# should I even write any more?



## Toaster (Mar 1, 2009)

Its pointless for me to write now, becuase the only thing people want to read about is random sex. They don't want scifi or any thing else, and i will never write about meaningless sex for someone to jackoff to. I realy need some advice, should I keep writing even if no ones going to realy like it? I've always wrote storys in hopes that it would be read, but i havn't been able to write becuase of this.


----------



## Xipoid (Mar 1, 2009)

There is a writer clique here on FA you can join. Just look up Poetigress on FA and have at the Thursday prompts, read other people's stuff, and whatnot. That group is far more concerned about writing to create than writing for attention (or sex). Alternatively, you could go after other writing circles online, like Critique Circle.


However, be forewarned. No writer on FA is very well known.


----------



## foozzzball (Mar 1, 2009)

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Writing is tough. You need to find your own motivation. Other people cannot give it to you, or tell you what it should be. You do not need advice. You need to get introspective.


----------



## M. LeRenard (Mar 1, 2009)

My suggestion would be to find some other writing community to write for.  There are plenty, and not all of them are centered around graphic pornography like this site's seems to be.  Or, as Xipoid pointed out, you could start doing Poetigress' Thursday prompts.  It's grown rather large over the years (or year, or however long it's been around), so if you post something there someone will most likely read it and comment.
If you really care about writing (and there's the clincher, and I guess what foozzzball is saying, in so many words), you'll keep at it no matter what.  So don't be afraid to look elsewhere if the audience here is proving too horny and ignorant for your kind of material.  The only place left to go is up, right?


----------



## Graveyard Greg (Mar 1, 2009)

TakeWalker has the perfect quote for this kind of question:

_If you make money from your writing, look at it as if you've found a $20 while walking the dog. It's great, but if you walk the dog next time and don't find a $20, it doesn't mean you're a bad dog-walker, and you should continue those walks regardless, because it's good for you and the dog._

Keep on writing.


----------



## Shouden (Mar 1, 2009)

Yeah, keep writing. I know there's a lot of sex on here, but all of my stories that people have favorited have nothing to do with sex, so there are people out there who want to read stories without it.


----------



## TakeWalker (Mar 1, 2009)

Now I wish I'd bothered to write down who that quote was from. It's definitely not mine.

And waah, OP. If you're writing to be popular, you're doing it wrong. Don't get me wrong: I fucking love it when people read my work. But I've actually become rather happy that I can count on a handful of writers on this site to comment on my work, and I look forward to hearing from them every time I upload. :3 This isn't a great site for furry writers; that doesn't mean you can't gain some benefit from posting here.


----------



## duroc (Mar 1, 2009)

You've got to write because you love it, not for attention.  If you don't find your own personal motivation to write, you'll just spend your days unhappily spinning your wheels.  But Takewalker's absolutely correct, it's a great feeling when someone does finally read your work.  And if you want that to happen, you've got to take things in your own hands.  First off, you've got to be patient.  Second, hone your craft and become a better writer; and there's tons of information here in the forums to help.  Or join a group like Xipoid and MLR mentioned above.  Poetigress' Thursday Prompt is a great place to practice, learn, and give you some added motivation.  Another thing that helps is to read and comment on other people's work.  It'll help you grow as a writer, and your fellow writers are much more inclined to reciprocate.  But as foozzzball said, you need to get introspective first.


----------



## TakeWalker (Mar 1, 2009)

And I was just reminded, on the subject of FA-centric groups, the Thursday prompt is a very loose thing, organized solely by Poetigress' journals, but there are other groups, like [fa]writersblock[/fa]. I can't think of any others, but hey, a lot of writers belong to them, check watchlists.


----------



## Vore Writer (Mar 1, 2009)

Who cares what others like and don't like. Write for yourself, not for them. If you love what you're doing, why would want to stop?


----------



## Rilvor (Mar 2, 2009)

Like they have said above, write for your own reasons. 

Myself for example, I'm just an amateur writer. Amateur meaning I only write as a hobby, not as a profession. Every once in a while I get an idea/inspiration and just write.


----------



## bane233 (Mar 2, 2009)

I just wish i could get help with my spelling and grammar


----------



## Toaster (Mar 2, 2009)

bane233 said:


> I just wish i could get help with my spelling and grammar




Buy an English book.......


----------



## Alessa (Mar 2, 2009)

I like to read stuff that's not smut.  Link please, will read.


----------



## Poetigress (Mar 2, 2009)

TakeWalker said:


> Now I wish I'd bothered to write down who that quote was from. It's definitely not mine.



