Writing for Yourself or For Others? The Biases of the Reward Circuit
If, like me, you're a fan of writing platforms where you publish your stories in real time, you're probably familiar with this phenomenon. Let me explain. The majority of writing platforms operate on a popularity principle. Everyone wants to see their book at the top, displaying the thousands or even millions of views that only a few rare authors are lucky enough to achieve. It's a completely human desire, which can seem much more achievable on an online platform than through a traditional publishing house. Writing the next "best-seller," building your own fanbase, and having your work recognized—all by just publishing on a platform. Easy, right?
To delve into how one can lose oneself while writing a book on these platforms, I'd like to return to the basic principle of social networks: the reward circuit. For those who may not have heard of it, the reward circuit is a pathway in our brain that produces dopamine (known as the pleasure hormone). When you engage in activities like sports, for example, this hormone is released, providing a sense of well-being afterward. However, this hormone is also present in addictions, and it's due to dopamine that we can become addicted to certain substances or applications. Studies (PNAS review: Common neural code for reward and information value | PNAS) have shown that social networks indeed trigger the same dopamine response as that seen in addiction. Each little 'like' on your posts gives you a dopamine boost, pleasure, and naturally, you can easily find yourself wanting more. And where do writing platforms fit into all of this?
Well, most of them use the same 'likes' system but offer another feature: comments. If you're writing your story live, you'll easily be influenced by the influx of comments on your chapters, explaining how your characters should end up, how your storyline is too predictable, how so-and-so wrote the same story but better, and quickly, you might find yourself trying to please everyone.
A few years ago, I received this kind of critique on a romance I was writing at the time. I adapted my style to appeal to as many people as possible, followed the trending patterns, made my characters simplistic when I wanted them complex because writing fluffy romance attracted more readers than psychological depth. One day I woke up and realized I was writing a novel that I didn't enjoy, simply to gain a bit more popularity, receive a few more comments, views, and likes. I had lost myself to the reward circuit.
StoryForge, a writing platform, aims to be different by not primarily relying on the popularity principle but rather on the care you put into your novel. Its points system evolves mainly based on edits and the time you spend refining your work rather than on the popularity of your novel. The search engine is designed to display the most recent works rather than the most viewed ones, and comments are there to help you improve your novel, not to tell you what readers would have preferred to read.
However, it's normal to go through phases where you want to please everyone and get maximum attention. In such cases, it's better to take a step back, write for yourself without publishing anything, and rediscover your voice. (For this, feel free to check out Tim's article, "Find your own voice". ) The writers' circles on StoryForge will help you find a community ready to read and appreciate your stories, regardless of your style. StoryForge will be there to help you improve your book, not to conform to certain standards.
This article was written by Kun, a Story Scout and member of the StoryForge community. Chat with us about guest writing at info@storyforge.com.