When I first started writing stories, I was merely an amateur. And whenever I read other stories, I got discouraged and started comparing my stories to them. At that point of time, I was a lost being in the world of writing so I didn’t know why my stories hadn’t turned out as amazing as the ones I had read. Eventually, I stopped wandering and continued writing but each time I updated, I didn’t even receive half of the attention I had wanted from readers. The number of subscribers I had was pretty disappointing and each time I looked at it, I’d only lose more confidence. Soon enough, I stopped writing. Yes, that’s what I did; I stopped writing.

But then one day, my friend brought up AFF and out of nowhere, she asked me a question.

“Why did you start writing?”

And this was what I answered.

“I want to have a long list of subscribers and upvoters. I want to have my stories featured.”

Her reply to my answer got me entirely speechless.

“Don’t you think that’s too farfetched? You just started writing recently. Don’t you have a proper purpose in writing?”

That’s when I realised something; I didn’t have a purpose.

I simply wrote because I wanted to be well-known on AFF, like many other authors.

I was being unrealistic.

So now, ask yourself a question.

What’s your purpose in writing or wanting to write?

 

1. To have a long list of subscribers and upvoters
2. To have your stories featured
3. To impress others
4. Just for the sake of fun

 

If your purpose was one of the options above, you need to re-think, dear because these purposes won’t help you. In fact, they’ll only bring you down. Now let’s talk about the options shall we?

 

Option A. To have a long list of subscribers and upvoters.  

It’s not that simple. You can’t just publish a foreword and expect a whole bunch of subscribers and upvoters coming your way. These readers have set their own expectations of a story they’d read and if your story has reached their expectations then congratulations; you’ve earned a subscriber. But if your story hasn’t reached their expectations then they won’t subscribe. It’s as simple as that. It may sound harsh but this is something you’ll have to accept as a writer here on AFF; readers don’t just subscribe to your story because they feel kind-hearted. You have to earn their subscription and that itself is already a difficult task.

Upvotes are much harder to earn because to be frank, people are hard to be pleased. Readers have their reasons as to why they don’t upvote a particular story. And yes, this also includes subscribers of that particular story.

Reason 1: They like the story but they have yet to be wowed

Reason 2: They find themselves being disappointed by the way the plot has been delivered but didn’t subscribe as they do not want to appear as mean

Reason 3: They are afraid that if they do so, they might get disappointed by the plot in the future.

Reason 4: Some readers don’t have enough karma points to upvote a story

Reason 5: They simply don’t want to upvote.

So as you can see, if your purpose in writing or wanting to write is to receive a long list of subscribers and upvoters, then you have a long way to go, my dear :)

 

Option B: To have your stories featured

How exactly does a story get featured on AFF?

That’s right; votes, also known as, upvotes.

The story with the highest number of votes will be chosen as the new featured story on a weekly basis.

This option is somehow linked to Option A because if you can’t achieve Option A, you won’t be able to achieve Option B :)

 

Option C: To impress others

You might be wondering. Why is this option included? Shouldn’t writers impress readers in order to get their subscriptions and upvotes?

Indeed, that is true.

But just how many of those readers can you impress?

You see, each reader has their own likes and dislikes. Some like happy endings. Some like sad endings. Some even like cliff-hangers (Yes, these type people do exist xD). Each reader has their own likes or dislikes. Some like fluff. Some hate them. Some like angst. Some simply dislike them. Some like horror. Some just aren’t interested. And the list goes on. There are many kinds of genres and though there might be readers who read every type of genre there is, there are also readers with their own preferences.

Are you really going to impress all of these readers?

Some readers may dislike the way you portrayed your plot. Some readers may have the opposite opinion. Are you going to try to impress those who dislike your story plot by re-writing in a way that these readers may like rather than to cherish the ones who already do?

If you are planning on doing that then you’ll get nowhere with your story; believe me.

So now you might be wondering. Who do I impress if not my readers?

Well, yourself.

Would you write a story with a plot that doesn’t match your liking? I don’t think so.

So before you try impressing others by following their preferences of how a story goes, impress yourself first :)

 

Option D: For the sake of fun

Okay, how many of you think writing stories is fun?

Well, let me just tell you something; they’re not.

Now, now, before you start bombarding me with questions, let me explain first xD

Indeed, I agree; writing stories is fun. But publishing them; that’s a different story.

Being an author means you have to stay committed to your story. Being an author means you have to sacrifice most of your time on writing each chapter. Being an author means you have to put up with readers who constantly bug you to update. That’s quite a lot to swallow, isn’t it?

So yes, your purpose in writing may be for the sake of fun but when writing starts turning into your career, will you still consider it as something ‘fun’?

Of course, I’m not saying that authors on AFF don’t enjoy writing stories because if they didn’t, they wouldn’t be writing in the first place xD All I’m saying is, you have to stay committed. Being an author is a responsibility and not something you can simply put aside whenever you don’t feel like being one anymore. :)

 

So now that I’ve touched on those options, have you done your reflection? Have you found your purpose in writing? Because I’ve definitely found mine :)