"Just write it yourself!"

I was following a fairly general discussion about writing in a specific fandom, and one newbie participant expressed frustration at finding so few stories that featured the rare pairing and subject matter that they preferred. Several of the other participants replied, in essence, "If you can't find what you want, just write it yourself!"

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The discussion segued into complaints about readers who don't take the trouble to comment or even hit the kudos button. Like other writers, I've done my share of moaning about entitled readers who inhale content without any thanks to the authors. But the whole exchange also reminded me that (as Claire Gabriel often said) I write to be read, not to be stroked. Getting comments and kudos makes me happy, but I'm also going to remember to appreciate the hits from anonymous readers. Those people are reading, after all, and they're the reason I'm writing.