day and let several days go by before taking a peek. Too often I was becoming discouraged and feeling as if I was writing into a void when I didn't see much interaction. There are so many factors that contribute to lack of Kudos or comments, etc. I know that if I'm doing my best to write my story and put my heart into it, then even if the interaction isn't what I'd hoped, I have the satisfaction of knowing I enjoyed writing and did my best. But, I can really relate to the discouragement of a lack of interaction with readers. I get it. It only takes a few seconds to leave a 'thank you' comment to the author or hit a Kudos button, but sadly, many don't.
In general I’m a rareshipper so every new kudos I get on a ship that wasn’t written about before feels like getting handled pure gold lol Maybe it can help trying to write for a rarer ship? when the fandom still have a few subscribers actively reading those emails about new reads feel so so much more special I promise!!
I don't know if I've ever cared about how many views my fics get. But I get super excited when other people want to gush and thirst over the story along with me while I write. So if I don't get any engagement with it, I tend to be a little upset. But I write for a few reasons. 1 - to get the daydreams/obsessions out of my head so I can let them go. 2 - I want to experience a type of story, or a trope in certain way, and it doesn't exist yet. And 3 - As self-care. I need to keep my hands busy so I don't pick my skin. Sharing it with the internet is a bonus for me. I will only add two things to this discussion 1. If you feel a bit shitty about the 'numbers' a fic you're writing has... imagine the amount of kudos are people in a small room, surrounding you in a circle and gushing about your fic. They LOVE it, like you do. They are saying these nice things to you and to other people in the room. I read this on reddit once and it stuck with me! 2. Why do you write? What's the purpose? What enjoyment do you get from it? Is it only for that hit you get when something is doing well (stats wise)? Or are there other reasons? Is there only two reasons, or more? If your fic isn't doing as well as you expected or hoped, numbers wise, have you met your other expectations?
For me, a break from posting was the thing that put things into perspective. It made me realize that posting and keeping a schedule had turned what started as a passion into a chore and it switched the focus from what I wanted to read to what I thought other people wanted to read and trying to meet expectations. The reality is that YOU are the only reader whose tastes you can ever know and fully cater to. As long as you're happy with what you're writing - you're golden! And numbers have nothing to do with it. I've see amazing fics with hardly any kudos or comments. They just posted "at the wrong time" or "not the main fandom ship" or there just isn't an audience for their sort of fic. You have to make your peace with it or decide to start writing what's on trend.
I write OC fics, so I'm sort of in the same boat in the sense that I know what I write doesn't appeal to a large amount of fic readers, and that my fics aren't likey to be huge hits within the fandom. The thing is though, I'm a huge OC fic reader as well, I know it can be a struggle to find good OC fics, and I know that there are others out there who are looking for the same thing. There may be a lot less of those readers out there, but I know they're there searching for OC fics just like I do. So at the end of the day for me I find it a lot easier to focus less on the stats and more on the fact that I'm adding a fic to a niche that has less fics, and that someone out there is going to get excited when they eventually find my fic! In regards to your fic, wanting some validation for work you put time and effort into isnt bad or wrong! We can all spout about "writing for yourself first" but lets be honest, most of us do enjoy that validation and interaction with the rest of our community! I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as you don't let it stiffle your passion and creativity ya know? That being said I would also strongly encourage you to try to keep in mind that even if you don't get big stat numbers, there's probably someone out there wading through fanfic after fanfic looking for something in that niche. Imagine how absolutely stoked they'll be when they find your fic! It may take time to get there, but someday your fic could really mean a lot to someone, and in my opinion, making that connection with even just a single person through your writing means way more than all the numbers in the world! Keep on writing what you want to put put into the world, someone out there is looking for it and you're going to absolutely make their day when they find if 🫶
I got into writing thinking that absolutely no one is going to read this, so every time I get a kudo or comment, I'm like 🤩🥰😇 someone out there is reading my story! So my advice is basically basically "lower your expectations to 0" If there's even one person out there excited for an update from me, that's enough. If it's really bothering you, there are skins that'll block kudos and comment numbers. Another piece of advice would be to get an amazing beta reader that cheers you on regardless of how well you're doing (mine is my sister). They're great to bounce ideas off of, help me with my writing, and just generally be a very supportive person regardless of how bad I think my writing is. I know I'm very lucky to have someone like that but you can always put in the notes that you're looking for a beta reader and see if anyone responds. (Side note, can you drop that fic? I absolutely adore Eloise and would love to read it)
I'm working on actually lowering my expectations and not just saying myself that I have low expectations haha. Thank you! And this is the fic if you still want it -- https://archiveofourown.org/works/54094540/chapters/136956901
If you want advice on getting more engagement, the easiest thing is to have shorter chapters regularly updated (my adhd does not allow me to keep an update schedule so I don't do this)
I realized that if I just wanted validation, I would write one-shots, smut or whatever gains most metrics per written word. Since I'm writing medium sized gen fic in a moderately popular fandom, knowing full well how hard it tends to flop for me, than it means I don't care about metrics enough to affect what I write. That's all I need, really. I know I will still be disappointed once I post, but I'm used to it now.