It's my paraphrased version of a quote I ran across in a writing book, but even after scrounging through my bookshelves and going Google searches, I never could remember or find which book it came from.

I'm pretty much coming in to agree with everybody else here.    One, you've got to find your own motivation.  The world is going to provide you with approximately a zillion reasons to quit every day.  Your story doesn't turn out as good as you thought.  It doesn't work and you don't know why.  You can't find the time or the focus.  Your computer crashes.  You get a rejection letter.  You post a story and nobody has anything to say about it -- or anything good to say about it.

There has to be something you love about the writing itself, that can carry you through all of that, no matter how many people are or aren't reading -- because if you don't have the drive and passion yourself, you can have a million readers and it will never be enough to satisfy you and keep you going.  

I understand wanting an audience.  We all do.  I personally don't feel a story is truly complete until it's found a home where it can be read, either in some magazine or shared on FA. But if not having a big audience is keeping you from wanting to write at all, you might want to dig a little deeper into why you're really doing this.

Two, there are plenty of people here on FA who aren't just here for the sex.  Seriously.  I know a lot of them.  I know how easy it is to fall into thinking that everybody just wants to read porn, but that's not the case.  It's a matter of finding the people who want to read what you write, and that takes time, effort, and persistence -- no matter where you're publishing your work.

Three, in my experience, most of the readers on FA are also writers.  Find ways, as have already been mentioned, to network with other writers, and that's usually how you'll connect with your audience.

Yes, it's true that as a writer on FA, you're probably never going to wind up with thousands of watchers and loads of comments the way visual artists can.  The question is, is that really important?


----------



## Kanin (Mar 2, 2009)

People don't care about writing anymore. They find an amazing story that really gets you thinking, but they just throw it aside. Writing has been getting more and more meaningless to people. I've started only writing when I'm bored out of my wits, like when my power went out. You write to awe people, but that's useless when no one cares enough to listen.


----------



## Alessa (Mar 2, 2009)

Hrm, I sense a recurring theme.  I write, 'I care, I like to read, give me stuff to read.'  Writer's write 'No one cares enough to listen.'  when they seem to be guilty of what they're accusing others of.  Imagine that.

I do care about writing, I don't have much a talent for it myself, so I thoroughly enjoy consuming what others write.  Only have this to say, 'More please.'


----------



## GraemeLion (Mar 2, 2009)

First , consider your audience.

Then go to where your audience is.

Look at the majority of artwork on this site.  It's mostly pornographic in nature.  Ergo, the audience is expecting a pornographic type of work.  

If you want to write non-pornographic things, go where people are not using the place for pornographic purposes.  Find a writing community or something that might have furry as a "side note." 

Because honestly, I'm part of a few communities out there, non-furry, and there's not as much random sex out there.  

It's all about knowing what you want your audience to be, and then seeking that audience out.


----------



## foozzzball (Mar 2, 2009)

Hint: The audience is always right.

Hint2: Lots of people come to FA for pornography. Lots come to FA for nothing in particular. Just because the ones who come to FA for pornography are highly visible, what with all the bodily fluids being spurted around, do not discount the noble 'nothing in particular' audience. It's much larger than any you'll find elsewhere, really.

Hint3: Whining about how readers will never read your incredibly artsy non-porn because they are all dumb porn-wanters makes you look... Well. If you can't figure it out for yourself, not my problem! Also porn is fun to write sometimes.


----------



## duroc (Mar 2, 2009)

foozzzball said:


> Just because the ones who come to FA for pornography are highly visible, what with all the bodily fluids being spurted around



That's jus funny, right there, I don't care who ya are.


----------



## Graveyard Greg (Mar 2, 2009)

Alessa said:


> I do care about writing, I don't have much a talent for it myself, so I thoroughly enjoy consuming what others write.  Only have this to say, 'More please.'



We like people like you.


----------



## Alessa (Mar 3, 2009)

Graveyard Greg said:


> We like people like you.



Always good to hear, thank you 

Although, do beware, I've been practicing my writing, might have to make a switch to one of the producers soon! 

Ah... who am I kidding, I'll always love reading what others write.  It's a delightful curse.


----------



## Xipoid (Mar 3, 2009)

bane233 said:


> I just wish i could get help with my spelling and grammar




Drop a request for a critique or proofread in the Critique thread or maybe ask some writers on here for more direct help. Whichever method you prefer.


----------



## Graveyard Greg (Mar 3, 2009)

Alessa said:


> Although, do beware, I've been practicing my writing, might have to make a switch to one of the producers soon!
> 
> Ah... who am I kidding, I'll always love reading what others write.  It's a delightful curse.



