✨Cafe Anon✨ · 5mo
hello mod. i apologize for coming to your retrospring to vent but i had nowhere else to go. i’m a small rare-pair writer and lately i’ve been thinking about giving up on it. i love my rare pair ships (taejoon & 2seok) but when i look at my engagement compared to fellow mutuals, who write for slightly popular ships, i fear i’m overlooked. i do have a regular reader who enjoys my work, but i don’t want to feel like i’m putting all my expectations for them to show up to every fic i write. is it wrong for wanting at least three people openly excited about my rare pairs and my fics? am i asking for too much?
Hi anon! Thank you so much for your patience as I slowly work through my restrospring messages <3
I think it's natural, as writers, for us to want engagement. And I can completely understand the challenges of writing for less popular groupings. It's amazing that you have a regular reader, and I am sure that they are happy to have found a writer who specializes in these rarer pairings! But there's nothing wrong with hoping for more readers to find your stories and enjoy them.
At the end of the day, I think it primarily comes down to what your priorities and goals are. If you would like to work towards more engagement, it could be a good idea to try broadening your horizons by trying out new pairings or new tropes. But if you primarily enjoy writing for your current pairings, there's nothing wrong with continuing to write stories for yourself and your regular reader in the hopes that more and more people will find you :)
I suppose what I'm trying to say is that your feelings are valid, and whatever choice you make will also be valid. I hope that you find the answer that works best for you!
