On "Writing For Yourself"

[redthedragon]

ive gotten the same advice from like six people and it's pissing me off so HAVE A RANT!
apologies in advance cuz i know it was given in good faith but i just... i have Opinions on this

"Write for yourself." "Write what makes you happy." "Show people the things that will make you happy." Et cetera. Et cetera. Et fucking cetera.

Yeah, yeah, I know. Writing shouldn't be an attention play.

Except like.... I don't have to write for myself. I'd just imagine things. I don't like writing. It screws my head. It fucks up my mental health for weeks if i work on it hard.

The literal only reason i write is so that other people can read my stories.

"Write for yourself" is a number one piece of advice to make me... stop... writing...

thanks, everyone, I appreciate it. Guess I will. /s

Comments

[yvannairie]

Mood. Mood, mood mood mood, mood. Like, I also write for the joy of it, trying to make text come out a way that is pleasing to me is my favourite hobby, but what people don't get is that the production of text about stories is, like. 90% for the benefit of the readers. We can CREATE for ourselves but the moment writing becomes storytelling is when someone else starts reading it.

My sympathies, I've had this same problem for years and gotten the same bad "advice" on it over and over, it really is frustrating

[redthedragon]

the moment writing becomes storytelling is when someone else starts reading it.

EXACTLY!! There's a huge difference in the way I would put something on paper for myself than how I would actually try to tell a story. At least for me, I know my endings and stuff beforehand; you don't write cliffhangers if you know where the cliff ends! it's a completely different approach! and it drives me nuts when people go "ohhh but just... write the way you write for me but without any of the payoff that doing double the work takes... that's a solution :) aren't you glad i helped!" cuz like... uh. no. there are a lot of things that i could call that but help sure isnt one of them

im glad you get it , at least! its just-- like its the #1 piece of writing advice out there and every last person seems to think its the end all be all about being satisfied with one's writing but its!! so!! annoying!!