Recently, my most popular fanfic, Future Talk, reached a bit of a milestone. The fic to date has received over 3,500 reviews. This isn't much by some fandoms' standards, but in the Yu Yu Hakusho section of fanfiction.net, the number is quite high.
I didn’t ever, EVER expect Future Talk to receive so many reviews, followers, or favorites, and I feel awkward acknowledging how many reviews the story has gotten. I suspect at any moment someone will pull back a hidden curtain and reveal this was all an elaborate joke, or something, and everyone actually hates me. Irrational? Maybe. But I’m a writer and we’re known, among other things for our paranoia. It's true! But that's a discussion for a different day.
In any case, THANK YOU. If you've ever left Future Talk a review (be it positive or negative), I’m grateful. I take so much joy and inspiration from your encouragement and/or criticism. Your support means more to me than I know how to express. Seriously. I doubt I would’ve had the courage to submit my work for publication if it wasn’t for the confidence y’all've given me.
Speaking of confidence, and publication, and related subjects...
Someone recently asked why I think Future Talk has so many reviews and followers. I debated not addressing this question (it makes me feel like I’m in the spotlight, which isn’t a happy place for me), but I think it’s important I discuss Future Talk's high review count for reasons I hope will become clear in the next few paragraphs.
Basically, I’m 99.9% certain Future Talk has 3,500 reviews ENTIRELY because I updated so consistently for such a long period of time. For reference, I updated the story weekly for an entire year, if not longer, with some chapters containing over 10,000 words.
Each new chapter placed Future Talk back on the Yu Yu Hakusho main page. The fandom is a quiet one, and often fics will stay on the front page for weeks at a time. When a story is on the front page of a fanfiction site literally 24/7 for an entire year, it’s no wonder people read it.
The trickle of reviews Future Talk garnered as a fledging fic added up (after months of consistent updates) to a decent cumulative number. That number eventually looked deceptively impressive, and it attracted more readers who wanted to see what the fic's apparent fuss was about. These people raised the review count, which in turn dragged in more readers.
The fic itself isn't incredibly special. Its constant presence, however, set it apart.
All of that is speculation, of course...but I minored in marketing. I know how to read trends. To create a brand, and create brand recognition, you must be constantly and consistently remind your consumers of your product. Sheer presence is the basic first step of creating brand awareness.
(Fun Fact: This explains why there are so many commercials for products we already know about—it’s to ensure consumers don’t forget the brand exists, because if consumers forget about the brand, another brand can swoop in and take the first brand’s place. Being present, consistently and constantly, is a big honking deal.)
All that being said, Future Talk's story and writing is not what attracted the reviews.
(No, that is not a cry for reassurance that my writing is good—I’m proud of Future Talk despite its flaws.)
There are better fics than Future Talk in this fandom (I mean seriously), but I’m hard-pressed to name a fic that has been updated as often as Future Talk was updated in its heyday. This one distinction is, I feel, responsible for the story's high review count.
(And let us not discount the story's age. Future Talk is nearly six years old and SUPER LONG. The longer the story stays up, the longer people have an opportunity to read it.)
Future Talk is highly reviewed because I marketed it well, not because the writing is somehow inherently superior. The story is flawed...but I did a damn good job making sure it got seen, and that counts for something when it comes to fanfiction.
I wanted to explain my thoughts, as detailed above, because of a recent conversation I had with one of my readers.
This reader contacted me for advice. They have given me permission to talk about our conversation, in which they expressed dismay over their own fic's lack of reviews. Their story has been up for about six month, but it hasn't been consistently updated. It's also their only story. They said they understand gaining a readership takes time, but the paucity of feedback is still disheartening considering the presence of highly-reviewed stories on the front pages of various fandoms. This reader said they aren’t sure they can “compete” (their word) with stories like that.
"Compete."
My heart breaks when I hear new writers use that word.
Writing shouldn't be a competition with anyone but yourself. Someone else has more reviews? Their story might feature a more popular character. They might be updating at a better time of day, when there's more traffic. They might review other people's works more than you do, providing them more visibility in the fandom. Maybe they built up a readership in another fandom before entering yours.
It's also possible they just got lucky. Luck plays a huge part in success.
In the end, though, the terms of their readership don't matter. Nothing about other people's writing should, ideally, matter.
It took me a long time to understand that "success" means different things to different people. For me, it's not reviews. For some, it's all about reviews. Neither writer is wrong. But by not pinning my hopes on reviews, a lack of them can't derail me.
For me, success comes from knowing I did a story justice. It's the satisfaction of creating something I feel proud of. Something that does my creative vision justice. Even if the story isn't perfect, I worked my ass off to make it exist...and that, in many ways, is enough for me.
That being said...here's the only advice I could give my reader. I copy it here for anyone who struggles with a lack of recognition. I've been that person, in that situation. It sucks. But if this helps, even a little...
Well. I'll consider this blog post a success.
"Just in case no one has ever told you: I want you to know your words are worth writing.
Furthermore, if a story has grabbed you, and it won't let go, that story is worth writing.
I know it’s hard, but try not to compare yourself to others. Sometimes good stories get ignored. Sometimes bad ones get famous. But your writing isn’t automatically inferior because it only has a few reviews, or none at all. Luck plays a huge part in success.
We live in a culture where success is considered a finite resource. It's not. Happiness is infinite, and the success of another does not mean there is less happiness to go around. Be happy for those who achieve your goals, and know from their success you can achieve the things you dream about.
Getting out of the Needing Recognition Mindset is hard. We’re wired to desire attention and praise. But writing, like all art forms, is a solitary game at its heart. If you can muscle past the disappointment that comes with a lack of reviews or recognition, and write your story anyway, you might find that your ignored fic is the basis for an amazing original novel. Or maybe it will teach you the skills necessary to get an A+ on your next term paper. Who knows?
But if a story strikes you so badly you just have to write it, and it doesn’t get reviews, write that story anyway. Screw what anybody else has to say on the matter. And remember:
Writing isn't a competition with anyone but yourself.
Write because your story deserves to be written.
Write because your words have value.
Write for yourself.
Write, and have so much fun writing, people come flocking just to bask in your glow."
