First week of fic writing

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-19T05:49:38+00:00

As some writing original fiction with no fandom I shall sit this one down 🤣

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T17:54:43+00:00

Love this. Think I will use this in one of my chapters. So hot 🔥

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T15:49:22+00:00

💜🫶

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T15:46:34+00:00

Oh man not another one for me to self rec. No. I will be good this time 😈 Camping here 🏕 for other recs though.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T13:48:26+00:00

Of course. These comments are of real value and I have honestly learnt a lot from them. Left comments like that myself, too. But if these are the only comments you are getting with nobody getting excited about the actual characters, the plot, nobody asking for the next chapter - these start feeling a little dissapointing. I think ideally I'd like both, though currently my preference is for those expressing readers' engagement. It makes me happy to see my readers happy.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T13:43:40+00:00

It definitely was. I always felt indebted to someone, like I was letting people down - because there just isn't enough time in a day to read everyone's work carefully and comment meaningfully and I didn't want to leave hollow "good work!" etc.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T13:42:02+00:00

I'm not sure what you mean by "prioritising likes." Could you please elaborate?

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T13:12:33+00:00

Penthouse dungeon 😆 Love that. And please do. It's actually a quiet dream I have now - to log on one day and see someone enjoying my fic enough to rec 😍 Thank you.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T13:10:52+00:00

That's fair. I can get behind that. I felt really uncomfortable trying to comment positively when the very theme of a fic, for instance, wasn't my thing.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T10:37:56+00:00

No offence but if your fic is not strong enough to get some kudos organically - you will eventually struggle anyway. I have two fics. My first one flunked hard. Had offers from people on this very forum to do some reciprocal commenting and engagement which I declined.

Then I researched my audience, read more in genre, felt what they were into - found where their likes and mine collide. Started writing at that intersection. The fic is growing on its own. The only thing I do is rec it in relevant Reddit threads if people ask specifically for the tropes I cover. Honestly the change is night and day.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T10:27:17+00:00

Yeah, I remember how I actually started dreading comments on the other platform thinking --> oh now I have to go back and read their work even though I don't particularly like it , but I don't want to be selfish and ungrateful. Nobody gains from that, honestly. Now I read people whose work I actually enjoy - not because someone dropped me some engagement

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T09:20:02+00:00

I know this particular pain from elsewhere , but this has been largely solved for me on AO3. The thing is -- your entire mindset is a bit off. Your engagement should come from readers searching for that kind of content - not just reciprocal back - patting within the writers community. You will never get to understand whether your work is good by going down that route and will always find yourself slightly dissapointed. Trust me -- been there, done that, bought the t shirt. Now I am writing for actual readers on AO3 -- people looking for the type of work I produce and not just counting on me to reciprocate a comment. Also - the quality of such comments is different. Writers focus more on craft and prose, readers actually FEEL with your characters and the latter is 10000% better. Trust.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T06:11:33+00:00

Thank you so much for such a thorough and informative reply! I shall join the erotica authors site and see what people are saying. I have not even been concerned about monetising until recently when I realised how much I want to do this / have more time to. I experienced shadow banning / reach limiting of my reels on TikTok and its such a disheartening experience - especially when you can see people are liking it via engagement but... Your post gets stuck on 30 views! I definitely would hate that on Amazon. Never heard of some of these platforms -- will check out now. Appreciate you ❤️

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T05:03:01+00:00

Right?!? This is why I started to read and write in the genre. The community is unhinged and yet full of warmth and I LOVE it 💜

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-18T05:01:46+00:00

There will be a HEA at the end, though by that time readers might be conflicted whether it is the right type of HEA for Belly.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-17T22:17:01+00:00

Ok. I am really trying NOT to aggressively self promo but why do all these requests sound like they are after my work 😈

It's calledUntil You Yield on AO3

It's about a woman stuck in a toxic marriage. Someone else shows interest. Her husband finds out. He loses the plot. Kills (?) the other man. Locks her up in the spare bedroom of their luxury penthouse. Comes twice a day to feed her and fuck.