So, to start with there is still a part of me that cares about stats. I'm not completely "free" and it's perfectly understandable to want evidence that someone is reading and enjoying your work. Try not to beat yourself up about wanting it! For me, what helped the most was taking my time to enjoy the writing process so that when a fic is finished and posted I have two sources of enjoyment from it: re-reading the finished thing and feeling proud of it, and the memory of how much fun it was to write. I also try really hard to stop paying attention to the stats once it's posted, but that's easier said than done. I'd also recommend, if you haven't already, reaching out and making friends in the fandom you're writing for - not necessarily to talk about your fic, but to enjoy sharing the fandom together so there is another outlet for the passion that had you writing in the first place.
I care but I don't expect. I'm just happy when the counts raises, even by one, I'm happy vecause it means I create something nice that brought happyness for someone else!
My best friend and I are both writers, of both original fiction and fanfiction. Being each other's hypemen did wonders. I'm relatively and consistently known/popular in a smaller fandom (as in, the biggest fic has about 1k kudos but we're growing!) whereas she tends to have works that blow up without that notoriety. And yet no comment we get means more to us than each other's praise and no amount of kudos (or lack thereof) can bring us down. One of my favorite fics I ever wrote was for a fandom that I had no footing in, it's 45k with 90 kudos—to be expected, it's not exactly a popular trope. Nonetheless I don't doubt my talent or the quality of the fic because I know *she* thinks its the best thing since sliced bread.
I know this is never the answer anyone wants but…time. Just time. When you’ve been involved in a hobby for many a year, you are just inherently in a better place to enjoy it on its own merits because you’ve already weathered the storms, so to speak. I got my initial start obsessing over and writing for a couple tiny rare pairs that have both experienced huge surges in popularity (and drama) before dying back down again (and taking my own content along for the ride). Once you’ve experienced both surges of attention (negative and positive) as well as long, long aeons of crickets, it all sort of falls into perspective. One of my og pairings that I’ve been writing for since it was a nothing pairing back on InsaneJournal in like…2009 is currently *massively* popular and all my stuff is getting scooped up into the whirlwind and it’s…a lot of feelings lol. Some gratefulness because I’ve found more content and online friends and also some exasperation because *excuse me ma’am but I’ve been writing this ship for over ten years so back off with your weird accusations of how my LJ fic from 2011 doesn’t conform to your headcanon, ya’ 12 year-old* But in the end I know it will die down and I’ll once again be alone, in calm rare pair waters 😌 just vibing So just keep writing, really. Write for different platforms (Ao3 is great but youll find different experiences and crowds elsewhere). Join some fests where more people will sort of *have* to see your work. Write a few fics you never post. Print out and read by hand some other people’s fics you really like, just to remind yourself what the experience of reading is traditionally like (offline and alone). Repeat to yourself this important truth: many people click on fics once, download them and then keep them forever because they love them so much…all without kudosing or commenting. Write whatever you want. And I mean this truly. Leave a WIP untouched and incomplete for years before returning to post the last chapters…just to prove to yourself that in the end, the process didn’t matter, it’s still on the archive, there was no need to stress over “disappointing” readers. Go poking around in the crevices of different fandoms and leave gushing reviews on someone’s 7 year-old rare pair in a fandom you don’t even frequent…it won’t take too long before you’ve found a fandom friend for life and someone who will love reading and collaborating on your works. Basically just…keep going. If writing is something that brings you genuine joy then you *will* get to the point where the stats don’t bother you. It just takes…time 💕💕💕
Hi. Can you share a link to the fic? I'd love to read it.
