The Problem of Getting People to Read Your Stuff

[Valandil]

Well... I read THIS! It had the advantage of being very short, and therefore I knew it would be little inconvenience to read it.

I suppose... we just have to write for our own enjoyment. Then if anyone else happens to enjoy what we write as well, all the better.

[Earniel]

It's a bit of a two-fold problem, I think.

One, we have to accept as a writer that not everything we put on paper (or on screen) is pure gold. This is a very basic problem and one which new writers immediately can experience. We might think we're the next Tolkien (yeah, yeah, a girl can dream, right?) or Rowling and that everyone who says differently is just a jealous hater, but it is not necessarily so. Writing talent is rare, most succesful writers really had to hone their craft. Needing to practise does not make one a bad writer, but it's not always easy to that we're not at the top yet.

Two is that different people like to read different things. No one of my family reads my writing because it's not their preferred reading fare. (I admit, this stung a bit in the beginning, but I managed to grow out of it.) I like writing short stories with sci-fi or fantasy themes but I also like to read similar genre stories. So if a friend or relative would ask me to beta-read say their horror or autobiographical story, I'd be far less willing, and probably be also less able to provide a decent feedback. We wouldn't match well as beta-readers. If you want to improve as a writer, you've got to find readers with an interest in what you write. That's why writing forums are so popular and numerous.

[Snowdog]

Originally Posted by Valandil

Well... I read THIS! It had the advantage of being very short, and therefore I knew it would be little inconvenience to read it.

I suppose... we just have to write for our own enjoyment. Then if anyone else happens to enjoy what we write as well, all the better.

Yeah, that's about it. Been in a collab with my wife for about 2 years now, and enjoy the writing and crafting the tale. The fact others read it on Henneth Annun or a few other Tolkien websites, is only a bonus.

[Earniel]

Originally Posted by Snowdog

Yeah, that's about it. Been in a collab with my wife for about 2 years now, and enjoy the writing and crafting the tale. The fact others read it on Henneth Annun or a few other Tolkien websites, is only a bonus.

Yeah, most of my enjoyment of writing also comes from the inventing, building and writing process itself. I know there will always be one person who will read my stories, and that is me.