{ ＩＮＫＬＩＮＧＳ v.4 } A Thread For Writers

[blackbird.]

I... honestly don't anymore, heh. I just keep them in google documents now, usually, and share that. The gratification from publishing stuff and getting feedback on it always makes me drop stories (it's like it flips a switch in my brain that decides 'people have paid attention to this and like it? yay! must be finished!' which apparently is an actual thing, and explained so much when I first heard about it from a source outside of myself), and just gives me one more thing to delete at some point when I regret publicising it - and I haven't actually finished anything for years - so I kinda just. stopped doing that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯[/center]

If you write long-form fiction, your best bet is to post it on WordPress or Blogspot and apply to have it added to webfictionguide. Web serials have a good market, though you'll have to maintain a very consistent schedule on top of good writing if you want to get popular, and there are certain conventions and concessions to the genre. I'd recommend looking into some of the more popular works (see topwebfiction) to get a good idea of things.

Reddit has a decent readerbase too, but it's hard to get attention if you're writing completely original fiction. Mostly the authors on there write responses to prompts, and sometimes they form enough of a fanbase to make their own subreddit where they might post their own stuff.

thank you both for your responses!! yeah i'm honestly not that confident in my writing but i think it'll be a good opportunity to get feedback and add some positive pressure on me to get something actually done. though honestly, i have a whole section of my google docs which is completely dedicated to my 1000 wips lol XD i'm not that active on reddit but i do see some fanfiction subreddit stuff; it's a bit strange for me to navigate bc each fiction genre is so different that sometimes i get whiplash jumping from one fandom to the other.

i've heard some stuff on instagram about commaful/booksie but i haven't looked into them since i only heard about it from one source. i might check them out, or maybe i'll just create a blog as per your suggestion! i'm in no rush, really; i just wanted to hear more opinions so thank you really! c:

[Ranger of the North]

On the topic of writing sites, I've always (always, I say, having only had internet for about five years) wanted to create a site for writing, formatted... basically, think if Wattpad and Chicken Smoothie had a child XD Unfortunately, I don't have the know-how or the dedication xD (And it would likely require money to have anything of any quality.) But maybe when I'm a best-selling author I can look into that

[connoisseur]

Ah I have to agree with the writing site discourse being difficult x)

I have Wattpad, and do have a considerable audience where I get hundreds of notifications from people voting or commenting, but I haven't uploaded any new works, and it's mostly books from 2017 or 2018 that I've completed that people are reading. I feel bad for them, being that my writing back then was very... bland and basic. It doesn't help that most of my readers are younger, and I find myself trying to cater to their wishes, which I don't mind. It's kind of fun writing cliches and typical teen/young teen fiction. But as time passes, I find myself wanting to write bizarre plots that have double meaning, with symbolic metaphors... some of which isn't suited for younger readers, especially ones that want high school romance, not pseudo-religious guy stuck in the woods with himself and five pieces of memory only. I've compensated by writing poetry, which I find myself liking more than writing the novels I used to, lol.

I do like posting my writing on CS, but sometimes I can't tell if people are reading them, and I really am eager for feedback/discussion. I used to take a writing course at my uni and whenever we had workshops, and I got to hear other people's writing I would get so excited. I loved to hear other people's works based on whatever prompt the professor gave that week, and others feedback as well. I wish we could do the same here, but I know this thread isn't as active as it used to be-- so I doubt that something like that can be organized.

For now, I'll continue to upload my works under my pen-name and see if I get responses. I know that some people don't need responses, and think it isn't important, but I feel like my motivation to write is fueled a lot by the fact that I have the urge to connect with people through words. It also helps to get out pent up feelings and pour it out in writing. That sounds so cliche itself but it honestly does it for me. Writing is like dreaming while awake, but being able to detail it by the dot.

So, that brings me to my question for everyone- why do you write? Who do you write for?

[TheSongOfTheStars]

I generally just post snapshots and drabbles and such on Cs threads and sometimes on Deviant art, I've tried to write some longer form stuff which I put on Wattpad.

I write because I enjoy being in control. That's one of the major reasons anyway. One of the reasons I started writing was because I wasn't allowed to read certain book series so I thought I'd go off and write my own. My mom could control what I read but not what I wrote.
I try to write for God and to honor him with the talent he's given me

[Moonblaze-Angel]

I write because I have ideas and characters pop into my head and I have to get them out. I have to get them on paper or they'll haunt me for years. I also just find creating things fun and I like to put myself into other people's shoes. I do that with my characters

[Octopia]

I write because I have ideas and characters pop into my head and I have to get them out. I have to get them on paper or they'll haunt me for years. I also just find creating things fun and I like to put myself into other people's shoes. I do that with my characters

I'm the same, except my ideas disappear, rather than haunt me XD

[Ranger of the North]

~sneeper snooper snip~

So, that brings me to my question for everyone- why do you write? Who do you write for?

Why I write is actually something I've put a lot (and by a lot I mean a little bit) of thought into having an answer for XD And honestly? I write to explore. Sometimes the things I wonder and want to know about are illegal or just not possible irl, so I dump an imaginary person into that scenario fictionally and explore it through words XD I love how so far everyone has had a different answer!
I write... for myself, really. I do love me some lovely readers, but I don't think I've ever taken someone's ideas on, and I try to make sure I don't rely on people's praise too much - because what happens when I stop getting responses, y'know? I don't want to lose my love for writing just because no one (other than me) sees it or cares about it (or, like you mentioned, end up feeling stuck taking on someone else's imaginings without being able to explore my own)

[peachy keen-]

wow, it's been months since anyone has posted here, and it's been years since i've last visited this thread.
ah, memories.
still not active here on cs but i changed my username back in... april?? i used to be luminescence/lumi if anyone remembers me hehe
im poppin in to let yall know i just started a marauders era hp fanfic on wattpad (cringe, i know; i'm reverting back to my fourteen year old self) & if anyone wanted to check it out here's the link! i'm rly proud of it so if you gave it a read it'd mean the world to me! i hope self promo is allowed lol. i am totally open for feedback & criticism. it's been a hot minute since i've written anything so i'm a bit rusty ehehe
alsooooo feel free to shoot me a pm if you wanna chat - i miss it here !!

[minimire]

wow, it's been months since anyone has posted here, and it's been years since i've last visited this thread.
ah, memories.
still not active here on cs but i changed my username back in... april?? i used to be luminescence/lumi if anyone remembers me hehe
im poppin in to let yall know i just started a marauders era hp fanfic on wattpad (cringe, i know; i'm reverting back to my fourteen year old self) & if anyone wanted to check it out [url=https://www.wattpad.com/story/241724146-a-study-in-moonlight-%C2%BB-%F0%9D%98%B3-%F0%9D%98%AD%F0%9D%98%B6%F0%9D%98%B1%F0%9D%98%AA%F0%9D%98% ]here's the link[/url]! i'm rly proud of it so if you gave it a read it'd mean the world to me! i hope self promo is allowed lol. i am totally open for feedback & criticism. it's been a hot minute since i've written anything so i'm a bit rusty ehehe
alsooooo feel free to shoot me a pm if you wanna chat - i miss it here !!

hii! the link isn't working :c it says 404 error

[peachy keen-]

hii! the link isn't working :c it says 404 error

oh dear... i think i fixed it?? clickie click
if it doesn't, you can just search the story name "a study in moonlight" it shoulddd come up c: