Am I the only one getting discouraged?

I feel like my ambition to write is diminishing,
I’ve tried the contest and thought for sure my entries were good, my DL entry never even got reviewed even though my reader retention was good, I tried the SWY contest and I feel like my entry is the only entry that hasn’t been reviewed or trending in the recently updated list. I have tried to go back to my other stories just to take my mind off of it and I feel myself really lacking motivation and giving up.
Does anyone else have this feeling, or am I the only one?

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I didn’t participate in any contest, but I did feel discouraged at times… Once or twice I felt like I didn’t have the courage to open the Writer Portal to continue my story… But it’s all in our mind… 2 months later, I again continued my story and I was finally succesful in completing it! There’s no one who got all the support he/she needed. I get a thousand hate comments a day, but one comment which tells how much the commenter loved my story and it feels like the world to me. These are just the small things which everyone needs to face. All we need to do is keep going. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:

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I wish I never went near either contest, I am so sick of seeing stories with less reads then mine trending, and I know that might sound petty, I just don’t really understand Episodes whole deal at all.
I heard a contest story needs to reach 100 reads to get reviewed, mine are way above that, I also read that your story needs at least a 50% retention for the first chapter and 2/3 for the 2nd and something stupid for the 3rd, my DL story had a 67% retention for the first chapter and a 85%-100% for the rest,
Now my SWY story has 46% first with 85-100% for the rest, with over a 100 reads, not once reviewed, not trending in the recently updated list, but I see stories with 21-70 reads there. I really don’t flipping get it.
I guess I am just disgusted with trying anymore.

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These are the normal things which happen with thousands of authors everyday. You stand out from the crowd when you forget about it and look forward for other upcoming events :heart:

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Summary

Yeah its happening to me nowadays… I’ve started my story a month ago n it has 6 chapters for now… Although the reads, rank, gems are pretty good but I still feel lack of motivation nowadays n it is the reason I have become slow in publishing chapters these weeks… It feels like no one is really waiting for next chapters to publish so why to bother publishing fast… It feels really discouraging… Idk about what other thinks but I feel my story is pretty diff. And i m satisfied with my story but somehow I feel like no one is really appreciating it even if it is good for me and that makes me feel unmotivated to write down next chapters

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You know it’s funny, I actually have around 13-14 published stories, and my reads are 60K between all of them, I was actually proud of that, but when I break it down, it really isn’t something to be proud of, I mean heck one of my stories is almost 50K by itself and that literally took 3 years to get to. LOL
sigh

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Oh my god, I totally get that, I don’t feel like anyone is waiting for my chapters either. So many times I just thought about abandoning all my stories and writing on a different app. Or just quitting in general.
I am so sick of hearing oh your stories are so good what’s the point of writing if no one can even find them on the app to read them. You could have a perfect story but if people can’t find it they will never know.

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Yeah it happens…my story appears on trending many times but it still needs appreciation to continue the story

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I think almost every writers go through this phase in their writing journey. One of my cousins have 100k reads in her stories but she never wanted to join a contest. She said the competition is tight and a good story just isn’t enough. It has to be really really really good and I think she is right. Most importantly don’t give up. Take a break from writing if you need it and come back when you are ready. Good luck in your writing journey.

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It’s pretty common to get discouraged when you don’t see all your hard work appreciated or praised by others. When you’ve done your best, written the best story you could write and loved writing, but don’t see it reciprocated on the app, can make you doubt your talent and passion for writing. Doubt and discouragement can make your favorite hobby feel like a waste, can make you feel disappointed.

This is my opinion. And I’m not here to discourage you any further, I just want to give you a different opinion on the matter. Personally, I think what people don’t understand is that this app is very competitive nowadays. More people are joining the community and writing stories every day.
So, releasing your story on this app will not guarantee the reads you deserve. I wish it was that easy, it used to be like that. But now, it seems like you would need to gain community support. Make connections with people in the community so they can help you get the reads you deserve. Building your fan base with other artists and authors can give you a boost with reads and encouragement to write more. Of course it’s easier said than done, but remember, you’re on this app for a reason. The reasons may vary but I know you are here to do great things!

For now, just take a break from this app. Clear your head and do something else, spend time with your family and friends. A break can help give you clarity on what your next move should be.

Please don’t think of me not being empathetic. I really am because I’ve been discouraged many times, I just deal with it differently. I hope you get your ambition and encouragement again! :purple_heart:

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#same

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Moved to Episode Fan Community since this is about Episode stories. Make sure to check out our Forum Tutorial for more info about creating topics, and feel free to PM me if you’ve got questions. :smiley:

To be honest, sometimes I do feel that way. My story has 1K reads at the moment, and I’ve gotten very positive reviews from readers, reviewers, and authors. However, it has not been reviewed by Episode nor has it been chosen for a shelf despite the fact that it has been recommended for three different shelves. I guess it wouldn’t be too discouraging if it weren’t for the fact that my other 2 stories did make it on a shelf the first time they were recommended. But what motivates me to continue is that I do have loyal readers that comment it, read it as soon as I publish a new chapter, and share screenshots, so even though I’d love to be on a shelf and be trending, I’m still happy to actually have people that are still invested in my story after 12 chapters.

As for contests, I only entered the Squad contest and didn’t get my story reviewed even though I received 300 reads. Needless to say, it didn’t win, not that I was expecting it to because I wrote it during a very hard time in my life, and it wasn’t my best work.

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Hun, it happens to EVERY authors, trust me. As an author, you care about your readers. Of course, you may think your story isn’t good enough and so on. But, let me tell you one thing. You should write stories because you WANT to, not because you HAVE to.
And I think EVERY stories have a uniqueness which makes it stand out. Perhaps, the story you’re writing may be the MOST fav of a reader who likes stories with that type of genre.

Let me tell u about me, :see_no_evil:
I also sometimes felt demotivated in writing stories. It doesn’t get reads that it should be or, some people will not like it, I have felt like that , LOTS of times.
But, don’t let your pessimism take you away. Fight it with confidence and positive thoughts.
Your goal is to make yourself happy first that you’re writing that story and letting your imagination whisk you away in your own world. That’s the happiness and the good feeling we get.

Take a break, deepbreaths, and then I hope one day, you will be successful in not only just in your stories, but in every aspect of life.
Hope you have a great day/night! :relaxed::purple_heart:

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Thanks, dear, I need this🌷
It wasn’t a long time after I published my story and I felt this way, but like you said, do this because you want it, not because you have to… :white_heart:

My story :
[My new story in episode… WHO ARE YOU?]

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Wow! I’m sooo glad! I’ll be sure to check it out :smiling_face_with_three_hearts::purple_heart:

also don’t mind me for the shameless promotion, :see_no_evil: but would u also like to give my story a try? :sweat_smile: :

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Sure🌷
Send me the link to your story.

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Sweet! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts: Here’s my story :
SWY: Closer Than Two Magnets

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I will :ok_hand:t3::white_heart:

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Oh wow! Thanks hun! :heart_eyes:

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