Except for one story that got the lowest metrics in every category, which was smutty, and in a popular fandom, but not a popular ship. No idea what happened there.
That must have been so frustrating! I hate when I can't figure out why something bombed!
However, the one that I still get comments about, even though it's not online anymore, but was fairly popular in a very niche fandom many years ago, is probably my *actual* most popular story. People contact me like, "Wait, did you write [Title Redacted?] I loved that one!" but it's literally nowhere except the Wayback Machine (and backed up on various thumb drives.) Does that count as "engagement?"
I think it totally does count and I love this! Your fic has stuck in people's memories!!!
One person found it months after my last update, wrote these wonderful detailed comments on every chapter as they went, and that inspired me to actually go back and finish it. It only ended up with fifty-some kudos, but that felt like success, having that one person keep showing up for me like that.
Yes! Just one person who figures out a way to indicate that they actually care matters so so much!
The cross-section of monetization and turning everything into a numbers game of "likes" and "kudos" and "clicks" and whatever else? It starts to feel like a competition. I don't like that. It shouldn't be competitive.
Totally, totally agreed. I am not a competitive person at all, and one thing I've always loved about fandom is that there's room for everyone (theoretically--I know that sometimes fans are jerks, but that's true of any community).
no subject
Except for one story that got the lowest metrics in every category, which was smutty, and in a popular fandom, but not a popular ship. No idea what happened there.
That must have been so frustrating! I hate when I can't figure out why something bombed!
However, the one that I still get comments about, even though it's not online anymore, but was fairly popular in a very niche fandom many years ago, is probably my *actual* most popular story. People contact me like, "Wait, did you write [Title Redacted?] I loved that one!" but it's literally nowhere except the Wayback Machine (and backed up on various thumb drives.) Does that count as "engagement?"
I think it totally does count and I love this! Your fic has stuck in people's memories!!!
One person found it months after my last update, wrote these wonderful detailed comments on every chapter as they went, and that inspired me to actually go back and finish it. It only ended up with fifty-some kudos, but that felt like success, having that one person keep showing up for me like that.
Yes! Just one person who figures out a way to indicate that they actually care matters so so much!
The cross-section of monetization and turning everything into a numbers game of "likes" and "kudos" and "clicks" and whatever else? It starts to feel like a competition. I don't like that. It shouldn't be competitive.
Totally, totally agreed. I am not a competitive person at all, and one thing I've always loved about fandom is that there's room for everyone (theoretically--I know that sometimes fans are jerks, but that's true of any community).