It's all a question of patience and playing the long game, I think (hope), Luna. For me the first step is 'I'm writing. Do people appreciate my writing in the ways available to them?'. To me, the people that matter most are editors, fellow writers, curators. These are people who have a trained eye for what is good, valuable. What gives them a sense of satisfaction when they read it. So if fellow writers that you admire and respect are saying 'Yeah, this is great', and editors and curators are saying 'I want to nominate this', 'I want to boost this', then you are on the right path. Your effort is rewarded and validated. Your voice has struck a chord.
The next step is distribution, where your title (+maybe subtitle depending on the device they are using) pops up on someone's screen. Now, that is first of all directed by a very imperfect algorithm, so might be served to entirely the wrong people. Or is well directed but people misinterpret the content that lies behind the title, and it isn't what they expected or wanted. We can't control that. And although we are supposed to be 'writing for the reader's benefit', that's only partly true. We must be sincere first of all with ourselves. If others cannot or choose not to attune themselves to our voice, that is not a failing of ours. Nor of theirs (maybe). We are simply ships passing in the night, destined not to coincide. But I sometimes look at my read ratios and think 'What the fuck is your problem? It said quite clearly what this was about. I know that it is on point, and is well written. And other people who actually know their shit have confirmed that. If you didn't want to read it, why the hell did you click on it? What exactly did you expect? What is your major malfunction, numbnut?'.
And then I take a deep breath, wave a dismissive hand in the air, and go and water my tomato plants.
There is only so much we can do. Numbers, and people, cannot be herded any more than cats can.
We remain true to ourselves, and wait for the planets to align with us, though it take an age.
That's my view, anyway.
