Suffering internal bleeding following this particular incident doesn't mean that this particular incident was the cause of the internal bleeding … interesting choice of words.

Sigh. What's most annoying is that if a real person wrote this as a review, I'd be chuffed. Somehow, they've identified themes in the book I *hope* people find there, which may mean I succeeded in putting them in the book …

In the old days, people would write reviews for free.

… but it's also the most any of us can hope for in the modern age.

I don't know … Do you feel that way about other people's snips or prompt answers?

You're not trying to force anyone to feel anything, unless you're standing over them yelling at them to care.

Putting something out in the world & getting 0 or only empty responses is pretty soul destroying …

But if you're writing what you would like to read, then there *will* be readers out there also looking for a similar story.

But they will just as easily find something else to read if you decide writing isn't for you 😜 That's the one question you do have to answer. Do *you* need to write? For you?

The quieter works that really explore the human condition? Readers want them. Publishers might be too risk averse to take a chance on them, though, so we have this disconnect. When all the noise seems to be for stories unlike yours, it's so hard to keep swimming against the current.

The thing is, there are readers out there who want exactly that, but they won't be on TikTok screaming about the books they love (or like to be seen to love). And it's hard because we live in the age of short-season Netflix series, & loud, overnight successes with gold edges …

Writing is a super lonely gig. Unless you happen to be able to grow a wee group of writers around you who are all writing at the same level, at about the same pace so you can critique and encourage each other … I had that for a while, *years* ago (over a decade), but life changes, etc …

This is the case for most writers, sadly.

Read some posts on r/RoyalRoad, where people talk about the writing they have shared. You'll see posts of people lamenting they *only* get "Thanks for the chapter" comments, with others saying "You get comments?" No feedback is so very normal.

Or, maybe it doesn't matter as far as the world is concerned, but *you* need to write it, and that can be all that matters.

The difficulty is that pretty much anything worthwhile saying as already been said.

BUT, there might be a person out there who might've heard it all before but only really *listens* when they hear you say it (or read your words). Or, yours might be the repetition that makes an earlier thought stick

This feels like the classic catch-22 of being a creative. Having a deep-seated desire to be truly perceived and yet not at the same time. Have you been introduced to Ren's "Hi Ren" yet? Seeing him battle the same "I'm great/I suck" pendulum was really freeing for me. I still suck. But I'm allowed to

Merry Christmas to you!

And now I must sleep. I have a lot more food prep yet to do today.

Oof. That's sad.
I haven't watched The Wired, but did enjoy Generation Kill.