Young Writers Society

I'm having what I call a Writers Depression Attack. Right know, I don't really feel like anyone here appreciates my writing. I mean, I hardly ever get more then 3 likes on my work. I've never gotten eight likes, or even one hundred. Okay, I know that doesn't mean a thing but...that doesn't change the way I feel. And even if my work lands in the Spotlight it's most likely because I liked it myself, and just two other people liked it. It's just so frustrating. I don't write, and post my work, just to have it rejected you know. And none of the works I wrote solo have ever become one of the top 100. That just makes me feel even more depressed. Can anyone help me!

Hi EverLight!
I think I'm a good person to offer advice on this, because A.) I used to have a lot of works featured in the spotlight back when I was active on here, B.) one of my pieces is in the Top 100, and C.) despite the spotlight generally being good to me, I'm actually very critical of it (I even wrote a piece for Squills ages ago that critiqued its lack of diversity). Now that my credibility has been established, let me give you a few pieces of advice.

1. Get some perspective. You say that your work doesn't tend to get more than 3 likes. I can see how that would seem paltry, but it's important to keep in mind that 3 likes (or 2, if one of them is yours) is actually pretty good! I just checked the current spotlight, and all the works featured right now only have 3 likes—and two of those works were written by you. Having two pieces featured in the spotlight simultaneously is no easy feat! So it seems to me you're doing pretty well for yourself.
But you're still probably thinking, "Why only 3 (or 2) likes when other pieces have 50 or 60?" It's important to consider that a lot of those works in the Top 100 are older. YWS may've had a more active user-base at the time they were published. (I can actually attest to this: I was on this site when the #1 poem was first published, and during that period, YWS had many more active users. It's much quieter on here now than it was back then, so it stands to reason that contemporary stories/poems get fewer likes overall.)

2. Remember that the spotlight is flawed. As I said, I wrote a whole piece for Squills on this topic, so I know what I'm talking about. YWS'ers tend to give the most likes to poems, so they take up an inordinate amount of room in the spotlight, while short stories and especially novel chapters are featured far less often. YWS'ers also seem to favor works with some kind of hook, such as meta pieces about the site/its users, works related to writing, or works with some kind of social commentary/critique. These preferences are all fine, but it does mean that perfectly good (or even great) pieces may be ignored in favor of more shticky stuff. Point is, the spotlight is not a reliable barometer of quality—rather, it's a barometer of what's grabbing people's attention, and that is not the same as being good. (In my opinion, some of the works in the Top 100 are, well... not the site's best, to put it kindly. So I wouldn't take that too seriously.)
Speaking from personal experience, I hate some of my pieces that ended up in the spotlight. I had a couple of cringey poems get featured that absolutely should not have been, while some of my better work wasn't. Take it from me: the spotlight doesn't tell you much.

3. If you're only writing to get likes, then maybe you shouldn't be writing at all. Writing is not the best way to get attention or approval. It's hard, and you will be ignored and rejected more often than not. If that's something you can handle, then great! Stick with it. But if that sounds horrible, then you may want to reconsider continuing down this path. Which leads me to...

4. If writing (or posting here) is having a negative impact on your mental health, stop! Seriously. You shouldn't do something that makes you unhappy. Sometimes websites like this can feel like popularity contests, and for certain people—especially young people—that can be detrimental to their self-esteem and emotional well-being. And if you can't stop fretting over the likes you get and/or comparing your work to others', it might be a good idea to stop posting here. Not necessarily forever, but for a little while. Take a break. Relax. Maybe try out some other hobbies. Or practice writing just for yourself, for the fun of it! Remember what made you interested in it in the first place. Don't worry about whether or not your works will get likes, just try writing something that makes you happy, without the intention of even showing it to another person. Maybe you'll rediscover your love for the craft and then feel ready to start sharing your work again, or maybe you'll realize you don't like writing at all and want to, I don't know, focus on painting instead. Point is, don't be afraid to re-evaluate from time to time. If something is making you depressed, it's a good idea to take a step back—or several.

