Today's Earworm: The Way of Your World by Destrophy
Today's Date: May 30, 2016
Okay, so sit back and close your eyes. Imagine you're reading a story (on Fictionpress.net, or WattPad, or any service like that and you come to the last two chapters.
But wait! They're not chapters! They're an Author's Note that is telling you they're ditching the story or stories for whatever reason. Usually it's something stupid like "I don't get enough reviews/likes/kudos/whatever to post more on this so fuck all of my readers who really enjoy this story".
Or they're not even an Author's Note, they're actual chapters but the story hasn't been updated in years, so you go to the profile page of the person. And they state that they aren't doing their stories any more for a bad reason*.
*Bad reasons are those reasons that you have to stare at and go "What? What kind of bull is this?" This does NOT include reasons that include mental problems, emotional problems, computer problems, or reasonable real life excuses.
Now this really pushes my buttons (and the fact that I had to edit this several times to make it less ranty and more actually informative is telling you something I hope) and I seem to keep running across it.
Both in the world of fanfiction and site based originals. In regards to site based originals, I am talking about such sites like WattPad, Adult-Fanfiction, Archive of Our Own, and Fictionpress.net. Yes, AFF.org and AO3 both do have original sections but you have to kind of dig around for the better things.
I can and do understand life getting in the way. I've had stuff make it so that I wasn't posting, much less writing, for months at a time. So thank you to those who have updated us about their lives and where things are going for you , and I hope life balances out and doesn't kill the muse on you completely.
But I can't understand people not trying to find a balance in their life with their writing.
Okay, look. This is kind of an interesting subject because I had to work on finding a balance with my own writing and life when I was younger.
I have to say this again though: I can and do understand that life can get in the way or your writing and this is directed to those whose life is kind of not writing allowable currently. This is directed to those who say that they want to write, but don't do anything to figure out a schedule or work ethic.
I keep finding those who go "I want to be published/publish" but for some reason ditch a story (even if it is just fanfiction or an original on a site) because they're not getting any reviews/kudos/what have you.
I'm going to impart a bit of truth: Unless you are an established writer who has a good sized fanbase who feels they can trust you in getting your stories out and written and looking good, you won't be getting many reviews. Or pimping. Or anything like that.
Allow me to break it down into simple terms. For those who self-publish, they work their asses off to get any kind of reviews for their books, much less any "You should read this book!" reviews. Most traditionally published writers work just as hard depending on their popularity at the time and the company that is publishing them. They tend to still talk about their own stuff on their own blogs, web sites, and social media accounts.
If you have problems with the fact that most readers on a free to read site doesn't review or kudo, then you're going to have many more problems with the fact that your books won't have that many reviews. At least not until you start creating a fan base that trusts you in putting out a good book.
And in this world, holding a book hostage for reviews is career suicide. It's career suicide to hold a chapter to an online story as it is anyways. People are getting kind of tired of that and tend to pick up and move on.
Yes, I do have some stories that aren't done, but that's because I have decided that I need to sit down and tear them into bitty pieces to rewrite them, if not just turn into some new books.
No, I am not abandoning them.
Yes, they will be done.
No, I do not know when the stories will be done.
No, I do not know if I will replace the posted chapters on my sites with the new stories.
I'm not that far along in this process after all. But that doesn't mean that I've abandoned my stories, okay? I'm working on them, and I won't abandon them. The same goes with my fanfiction. I have to much fun with it to give it up ever.
And I don't know if I want to turn my Butterfly Series into something publishable.
Now, onto something a bit happier, as a general update on things, I am preparing for National Novel Writing Month (November 2016) and the next Camp National Novel Writing Month (July 2016), so we're going to see where I'm at when it comes time.
I'm hoping to finish Bk 1 of Through the Ages series, which is my hero series. That will allow me time to set it aside for a couple of months before I start the massive rewriting overhaul of the story itself. I'm also going to work on a couple of other fictions that I need to get done and start a couple of others, including my submission to Forward Motions 2016 Anthology.
I need to rethink my plot for that as it is. I have a few ideas but I need to rethink it.
So I'm busy as always, melting from the heat, and editing videos for my vlog and for the youtube channel that I am a part of with my friend. Need to get the intro video done though if it keeps giving me trouble I'm going to say screw it and rerecord it when I can.
As for the NaNo story that I'm going to do this year, I'm working on a fanfiction idea that is driving me up a wall so I'm going to write it. I have around 11 chapters planned out already. Here's hoping I have the rest ready to go.
Anyways, I have a lot to do today and very little time to do it.
So for now, I shall leave you with this and go about trying to find a story that is complete, long, and not abandoned. Wish me luck!
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