We write for ourselves, but we post for others.
(this came out of a conversation in the comments on a previous post about an author threatening to stop updating a fic because of lack of engagement)
So thereâs this idea that fic writers should write for themselves and not care too much about stats or engagement,
and i totally get the sentiment behind that. if writing becomes entirely about stats and external validation, something important does get lost - creative freedom and joy, conviction in your own writing
but i also think:
âi write for myself, but i post for others.â
because posting fic is not only self-expression. itâs social. ao3 is called an archive, but emotionally it often functions as a community space.
people post for connection, for participation, for others to bear witness to their pain and trauma and grief,
and i donât think most people are asking to be admired so much as acknowledged. thereâs something deeply human about wanting another person to encounter something that mattered to you and go:
âok, yeah, I see what you were trying to say. I see you.â
especially because fanfic is often people processing very real feelings through fictional characters at a safe distance, one step removed,
and then uploading that deeply personal thing into a shared archive and hoping somebody else might connect with it.
And i think thatâs why it hurts so much when you summon up the courage and post a fic into the void and you get nothing back,
and then itâs like,
does anyone see me? does anyone even care?