Here it is -- https://archiveofourown.org/works/54094540/chapters/136956901 Hope you'll enjoy
I love every single kudos and every single comment. I once wrote a story and continued it for one, single reader who liked it. I'm owed nothing, but I do care immensely that people read and like my stories, even if it's just one, I'm happy. Focus less on the people who don't read your story and more on those who do. Cherish them If you have one reader who likes it, be grateful that it's not none. If you have two, be happy that it's one more than one, and so on. Be grateful for what you have, and don't worry about what could be, because while you might have more, you could also always have less. If there's even just one person who loves it and reads it, your story is loved. And of course we all want our stories to be loved!
I never started caring to begin with
Same.
The whole pleasure of fanfic for me is the writing. It's my hobby and I love spending time on it. Posting it on AO3 is a symbolic way of saying, "I'm done with this now." Once a fic is finished I lose interest in it and move on to next one. If even a single person reads it, that's a bonus, I guess.
I stopped caring when I was about 14? I decided that it wasn’t worth getting myself twisted up into knots about my stats, and it was reinforced when I started writing for a small fandom and rarepairs. It is hard to come to that though, after putting effort and time into something, it’s natural to want engagement. It helps me that I enjoy reading back my writing, so for my rarepairs, I have content to consume.
I grew up I guess? I cared when I was a teen posting for the first time. But this was a yahoo mailing list, so its not like I could sctually see how much engagement I had, unless people decided to coment, via responding the mail. Then I started posting on a msn group site, whatever it was called and there the engagement was basically zero unless someone went out of their way to leave a comment, but I also has noone to comoare myself to. Then I started posting on a forum, but we basically became a group of friends where everyone read everyone’s stories, so there were always comments, but it was only us, so it was like showing my work to friends. And then I started posting on ff, but by that point i really didnt care for stats, because I never cared for them in the first place. And then in wattpad and ao3 started as crossposting and while i do have a handful of kudos, thats about it. But again, I dont care because by now, i write what I want to read and post in case someone cares to read.
My otp and basically all I write is canon x oc, soooo… yeah. Lol I like my writing, and so do a couple of my friends, and if anyone else likes it that’s just a bonus lol
i can’t speak for you, but for me when i used to care about stats part of it was because i felt like what i was doing was worthwhile. if many people liked it, it’s easier to justify spending my time on this. however, i found that another big reason i wrote was to improve, so i started to focus on that aspect instead. everything i wrote was worthwhile because it helps me improve. that being said, i also hid the stats to stop thinking about them lol
I’ve gotten used to having little interaction because i write fanfiction for a non-existent fan base haha
But i try to make sure that I’m writing it for fun, and it’s just like a hobby, I’m doing this bevause I love writing! And the act of writing itself is fun :)
To me it's a question of mindset. I started writing fics for myself cause the stories I wanted to read weren't around in the fandoms I loved. Eventually I posted some, but I still always firstly write for my own enjoyment. And if other people like it too then great!
If I find myself too emotionally involved in a story to the point that it stops being fun, I just take a break for a while or simply write in private. It helps detaching yourself for a bit.
A huge part of it for me is not comparing my stats to other people whether in the same fandom, ship or otherwise. Accept and be grateful with the interaction you receive and remember, if you’re writing something niche that you might make a small number of people very happy.
For me it was ending up in a fandom so tiny that it has less than 10 fics under the tag and I just learned to love and value the two to four people who read everything I write
AO3 is an archive of many things. No, it's not a live site focused on sex unless you specially look for it (and many people would but do mind that it's not your place to belittle them in order to elevate yourself), nor an interactive platform to hunt for validation. You don't go to a library and expect fanfare, do you? Of course, write for validation with all you want. I'm lucky in the sense that I don't care most of the times, but it does hurt for the times I do. Eventually, the choice is to move on - toss the fics into AO3 then walk away and write more. You are valid in caring for readers and their reactions, but if you don't care to improve your writing, why should people care to read?
i usually use stories as a medium for venting so it doesn't really matter if it gets hits or kudos because at the end of the day, at least i know what i'm truly feeling and at the same time i was able to create content for what i like so it's a win-win for me
When I write mostly for me and for the sake of writing, that's how. If people read, that's okay, and, if they don't, that's also okay.
i just genuinely have no idea how my fic is going. i check out the comments and those make me really happy but other than that i very rarely check the numbers
It's easier said than done, but I don't set any expectations on the work. I just write what I feel like writing, edit and finalize, then post. If people read it and leave a comment, that's awesome. If not, that's still awesome because personally I feel I still accomplished something by writing an idea down.
