# Dealing with Discouragement, or, "Nobody will ever read your anything."



## Unsilenced (May 23, 2015)

I've been drawing for over 7 years now on-and-off, so the idea that my work will largely be ignored is nothing new. I'm happy to get the occasional comment or favorite on one of my pictures, and while I can't say that I wouldn't rather be getting hundreds of views, drawing has never seemed pointless to me because it serves another purpose. When I have a visual idea, I can put it onto paper where people can quickly and easily identify it, so that they know what I'm talking about during, say, an RP or a conversation about characters. It also helps me keep my ideas straight, as I have permanent fixtures of how characters ought to look. Putting drawings onto paper is satisfying to me even when I know they won't get much attention, because I get use  out of them myself. 

With writing, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have the same utilitarian value. I already know how my character's stories go, and there's neither a need nor an ability to quickly show someone a backstory. If I want to show someone something I've written, they need to sit down for a good while to read it. It also doesn't really serve me much good as a reference guide to my own characters. I can make cut-and-dry bullet lists to do that, or drawings, which are both a quicker source of information and more likely to be viewed and appreciated by other people. When I ask myself why I draw, I think that it's because I'll become a better artist, and that I'll have a useful reference for a character or idea. When I ask myself why I write, I think "oh yeah" and go back to drawing. 

Writing is by far a more natural skill for me. I like using a keyboard more than a tablet, and I'm naturally prolific when it comes to words in a way I never am with pictures. 

I guess my question is, what do you do when you're unknown? Share other writers?  Find some other motivation to do it? Rub it in the faces of random strangers until somebody finally comments on it? Write increasingly depraved smut until you're noteworthy for how horrific your work is alone? 

inb4 this thread disappears with 3 views and zero posts.


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## CrazyTundraWolf (May 23, 2015)

When you're unknown the logical thing to do is make friends with  a famous person and make them advertise your stuff :V

Not really , the only thing I would say is keep writing , I've been writing a bit myself and have 10 or so people that read my stuff whenever I upload it , its a nice feeling , knowing that your work is noticed , even for a few minutes


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## Unsilenced (May 23, 2015)

CrazyTundraWolf said:


> make friends



Why do you think I'm sitting at home drawing and writing, damnit? >:U 

Perhaps I'm being overly pessimistic about it based on my previous experiences with drawing, but I know that personally I'm much less likely to read a random story than I am to look at a picture. If we use my viewing habits and the number of views I get per drawing, we get that about negative 8 people will actually read each of my stories. 

That model may be slightly flawed, however.


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## Charrio (May 23, 2015)

I find you really need to please yourself really, trying to make your ideas more understandable to another. 
The point of writing is to pass on knowledge or an idea, same as with drawing. The two compliment one another, 
one adding setting and world involvement the other showing an image your mind created and now shares it's home 
in the viewer's mind. 

As to being  unknown, Post it share it, there are several writer archives all over 
the net. More so then artwork galleries, and furry doesn't matter as it's a sci-fi or fictional tale.
I've posted in a few mainstream sites and was well accepted by non fur readers.


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## Unsilenced (May 23, 2015)

Charrio said:


> I find you really need to please yourself really, trying to make your ideas more understandable to another.
> The point of writing is to pass on knowledge or an idea, same as with drawing. The two compliment one another,
> one adding setting and world involvement the other showing an image your mind created and now shares it's home
> in the viewer's mind.
> ...



That's something I had wondered about as well. While drawing furry art arguably gets me more viewers, I've kind of wondered if writing furry stuff cuts me off. I'm not really interested in writing porn, at least not at the moment, so I sometimes feel like the furry element isn't relevant, or that I should ditch it from some of my work. Most of what I write is science fiction, and while I could always handwave it as characters belonging to a furbait species/race, I usually just write things as "basically they're humans but with fur."

I actually have an idea of what most of my characters would look like as humans, except for one who would get stuck right in the uncanny valley due to certain... quirks in his design, and his interactions with other characters.


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## DonKarnage (Jul 11, 2015)

I know the feeling, I have one "finish" story that I post but only one ever comment on it.

I need to make some small change and I want to expend it, so far its just 35 pages and I would like to double it.

But I was wondering, how do you get readers? How or what I would have to do to get readers? I try with furs that I know, but they don't seem interested in reading a furry story.

Also I would like kinda collaboration with that story, help maybe writing it from maybe another writer ?


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## Fallowfox (Jul 11, 2015)

I still draw, but I know that it is aimless. Most of us are simply no good, and nobody will be interested in our substandard scrawl.


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## Pinky (Jul 11, 2015)

I'm lucky to get a favourite that isn't from a friend, but I can manage to get at least more than one now.

What I do is write for an audience. I try to to bring people in by writing toward them and seeing if any of them like it enough to watch me for more. I write fantasy and horror for my friends, but I also write transformation stuff because I like it and so do many other people. Fantasy and horror go well with transformation so the people who like that, will also like my other stuff.

 Basically, show people what you're capable of. I'm not saying write porn/fetish stuff or anything, but try writing for a certain group of people who like similar things to your main themes and they will see your other stuff. 

You could also ask for critiques and make friends who enjoy reading.


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## DonKarnage (Jul 11, 2015)

I know of only one who read it, but I have  no news from him since at lest 3 months. He have not read his last message from me so i don't know if anyone else read it.

I have part of another story that I try to write, but with commission I ask I'm trying to see how the critter look like in the story.

Both are fantasy fiction type. But since I don,t know what peoples like I can't do something that will attract them to read it.

Mostly because of that I don't write, I need to fix my only finish one and to finish the other one.

I just don't always be in the mood and having no critics (beside once) I don't know if others like it at all. No transformation (well not really) and no erotic. So I don't know what I should do to get it read AND critics ???


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## hup2thepenguin (Jul 13, 2015)

I recently posted a long-ish story on FA, not expecting anyone to check it out, but I ended up with a couple random favs, a few random praises, and one watch. So people do check out random writings. All the more importance to write a good first chapter.


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## -Sliqq- (Jul 13, 2015)

Fallowfox said:


> I still draw, but I know that it is aimless. Most of us are simply no good, and nobody will be interested in our substandard scrawl.



Then redefine your idea of good and what is considered art. You'll find more joy in it.


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## Nikolinni (Jul 14, 2015)

Also remember to go out and make your name known and heard. Too many people put things onto FA, wait for viewers to magically appear, and then complain when no one magically finds their stuff. Post it elsewhere! Make a DA, post on FB, make a Tumblr! Comment on art and watch others, and get active in the community somehow! Just like you have to Network to get known IRL you too have to network online to get known. It'll help.


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