InDecorous

Rant: Silent Readers

Rant: Silent Readers

Readers? What are they? What do they do? How do they act?

It's all in the name, isn't it?

Readers, read and read and read and read. But is that all they do? I don't think so, in all honesty.

I think they're so much more, they're the backbone and support for every author, they're the critics, the fans, the neverending force of love for their favorite authors. Without them no authors can rise to the success they have, no authors can be inspired to do more and more, and no authors will ever be able to write as much as they did.

And as much as I appreciate all my readers, I have a dilemma to present.

Silent readers. And most of you when hearing this name will know exactly what I mean, and some of you may also be one. They're readers whom only purpose is solely reading. They don't comment, they don't vote and most of all they don't interact.

And this isn't exactly a bad thing in most cases, they're reading the author's story. That's all that matters right. I don't think that's the end of the story.

I understand silent readers, and I know that their reading is support enough. But sometimes the support doesn't give the authors much to work with.

I remember when I first started out writing when I published my novel and it barely had any chapters. I barely get reads or votes at all, and so even if it was just one comment I got, I would be so happy. And from time to time, I would even look back at that one comment to remind myself of that happiness.

Even if it was just one comment, as a small author it inspired me so much. It gave me so much hope to further my writing, but as time pass. I only gained views, no votes, no comments. And it made me feel discouraged, to the point that I quit many stories that could have been because I thought people weren't reading.

Now I realize, there may have been silent readers, but at that time I couldn't feel the support. All I could were numbers of views, and numbers really didn't mean much in my mind.

Nowadays, I always try to comment and vote on every novel I read. Just to boost the author, and no matter how small the impact I made was, at least I made an impact.

And I know this may be asking too much, but to any silent readers out there. I hope you'll be able to leave at least a single comment to help your favorite authors out and if you can't comment, vote on all their chapters. So they know that you support them.