Advantages

[wiseheart]

Meaning those of very little feedback, I mean. There are such things, you know. Back in the earlier days, when my stuff seemed to attract other readers than a very small handful of loyal readers (you know who you are and I still love you to pieces), I was concerned about negative feedback all the time.

And with good reason. A lot of nitpickers (with way less knowledge about the fandom in question but with great confidence about knowing everything better) or simply mean-spirited idiots seemed to spot my stuff. And, unlike people who might actually like my stories, these people saw it as their holy quest to tell me that my plot/pairing/characterization/background knowledge/grammar was shit. Even if it was not.

I was crushed, a lot of time. Especially when I saw mediocre crap getting nothing but glowing praise. Or when popular writers (even good ones) fell into a routine, writing the same thing all over again, just because it proved successful, and despite their stories now being boring like hell, their following still kept worshipping at their feet. I admit that I was jealous. Sometimes I still am.

But again, since I mostly write the kind of stuff I would like to read and that I rarely find anywhere else, I realised that being ignored is actually not such a bad thing. It allows me to enjoy my own writing without being worried what others will say to it. Of course, supportive reviews are still a gift of God, which is why I like picowrimo so much. But basically, when I have to meet my own standards, most of the time, I think it allows me to write better. Or what I consider better writing. It usually doesn't match with the things that are widely popular. But that is all right. Most of the time anyway.

Yes, it is cold comfort, but it is still better than trying to write things the wide public likes to read and being unhappy with the results.

Comments

[lhun-dweller.livejournal.com]

One of the things I admire about you is your decision to not pander to the masses with the same tired pairings and plots that bring in the crowds, but are so unsatisfying for those of us who want to read more original, creative tales set in a familiar universe. IMHO, you are quite right: writing stories that you feel good about is a better way to live than whoring oneself to the please the crowds. After all, a good story will remain out there to be discovered long into the future, while the dreck will gradually sink into the muck.

And as I wrote this, a ladybug landed on the book beside me -- a perfect symbol of the magic and delight your writing has brought to my often dreary workaday existence. May it be so for many, many more years to come, my friend!

[wiseheart.livejournal.com]

You shouldn't make me blush. It's not good for my blood pressure, and God knows the future generation does its level best to raise said poor blood pressure all the time. *g*