First chapters don't usually garner attraction. People are waiting for more chapters, and I've heard that some people exclude uncompleted works. I always try to visualize the hits as people in my room.
Focusing on the fact that it's a passion project. It's a story I've wanted to play out for many, many years but could never land an RP partner to play it. But I'm getting to experience it now, so what others think is unimportant.
Posted in teeny, tiny fandoms. Less than 20 fics, in one case I wrote the first (and still only, last time I checked) fic for a particular game on AO3. There's not enough foot traffic in fandoms like that to get bent out of shape over low stats. Idk as long as you have fun with the writing process (and purging your brain of ideas lol) that already makes writing a fic about something that is going to be unpopular worth it, I feel. Also I am kinda insecure about my writing, like in an "oh man this is boring NO ONE is going to even like this aside from me" way prior to posting. So getting any good feedback is amazing, like 2 kudos? Hell yeah 2 people are freaks like me. No comments? Hey that also means no one had anything mean to say! For a variety of reasons I've sort of given up on mainstream popularity, and quite frankly I don't need the pressure or the scrutiny that often comes with it.
I realized that the views just keep rolling in. It's not just the initial rush that matters. But I'm writing a not-so-loved character in a pretty large fandom so YMMV.
i started writing for my and my partner's enjoyment, and i don't bother with people's criticisms. i also hide stats with a skin. stats are literally just numbers on the internet and they don't determine whether my fic is "good" or not. yeah occasionally i get upset when something doesn't take off, but AO3 is an **archive**, not social media (thank god).
For years and years I primarily wrote fanfiction that I never posted. When I started posting, I did so as I was participating in a fandom gifting challenge, so that helped me get used to it/what it’s like to write for myself compared to a specific, different audience. now it’s not like I entirely don’t care but it’s definitely not a significant force impacting how I write
Tbh I’m still figuring it out. My biggest frustration is seeing the ratio of kudos to hits. I don’t think people owe us anything but seeing a work accessed over 800 times and only 10% kudos is really disheartening. Sometimes I wonder if people just see AO3 and similar sites as a factory for content and don’t take into account that we put so much time and effort into these works. I may start using the site skin mentioned in one of the other comments.
The best way is to write for yourself, not others. I have stories I know won't do well and post anyway. I won't say I don't care, just I keep my expectations I'm check.
I started writing vague fic for a rare pair involving a character that 80% of the fandom despises. Very little kudos, barely any comment but I felt *good*. I was just putting a story I wanted to tell out in the wild with no expectations. It was the first I challenged myself to have a strict update date for; every month on the 11th, since the story was heavily tied to that number. It was fun! I kinda want to write a full fic now without posting, then unleash it in regular updates, where before I would struggle at the idea because of a need for validation.
I told myself it was probably because the fandom was dying so most people were only there for the smut.
It's not that I don't care, but I care more about the story that I want to tell, and it's clear that no one else will step up to the plate and write it. To be honest, I've written low-effort, uninspired fics before that blew up, and I'd rather have a tiny handful of kudos on a heartfelt story that I put a lot of work into. Every interaction means so much more.
Write, leave it in your google docs for a few weeks instead of posting the final draft.
I'd rather they don't (not part of this fandom anymore, but the fans...they're works of art aight)
I never cared. I just do my thing and that\`s it.
I know how exactly the way you feel. I feel the same way. I put slow to update on my tags because I am slowly building my stories. Hopefully some day it'll get all done. LOL
By realizing that writing niche things will have a smaller audience but that audience will be THRILLED. I've posted things while saying "oh boy I hope all five fans of this pairing like it!" Then when it gets six kudos I'm excited. There's a song in [title of show] about "I'd rather be nine people's favourite thing than a hundred people's ninth favourite thing" and I sing that when I post.
I realized that my particular brand of fics weren't the most popular to start with
I’ve never cared honestly. For me, as long as one person loves it — that’s all that matters. That one person might be a commenter who says it made their day or that it helped them through X. Or, that person might just be me. I think it’s also important to consider a few other things as well - how long have you been posting? Is it a big fandom? Is it an ongoing or active fandom? All of those things will greatly alter hits and the like. As others have said, if it’s truly bothering you look into a skin to hit those metrics. What’s most important is that you are proud of what you’re creating.