I hope this helps. My ultimate advice to you is that if you really love writing, don't let anything get in the way of that. Keep at it, keep getting better, and just assume that the likes will follow. Or, if writing is making you miserable, don't be afraid to stop doing it (at least for a little while), and perhaps take a break from posting here. Your mental health comes first! <3

Thank you that really helps. No, I'm not writing for likes, or reviews, or for attention. I write because I love writing. And nope I love it here on Y.W.S. So I'm doing fine. Your right-I should stop caring about the Spotlight. One of my friends here just told me-Your works great, I'd be surprised if People didn't notice that. So I guess I just needed to be reminded that it's not what people notice that makes great writing. Thank you once again.
I'll keep writing on!

Social media does make me feel antsy in the same way that you do, and it usually involves the amounts of likes I get on my stories or posts here. But whenever I do I just remember that I shouldn't really be drawing feelings of acceptance and belonging in social media.

The mere number of likes on a story of yours is such a crappy indicator of your worth because of how vague it is. It's gonna drive you nuts, causing you to overthink. Compare that to the nuanced face-to-face feedback of an editor or a fellow writer. I think the latter would bring you more relief and joy.

Based on my understanding, it seems that your problem is the insecurity-generating problem of social media; it's nothing new. I think people experience that about their tweets, Instagram posts, or anything that involves putting out content to be liked by the internet public. What's happening is that you're allowing your numbers online to manipulate your mental state in the same way that SocialBlade data drive some YouTubers to do desperate things, and that's scary. Perhaps you should look for that feeling of worth and acceptance instead in a close friend or a circle of writers, in real life. Emphasis on that last bit because you'll find that you'll find those interactions richer (and maybe you won't overthink as much), and emphasis on finding it elsewhere because the feeling of belongingness is an actual biological need for us (we've evolved to be hurt from social rejection).

If it still feels like it's spinning out of control, then perhaps you should confide in someone else, or a counselor in school or wherever.

I hope you won't give up just because some single-digit number crushed you into submission. Good luck!

Everything Lucrezia said, basically. I also feel like a lot of my best works didn't get likes, while my piece in the top 100 is a parody song (granted, I'm very proud of my parody songs, but I'd like to think my poems are better). There's also less activity these days, so getting more likes is harder.

Another factor is that notes don't show up in the People tab anymore. Before, it would show when a friend liked/reviewed a work or topic, which in turn makes me want to go read that work. Then if I like it, other people will see it and maybe like it, and so the chain goes. That's how old works used to get unburied. Unfortunately, this stopped working at some point in the past year, and I don't know if or when it'll get fixed. You can see them in the Notes tab, but it's an extra click and it seems to only go back a day.

I understand wanting your work to be liked, and I can't say I don't check obsessively for likes on my own work, lol. But rejection is a big part of the writing game, especially if you want to make a career out of it. Not every piece will be liked by everyone. Even famous/well-regarded works have their critics. I try to worry more about improving as a writer than how many likes any one work gets.

There's no way I'm going to let a bunch of numbers get me down. Thanks for your support.

Thank you. That really helps XD.

Don't be depressed! You're a talented writer. As far as the number of likes you get, I personally don't leave many likes because I prefer to leave reviews that state what specifically it is that I like.

I just read your poem Forsaken, and it was amazing!! Don't let discouragement keep you from writing! Probably few or none of us on this site are professionals, so we all have room for development.

I'll leave you with this thought: Everybody is different, therefore we are all going to write different things and produce those things in different styles. However, that's what makes it unique. Each work of literature is an expression given in a way that only the writer can describe because we all experience things differently. Also, every reader has different tastes. One reader may not care for what you write, but someone else will! There is probably nothing that absolutely no one will like. So be encouraged and keep writing!!

Thank you.