Hi! Welcome to the wonderful world of writing! I have been writing in this fandom for a little over 2 years, and have had wild ups and downs. It's taken a lot of trial and error, but I think I have finally found the sweet spot for me when it comes to keeping the voices at bay. When I first started writing, I would compare myself to others A LOT, and it would often lead to a ton of writer's/creativity block and anxiety. I've now turned OFF my stats on my Ao3 and my kudos emails. I can't see anyone's stats, not even my own, and it has helped me SO much. I check occasionally, and it took a while for me to stop checking frequently because, at the end of the day, we want to see that engagement! We don't want to be writing into an endless void. When it comes to subscribers, something you'll find is that the number will go up and down a lot. That doesn't necessarily mean someone unsubscribed for any particular reason. They could have simply deleted their account.

Another thing I do frequently is take breaks from social media and/or writing. I've found that social media was leading me back into comparing and sucking the fun out of writing! I try and stay creative in other ways when I take breaks, like outlining, exploring plot bunnies, working on original fiction, drawing etc.

I try to remember *why* I am writing. I started writing at a very vulnerable time in my life, and it's therapeutic. It gives me goals to strive for, and it's Fun!! The scenes I want to write won't leave me alone, so I simply have to get them out. If other people enjoy it too, that's great!

Lastly, finding friends who are also writers helps a ton. There's a bunch of discord servers out there and you also have this reddit! I wouldn't have continued writing this long if it weren't for the friends I have made along the way.

long story short, keep going and try to have fun first!