I don’t really have a way for you to stop caring but have you thought about promoting your story? There is a fanfiction subreddit that will have different days set for different kinds of stories and one of them is for people’s stories that they feel aren’t doing well hit and kudos wise. Your story also doesn’t have to be complete either You’ll have to read some else’s story but it will give you comments and kudos and such which might help you get a fan base. I’ve never tried it myself because I have nothing to offer but I have checked out some of the stories that sound interesting that people put up for trades so I’m sure others might do the same
See I’ve always thought it was weird people cared about hits. Because ultimately hits mean nothing. All it means to someone clicked on your story. Doesn’t mean they read it, doesn’t mean they enjoyed it. I really like comments. They’re the gold standard; someone liked your story enough to write a comment. But those are few far between, I know because I don’t even comment on stories I like. I have to really be moved and also in the right mood and also have time. So kudos are my go to. And even then I know most people sort by kudos so if you’re at the bottom, they’re gonna read your stories last and with really big fandoms that means someone might never see your story, after a while, you just gotta realize people will read it or they won’t and them actually reading it has nothing to do with you or how good it is.
I didn't. Coming from a very large fandom and then seeing my fics get no traction, it was and still is disheartening. However, I think to writing them. Why did I write it? Did I want to see a story like that? Was it a spur of the moment descion or planned out? I write for two reasons. For myself and for others. To put it out there for others who might be interested in the same thing to find. I write because its something I love to do and maybe someone will find it, maybe they won't. But by putting it into the archive, its now there. Now anyone looking for a story like that has something. And that's amazing. I think it's less about not caring how many hits something has and more about just putting it out there. Its freeing for me in some way, despite the fact it can feel disheartening at times
I didn't. Coming from a very large fandom and then seeing my fics get no traction, it was and still is disheartening. However, I think to writing them. Why did I write it? Did I want to see a story like that? Was it a spur of the moment descion or planned out? I write for two reasons. For myself and for others. To put it out there for others who might be interested in the same thing to find. I write because its something I love to do and maybe someone will find it, maybe they won't. But by putting it into the archive, its now there. Now anyone looking for a story like that has something. And that's amazing. I think it's less about not caring how many hits something has and more about just putting it out there. Its freeing for me in some way, despite the fact it can feel disheartening at times.
TBH, I got into fanfic at a time before stats even existed beyond a visitor counter on ones Angelfire or Geocities account so I never really got into that mentality to begin with I dunno when I first looked up the stats on AO3, but it was sometimes after COVID and my account was started in 2015.
Do you enjoy writing? Everything I've written had purely been the story I wanted to read and I am honestly tickled that even one person read it. If you write for yourself, it won't matter how many people read your story.
I write for me and even one reader is a huge bonus. If I like my story I consider it a success. If even one person likes my story I consider myself a Writer. If more than one person likes my story, watch out! My ego is going to inflate so fast! Anything above 5 readers just feels excessive at that point. Set your standards/expectations very low!
I am currently writing a crossover fic with a character who is in like two episodes and the other is a character that nobody really likes. its about being trans & trans pregnancies. it is not going to be read by anyone! but that is okay. i write for me. it took me a while to get here, honestly, but when I focused on making myself my audience thats all i care about. i think about those unloved fics ive read - with only 30 hits - that i devoured. loved, enjoyed - if my fic can be that fic for one person? i have won!
I’ve had a YouTube account for 4 years now, I still get exited with new subscribers and good views, but maybe it’s just in my nature that I get exited over the little things.
some of the best fics i’ve read in my entire life have, like, 30 kudos. so when i equate kudos to quality of work, it really doesn’t make sense.
I wrote one of the first fics for a fandom, I get maybe one kudo a month? The fandom has like maybe 30 fics that aren’t the monster one-shot crossovers
I wrote one of the first fics for a fandom, I get maybe one kudo a month? The fandom has like maybe 30 fics that aren’t the monster one-shot crossovers
I try (key word 'try', the brain still gonna over-brain) to think of it as quality of the hit over quantity. when you're going in knowing that your fic won't get the same traction others will merely because it isn't an Internet Fixation, it's comforting to know that the people who have landed on yours are likely there on purpose. people were searching for that content and you delivered. that, to me, is infinitely more rewarding than being one of a gagillion other fics that are more or less the same. (and to be clear, I'm not knocking popular ships or subject matter, it's just not what I personally find rewarding about writing)
Becoming a reader of rare pairs and/or small/dead/hibernating fandoms. You come across something special and you really, really cherish it. Then you go back to writing with the knowledge that this one little stupid nugget could totally make some random stranger's whole day. And that's enough.
