I don’t really know. I have been reading on and off for like 4 years, but didn’t really keep track of any stories in particular or get involved in the community aspect until a few months ago.
Nothing in particular, initially. I had read some stories I really liked maybe 9 months ago. So I would just keep it and check in periodically to see if they were updated. But I decided to make an IG account to keep up with stories and authors and getting involved in the community made me much more invested in the app and the people who use it.
LOL to be honest, I had browsed the forums a few times before, but mostly was like “yeah, I dunno what’s going on here.” But a few of the people I follow on instagram and who I really respect had things in their stories about discussions on the forums. and I am, uh…nosy. So I checked it out and made an account about 2 months ago and now you can’t get rid of me.
Yeah, so. I haven’t published anything. But I’ve been working on my main story for a solid like 7 months or so. Before I even joined IG. It’s a really long process for me because my ability to focus comes and goes. So if I decide to publish anything, I really want to have the majority of the work done on it before I do. I’ve come up with a few other ideas in the mean time and have done some work on them to take a break from my main project.
I’m not sure how much this applies to me yet. But it’s been kind of fun to turn ideas from just written words into a visual medium. I do find coding kind of tedious, but I like the results. And if I work at a snail pace, I tend to feel fine about how much time and energy it can take.
By far the insightful and friendly discussions I have - both here on the forums and on IG. Sometimes it’s about larger trends in the community and sometimes it’s kind of gushing about stories and being able to talk about a shared experience of enjoyment. I find myself feeling really fortunate to have been able to connect with people who share the same values as I do and to be able to bounce ideas and insights around with.
I admire your ability to be able to read and review so many stories lol. I wouldn’t have the stomach for it.
I mean, I’m not gonna tag anyone. But if we’ve had a meaningful discussion, then just know I really appreciate it. There are a few stories that I have a lot of emotional investment in and having been able to read them is truly a privilege. I am grateful for the people who choose to spend their time in some of the more difficult topics here for the sake of trying to bring issues to light and offer alternative ways of creating narratives about those issues. And anyone who has been willing to have an open discussion about some of these topics, even if they’re starting out with quite a different opinion that the ones I hold.