#also paging inhuman levine anon please give me a day or two im writing something special for you :>

[rotworld]

Getting Started with Original Work

an anon asked:

hi, i want to post my own original work but i'm not sure where. what made you decide to post on tumblr, and how did you gain an audience for your original writing? i'm sure fandom had plenty to do with it, but besides that, do you have any advice for writers who want to get their work out there?

it is, as always, hard for me not to ramble lol but i tried my best to at least answer in order.

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i actually came to tumblr specifically for the social aspect. i'd been posting fanfic for a little while already, but i'd never been part of a fandom or any kind of fan community before and was interested in trying it out when i got into boyfriend to death. fandom was a huge part of building an audience for me because it was how this blog started in the first place. while it definitely makes things easier, i don't think you're required to start with fanfics to get an audience for your original work. some things that i think are good to try or keep in mind:

->find your people: as a writer, it's important you continue to be a reader. if there's a certain genre or archetype you like or plan to specialize in (erotica, reader-inserts, monster/human, abo, etc.), you should check out the work that's out there and interact with those writers. it's fun, it can lead to friendships and communities, and if you post similar content, these are the people who are most likely to see and interact with it. i'm not saying it's some kind of business transaction where if you read their work, they have to read yours, because i don't think that's a healthy way to look at it. but i do think camaraderie is really important for writers, especially those in a similar niche. find your peers and support them. there's a good chance they'll do the same, not out of obligation, but because you're part of the community and bringing something unique to the table. this can also help you choose what site you want to use, if you can find a preexisting community somewhere in particular.

->start a blog: what exactly your blog is and contains is up to you, but i think it's good to have one for a couple reasons. the first one is interaction. like i said earlier, my primary motivation for coming to tumblr was the social aspect. there's only so much you can say in the notes or comment section of a fic. it's convenient to have a dedicated space where conversation is easier. from a fan perspective, i like seeing "extras" related to works i enjoy, like character art or bonus tidbits that aren't in the main work, so finding out that a writer i like has a blog with these things is always awesome.

the second reason is for organizational purposes. having a hub page that links to your work or wherever else you post is convenient for your readers. it also gives you a place to let readers know what's going on with you. for example i kind of just don't have a posting schedule lol but because i have this space, i can post things in between my updates and communicate with my readers directly so they still know i'm around and what's going on.

->just post it: have you ever seen the "two cakes" post? it's painfully true. as writers, and creators of all types, we often feel the need to compare ourselves, unfavorably, to others. we're extremely hard on ourselves for the work we put out when other people are making "better" work. it's important to remind yourself of the audience perspective: holy shit! two cakes! it's so, so important for writers to share their writing, to get the experience of that vulnerability. it can be scary, but it's worth it. you gain confidence and skill the more you do it. best of all, you put another cake on the table. you might be surprised by how many people show up, excited that it's there.

one last word on where to post. since i've only written on a handful of sites (here, ff.net and ao3), i can't really talk about many others. ao3 is my go-to and what i would recommend, but it depends a lot on what you're going to be writing. their policy on original work is that it needs to be "fannish" in nature. i was a little confused about the policy originally but i've spent a lot of time browsing the original work tag and i feel like i get the gist now. there are certain tropes, settings, and concepts that are closely tied to fandom culture and history, and if you do anything in that sphere, then your work should fit on ao3. the thing i like about ao3 (and that i would look for on other sites if ao3 isn't for you) is the tag system. it's important that readers can quickly assess if your work is what they're looking for, and a good tag system makes things much easier for them and for you. i'm wishing you good luck and lots of fun on your journey!