Oh, I definitely know the feeling. What's even worse is that when you write something ridiculously long, like 18,000 words, and get maybe two comments on it. It just seems wrong that you spent hours upon hours on something that no one seems to like much. And then you see someone else's story that you don't even think is written that well, and it has, like, 40 comments.
I try not to get discouraged too much, but I have my moments where the disappointment seeps through. Then again, I mostly write angsty gen whump that tends to focus on the same set of characters. Not everyone might be into that.
Also, you need to remember that people are inherently lazy. I'd say that at most ten percent of readers will leave a comment in the first place, probably less. And shamefully, quite often I myself don't comment on fics that I liked. Doesn't always have to do with the fact that I don't want to, sometimes it's just the technology that gets in the way.
I often read fic on my smartphone in bed when I'm about to go to sleep. Commenting with the phone is more cumbersome and difficult than with a normal keyboard. I often don't bother because of the extra effort. Longer fics, I usually download as epub and read on my eReader. Which is usually offline, and even if I did switch the WiFi on, it's terrible for browsing and especially typing things. I *never* comment when I'm on the eReader.
You also need to consider that not all of the hits you get on a story will mean that the person read it all the way through. They might just read a few sentences and then go away again if they realize it's not their cup of tea.
In the end, all you can do is be grateful for those few readers who do make an effort to comment, and maybe even reply to thank them. And also remember to comment on someone else's fic you like the next time you come across one.
Re: Wanna commiserate?
I try not to get discouraged too much, but I have my moments where the disappointment seeps through. Then again, I mostly write angsty gen whump that tends to focus on the same set of characters. Not everyone might be into that.
Also, you need to remember that people are inherently lazy. I'd say that at most ten percent of readers will leave a comment in the first place, probably less. And shamefully, quite often I myself don't comment on fics that I liked. Doesn't always have to do with the fact that I don't want to, sometimes it's just the technology that gets in the way.
I often read fic on my smartphone in bed when I'm about to go to sleep. Commenting with the phone is more cumbersome and difficult than with a normal keyboard. I often don't bother because of the extra effort. Longer fics, I usually download as epub and read on my eReader. Which is usually offline, and even if I did switch the WiFi on, it's terrible for browsing and especially typing things. I *never* comment when I'm on the eReader.
You also need to consider that not all of the hits you get on a story will mean that the person read it all the way through. They might just read a few sentences and then go away again if they realize it's not their cup of tea.
In the end, all you can do is be grateful for those few readers who do make an effort to comment, and maybe even reply to thank them. And also remember to comment on someone else's fic you like the next time you come across one.