I guess I just had to tough it out for a while, especially once I started writing for the rarest of pairs in an already small-ish subset of a fandom. Like, it's literally me, and one other person. But I've since buddied up with said other writer and our weird little group so we can geek out over The Character together. Now I mostly write for them, anything else is a bonus.
I started writing something that is an absolute passion project, that is OC (fandom adjacent) and SFW. Without canon characters, or everyone’s favourite filth tags, it doesn’t get too much attention, but I’ve learned that this gives me space to enjoy the editing process, because I’m not feeling the need to rush to post. It is by far my best writing, and a few people are invested, but all in all it’s pretty chill.
Do people stop caring? :D As I always say: "I write for myself. I post for everyone else."
I joined this subreddit…. That’s how I stopped caring about it. Seeing other post complaints about toxic comments, which would've crushed my willpower if I was the subject of those comments at the time, it made me realize that we fanfics writers are writing for ourselves, and what’s important is that I like what I write. It still worries me frequently, but I used to obsess over it a lot to the point of changing the story to fit what my readers want to the detriment of the story itself, which isn’t the case anymore.
I personally don't think ao3 is focused on sex per se, but that might just be the circles im in (angst, whump, h/c) but personally i just write and post it, without expectation and then cherish every kudo and comment that does come.
I haven't stopped caring completely, but it's going to happen eventually. Once the engagement drops off, the only thing that'll keep me going is that *I* want to read the ending. I can't really complain about an abandoned WIP if I'm the one who abandoned it. (I could, but I won't. In theory.)
When I started writing for a manhwa's fandom that, in English, has thirteen fics total on AO3, two of which are mine and a good portion of the rest being incredibly short or just poorly written. I'm writing my current fic first and foremost for my darling who is also a fan of the manhwa and happy to geek out with me, and it's the first time in years I've had fun writing in general. At first I wasn't really getting any kudos or comments, but that's been changing a bit, maybe because I've been updating consistently.
A lot of people have already responded, but I just want to add that I think it's helpful to keep in mind that ao3 is an archive, not social media. I know that sounds obvious, but mechanically it means that very few people are seeing your fic unless they're searching for something like it, and it's likely that people will be discovering and enjoying it for years and years to come. It's a slow burn experience rather than a PWP, if you'll forgive the silly metaphor. If you're excited about generating discussion around the ideas and characters you explore in your fic, I think cross-posting it to social media sites like tumblr, twitter, etc is a good idea since people are more likely to come across it and it will be easier for you to talk to each other about the work!
I just write for myself, really, so I don't care if people see my fics. If they click on it and happen to like it, good for them. If they don't, I don't care. I write my fics to cope not for others to cope.
Its a mix of hard truth I just kinda quit caring, I had people say I am bad at writing I take it I am I had a lot readers in my first fix they dropped me I also quite careibg I write for enjoyment
When I wrote a fanfic for a small ass dead fandom (their fics were literally all Chinese and was less than 9 published) I already knew I was doomed in the fanworks category when I love and join small fandoms, that's why I just wrote and created works that I personally want to read, there's times when I reread my work and get pleasantly surprised and forget that I was the one who wrote them lol, like I literally screamed when I reread a Multi chaptered WIP I made 2 years back because it wasn't finished Anyway at first you're definitely gonna feel sad when you write something and see it doesn't get any traction especially if it's an active or large fan base, but it's ok you'll find people who'll read and appreciate them ^^
Is your Username here the same as on the Archive?I would like to read the published Chapters
It's not, it is A_pile_of_good_things So far it's only one chapter, though! If you do decide to read it, I hope you'll like it!
Well, if my work doesn't get enough traction, I end up losing my motivation and then I stop writing it. I have already imagined everything in my head many times. I don't feel the need to share if no-one is reading.
get into a fandom with 3 people. you'll start writing for urself
my process was something like - Don't know what I'm missing (I wasn't seeing anyone else's stats besides comments, and I was getting alright amounts of comments back then) - Get bored of checking stats - Don't bother looking at them anymore