User blog comment:Umbrello/Self Promotion Makes Me Feel Weird/@comment-5269370-20150725120455

There's a part of me that gets unbelievably frustrated when my story gets no comments after, let's say, two weeks of being on the website. But then as well there's another part of me that feels like, as you put perfectly, a dingus for asking people to read my stuff.

For me it's like the thought of knowing that I'm taking time out of people's days to go through something which they never intended to read in the first place. So, it almost feels like I'm forcing someone to read it, because, let's face it, if someone asks you to read their stories and you kindly reject them, you kinda feel like a dick.

Some stories on the website go viral (across this website) and some don't. I noticed quality doesn't really seem to have as big as an effect as it does. Some absolute gems could go for years and years buried in obscurity, while some notorious stinkers hit the spotlight and become the centre of all discussion.

I've come to realise that unless you do indulge yourself into a little shameless self-promotion, then the only thing you are ever going to have any control over is the quality. Which is great, everyone should always try to better themselves in their writing, writers should strive for improvement, building their techniques, and especially youngins/amateurs.

The problem is is that if a genuinely talented writer spends months and months or even years and years working hard, evidently showing strong progression, and a potential to be officially published, but doesn't even get a shred a recognition, it can be totally demotivating and discouraging, which can then reflect negatively in anything they write, or even not write.

I think I got a little sidetracked from the point of the blog there, but hey, I stand behind my points.

TL;DR: can totally relate to OP.