"Why do people's stories get tons of recs/comments and mine doesn't?"

Honestly I'm not sure why in your case. Everyone is different and everyone writes very different things. I'm just going to give you guys an insight as to why my stories seem to get a decent amount of recs and comments every time. I mean...despite what some of you may think....not all of my stories get a crap ton of feedback. Hell, sometimes some of my stories totally flop.

It's kind of just up to how interesting people find that specific story I guess. I do okay though. I would of course love tons more recommendations and comments but who wouldn't? People want their work to be admired and praised. It helps give them a sense of confidence in their writing and themselves. When I first joined this site there were certain authors who got a LOAD of recommendations on their story....even when it was just first posted or when there wasn't even a first chapter yet.

Like I'm talking 100+ recommendations. It can be kind of depressing when you're looking at that and then you see barely 5 recommendations on your own work. However, 100+ recommendations don't just fall out of the sky and land in author's laps. They work for it. I'm not saying that some of their readers don't just recommend the author's work just because they are friends or know them because I'm sure that happens too but there's nothing wrong with that either.

I know that some of you feel like you work hard as well on your writing and I believe that you do 100%. I'm just saying that some authors on here with tons of recommendations have been here for along time and worked hard to draw an audience over time. It's not always just about how well written your story is or how hard you worked on the actual story....sometimes you have to work with people too. It's not something that happens overnight or even in a few months time.

Sometimes it can take years to achieve that big of an audience on your work. It's a gradual mountain to climb. I know that sometimes there are authors who post a new story and like a lot of people instantly subscribe and comment without even reading the story....I mean I wish that people would personally read what I write in the story instead of just fluffing me up...but I don't judge them for doing that. I appreciate that they took the time to give my story attention at all. I just don't want any of you to get discouraged because you feel like you could never gain that much feedback on your hard work and stories. Don't give up.

It took me several years to acquire a loyal following on here. At first my story read numbers and recommendations were just pitiful. While I was thankful for every single one that I got....I felt like my writing must have sucked because no one reached out and really gave me any feedback....good or bad. So I'm going to reveal how I get most of my recommendations and story numbers.

1.I have a large handful of friends who personally love my writing style and my stories. They fell in love with what I usually write because it fits into their interests. They support me in all my works even if they end up flopping.

2.I recommend the shit out of my stories. I don't care if it seems like I'm an attention whore. I know that I'm not normally but am only when it comes to my stories because I want people to view them. Plus, people aren't going to stumble onto your story unless you get it out there where it may be seen. I know a lot of people don't even scan the "Stories" thing all that much but look at what people are recommending on the little Mibba new's feed thing instead. I rarely go to the "Stories" section unless I'm going to search for a specific type of story. That's just me though. I'm not trying to speak for everyone else. I'm not ashamed to make my own self promotion blog either lol.

3.As an extra incentive....I sometimes enter my stories into contests. I know for a fact that contestants in a contest sometimes read the entries from others, not to mention the contest host reads your story and sometimes recommends....thus giving your story more publicity.

4.This is going to make me sound totally cliche but....it helps if you write for a major Fandom. I love writing Avenged Sevenfold Fan Fiction and I know there are tons of users on here who also love writing it, as well as reading it. In that particular Fandom, we all seem to share each other's work because we all share the same love and passion for the band and members. We all write about the same guys while putting our own little bit of creativity in the stories about them. There are lots of other Fandoms out there too that people are interested in.......One Direction, Motionless In White, K Pop and many more.

I want all of you reading this to know that I am not saying in any shape or form that you HAVE to do these things to get reads. I'm not trying to make it out like you have to submit to doing that in order to gain an audience....I'm just telling you that this is what worked for me. I've seen where some authors have stated that they don't like asking people to read their stories flat out and that they aren't into many major Fandoms.

That is totally fine too. If I could....I would make it to where all of your stories get the love and attention you feel they deserve. I know that when you see how well your stories are doing that it pushes you to keep writing and makes you feel like your writing is worth something. Trust me....I know that.

I just don't want you to give up. Continue to write for yourself always but don't throw in the towel because people haven't went wild over your stories. Everyone has different tastes and some people only like certain things. I honestly try my best to help other user's stories get seen by more people. I'm not trying to gloat or make myself seem like some amazing person but I have noticed that when I recommend someone's story or their profile....that person gets more publicity and I'll tell you why.....

My regular circle of friends see what I recommend and they go and check it out for themselves. Most of them are cool and will also recommend the story which makes me happy to see. If you truly keep reaching out to people too....you will make a name for yourself and people will respond to your stories and writing pieces. I'll give you an example......

In Winter...everything looks barren and dead. Snow covers everything in some places and frost kills a lot of the flowers and greenery. You may feel like you are a tiny seedling trapped under the ground and snow. You feel like you are fighting to break through and bloom. You feel all alone and exhausted from your struggle to be set free and to shine in the sun.

The struggle seems to last for forever until finally....Spring comes and melts the snow away. Little by little your vines start to grow until you break free and bloom gloriously. Your bold colors and beauty are finally able to be seen by the world and you bask in the warm glow of the sun. You then realize that your struggles were not in vain and that you finally made it to where you so longed to be. Everyone can find their place in the sun....you just have to hang in there. Please hang in there.