How to make community? Oof, I wish I knew man. This hobby is extremely lonely and self indulgent. I've found as soon as I started writing things with others in mind I would get resentful when I didn't get the response I hoped for. So now I just write whatever I want for myself and treat any positive interactions as an added bonus.

I've tried a few ways to make connections and find community, but I've had minimal success. To be fair, I know other people who have better luck, but I struggle in general to make meaningful connections with people and have extreme rejection sensitivity. I made a good friend through fandom and when she didn't want to be my friend anymore it sort of broke my heart, so now, while I still reach out in the communities and try to make connections, I don't try to take things further to "real" friendship.

But yeah, I've joined a Heartstopper discord group, I've tried finding a Dispatch group without luck, I've tried sliding into DMs and leaving comments on Tumblr posts and fanfics, and I always try to reply to comments on my own fics, but I still feel outside of it all. So I just do what I do for myself and try to get my social interactions elsewhere.

I think if you are feeling discouraged or resentful it might be a sign to take a break and focus on something just for yourself without any outside validation. Try making community where you are, whether through a writing group or a different interest. If you still feel the urge to write, try to enjoy the process instead of the reception. I find it only takes one person taking the time to leave a comment to give me that added dose of serotonin, and I always make sure to let them know how much it means to me, but I still try to remind myself that this is my hobby for me.

But yeah, it's really hard because we all just want someone to play dolls with but the way "content" is being consumed now has sort of poisoned the well.