Review Envy
I'm disappointed with myself for caring so much whether people review my posted fan fiction or not.
It seems to me that, given that there's no money in fan fiction, the only reasons to do it are (1) to have the creative experience itself, (2) to touch other people, and (3) to get to indulge yourself in the characters and the settings you love. None of these are enhanced by reviews. When I get even one review from somebody who thinks hard about the work and really was affected by it, or if I get a private e-mail, or (once I start posting these things on LJ) if I get an LJ response as the darling girlspell just wrote, it's worth the world to me and it makes me smile all day. So why do I gnash my teeth waiting for a large number of reviews to show up on SIYE, even if they are brief, content-free blips like "Dude! Update soon!"?
Then there are the things like reward nominations and votes. I find that it hurts my feelings when I don't get more votes for an award, even though I know the system is (accidentally) skewed towards different kinds of works than those I write. Obviously I should be delighted that so many people did vote for my fic, shouldn't I?
It's sometimes so much harder to live by the aspirations you have. The writing is an end in itself, and moving even one person is a blessing and an honor. These external things simply impose more wear & tear on the soul