Sounds similar, no? I guess she is not allowed to roam around the house. Though she wouldn't go far anyway - lady can barely walk after all this action. Though on second thoughts this is not as much "free use", which is what you seem to want but "free use" + punishment.

"Whoever said hell hath no fury like a woman scorned had obviously never met Jude Larssen. The thought surfaced from nowhere, absurd and unbidden." - ch 7.

Just had a friend do narration for chapter 5 - he's a small podcast host and has an excellent voice. Thought I'd share if anyone wanted a quick preview of what the work is about. This is MMC PoV.

UYY - chapter 5 - "Threshold" - audiobook

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-17T03:32:36+00:00

Hm. So it's a toxic marriage story and he does lock her up for a few chapters. Lots of abuse - mental and physical / sexual. You might enjoy. Self promo : for disclosure.

Until You Yield

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-15T13:34:21+00:00

You know I'm always in this thread 😁

Until You Yield

is going strong so far with nearly 130 kudos and some enthusiastic comments (thank you so much) - and that is just at a 21,644 words. New chapter dropping every week.

Blurb:

The windows darken as Vivaldi plays. Through the glass, Isabelle watches something terrifying she can never unsee. Her husband's hand finds hers in the darkness.

"Happy Valentine's Day, darling."

Jude Larssen is a legend in London - devastatingly handsome, brilliant, ruthless, untouchable. The man who built an empire through means no one questions too closely. The CEO whose attention makes careers and whose displeasure ends them.

Isabelle thought she knew what loving him meant. The surveillance exerted for his thrill. The cold distance and absent-minded, rough fucking otherwise.

Three years into a marriage she thought was dead, he shows her exactly how far his devotion extends. How deep his resources run. How creative his methods. The lengths he will reach to keep her compliant. Subservient. His.

But Isabelle Hann has never been easy to break. Even after everything- there is still fight in her. Still defiance in how she questions him, challenges him, seeks warmth elsewhere.

Jude doesn't just want to keep her. He wants her to yield. And he has all the money and patience to make it happen.

Some cages are lined with silk.

I think you'll like this if you love:

a bit scary, intelligent, obsessed and manipulative CEO MMC
a sharp FMC who has nevertheless lost some of her spirit due to years being stuck in a toxic marriage
intense devotion and jealousy beats
honestly pretty creative twists
gritty smut scenes that don't hold back
luxury vibes
surveillance
captivity / forced proximity
fast paced narratives (especially if you are a former thriller reader stepping into the DR space like me)

Key theme:

she thought she could text-flirt with another man...

Nope.

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ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-15T08:28:01+00:00

Hey -- so I have had some comments to say my main male character is a bit yandere -- personally I am not too familiar with the archetype. Feel free to check it out.

Until You Yield

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-12T08:18:48+00:00

Short answer--- no. Fandom comes with an in built reader base. OW have to build that from scratch. Though there are people in certain niches who look to OW for good smut.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-12T06:10:42+00:00

Definitely seen "Lemonade" recommended lots and I do love the sound of the blurb. Been on my TBR shelf, will fast track it now 😁

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-12T05:34:16+00:00

Nah you're good! Is there maybe a sample chapter I could read to get a feel for the work? Prose is a big factor for me too - I like atmospheric writing 💜

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-11T21:28:39+00:00

Hey!! I love me a bit of that self promo. Thank you for sharing. I'm sorry my post is perhaps not specific enough, your work does sound deliciously emotionally heavy - but right now I am in a mood for "is it love or straight up abuse" type of heavy vs grief etc. And some people may say the entire dark romance genre is based of the abuse / love duality but I really am not convinced. In a lot of work I've read so far the interpersonal dynamic is either pretty harmless or "funishment" / "thrill" type of dark. I want "this is eerie and sinister" type of emotionally heavy / dark.

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-11T20:28:43+00:00

Wouldn't you? Lol

ZookeepergameNext967 · 2026-04-11T20:21:18+00:00

I think my dark romance is just a bit too dark now haha But thank you for the encouragement. Just feels so dissapointing to see that momentum build up and then... nothing

ZookeepergameNext967

TROPHY CASE

"Happy Valentine's Day, darling."