I don't write as much as I should. I'm often plagued with procrastination, but it's not that I'm lazy. No, laziness would be much easier to cope with than fear. Fear of rejection. Why would anyone read my work when there are so many stories that are better than mine? I don't know how to properly write plot, or characters, or anything, really. I'm a complete novice. 

Somehow, people choose to read my stories. You do. You read my odd little tales and vote and comment and encourage me. It sounds ridiculous, but you help me grow as a person. When I look at the 'methods of validation' that this platform offers (and I hate to say that, but I can't think of a better way to phrase it), I rate them in terms of how they make me feel. A read is nice, but votes makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I have to say that comments are my favorite. I rush to click the notification every single time one pops up, my heart pounding with excitement. Compliments make me smile. Commentary on characters and plot makes me so happy, because it means that I've written something that sparked emotion in you. That's the goal of writing, really. To tell a story that makes people feel something. Happy or sad, angry or nervous or enamored. Comments that acknowledge this emotion, even if they're 'ajdfas;dhuxgadjgh', make my writing feel worth it. But out of all of the comments that I've gotten, the ones that stand out aren't necessarily the nice, fluffy ones. Constructive criticism is my absolute favorite, because it helps me to realize where I fall short in my writing. My many, many flaws. Where I can improve. And when I write my next story, I will improve, thanks to your feedback. 

I take screenshots of all of my comments and look over them when I'm procrastinating. They remind me that there is nothing, especially not my stories, is perfect. But more importantly, they remind me that there are things that I can fix and tweak. There are things that I can do to make my writing better. And that helps me to manage my fear. It inspires me to write, even if it's just one paragraph, or just one more word to add to my story. Because if you take the time out of your day to read my stories and to help me improve my writing, the least I can do is to write something for you. We create a cycle of good. Your feedback helps me write which leads to more stories with more feedback. The longer it goes on, the better and better my writing gets. And it's all thanks to you. 

So thank you, dear reader. No really, thank you. Thank you for your criticism and thank you for your love. Criticism and love can feel like opposites at times, and thanks to you, I'm starting to realize that they might be two sides of the same thing. And that is something truly wonderful.