It's a curse I love to have, reading is just as important as writing.


----------



## Henk86 (Mar 7, 2009)

I'm pretty much in the same boat to be honest, seems like I'm being ignored completely.


----------



## Vore Writer (Mar 8, 2009)

Henk86 said:


> I'm pretty much in the same boat to be honest, seems like I'm being ignored completely.



Don't worry, you'll get use to it.


----------



## Greasemunky (Mar 8, 2009)

How the fuck do you even jack off to text?
That's fuckin beyond me.


----------



## Toaster (Mar 8, 2009)

Greasemunky said:


> How the fuck do you even jack off to text?
> That's fuckin beyond me.



I know its fucking retarded.


----------



## Henk86 (Mar 8, 2009)

When I read a story, I read it for the story. Not because the characters are having random sex. It dis-heartens me when I take the time to write and no-body reads it.


----------



## Xadera (Mar 9, 2009)

I don't know what some of you are thinking, but not even us PORN writers get very much attention. I've been here for almost two years, with some-odd 50 submissions, and I barely have the watchers/pageviews that drawing artists get in a _month _with only 5 submissions. 

Though, I'm not saying doing porn won't help (and considering you're only 14 according to your page, Ornias, you'd probably be banned if you did), but smut in stories doesn't mean much here on FA (Yiffstar, on the other hand, is probably quite different). Unless you are a god at writing smut (i.e.: Hellkat), you're not going to get much attention right off the bat. 

With only a thumbnail and a short mouse-over description, you've gotta really consider what you're doing. When people search, they will only mouse-over a story to get the quick synopsis/themes. If you don't sell them there, they most likely won't click. Hell, think of all the books that are out there in the world; do you pick up and read each and every one of them as you go down the line, just because the author took the time to write it? Reading takes a good deal of effort when compared to just glancing at pictures, so you're not going to garner the attention of those randomly browsing. This is the internet, and many people only use the internet for sporadic amusement when they have nothing else to do.

That being said, if you're _really_ looking for attention, porn or clean, you've gotta cater to your audience. Sure, lots of FA loves smut (and for good reason), but they are also interested in other furry-related things. Transformation goes hand in hand with this audience in most cases and if you can really capture the feel of a transformation, you'll catch some watchers. In my wanderings, certain groups will automatically flock to something with dragons in it, whether or not it's good or has smut in it. Also, the more you have written, the greater the chance somebody will see one and think it's interesting. Otherwise, how else are they going to find you? The majority of readers don't seem to come to the writing forum on a frequent basis unless they are also writers. 

If the above sounds like you're selling out, then yeah, that's pretty much what it is. It's what you really have to do to if you're _that_ in need of attention. You could also go around the forums and other peoples comments, trolling and arguing, thereby drawing people to check out your user page to see how much of a douche you really are. You have to be an attention whore. I do not condone it, in fact it makes me sick when I see others do it, but that's what you gotta do to get your fix.

Now, if you're actually interested in writing for the sake of your own self expression, and maybe attract a few like-minded friends along the way, then follow everyone else's suggestions here. They stated it wonderfully and if you don't get it now there's no need for me to say it as well. Accept that you won't get 100+ watchers on FA in a month, maybe not even after several years, but at the very least you'll have done something you enjoyed. There's also plenty of threads that will link you to writing groups and other sites where writing, clean or pornographic, has a larger audience.

Sorry, I vented :[ I shoulda just went with a repost of foozzball's third hint >. > I feel much better now, though =D


----------



## Vore Writer (Mar 12, 2009)

Greasemunky said:


> How the fuck do you even jack off to text?
> That's fuckin beyond me.



Hell, if furs can beat off while reading, it shows they have enough blood to support both heads.


----------



## Kit H. Ruppell (Mar 12, 2009)

Vore Writer said:


> Hell, if furs can beat off while reading, it shows they have enough blood to support both heads.



INGENIOUS!


----------



## sooprazn (Mar 12, 2009)

Ornias said:


> Its pointless for me to write now, becuase the only thing people want to read about is random sex. They don't want scifi or any thing else, and i will never write about meaningless sex for someone to jackoff to. I realy need some advice, should I keep writing even if no ones going to realy like it? I've always wrote storys in hopes that it would be read, but i havn't been able to write becuase of this.



Happiness is where you find it. I don't have meaningless sex in my stories, but plenty of people like it. And it's sci-fi still.

http://www.chakatsden.com/chakat/FT-index.html
G.F.D. writer on Chakats den.


----------



## Poetigress (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm curious to hear the OP's thoughts about the points that were brought out in this thread.


----------

