Is it ok to post vent writing on tapas?

[djourner]

For the most of my life i've struggled with heavy and depressive thoughts.
I wanted to start writing a journal to help air out my mind, i'm not sure why specifically I felt like it would help if someone read the thoughts I keep to myself, but I thought it would be like a scream into the void you know? Get some catarsis in some way, and might help people who actually live under a similar sort of inner turmoil to know they're not alone and were suffering together.

Thing is, i'm not sure that sort of stuff is allowed.
I didn't want to make a character out of my depression and have them go about suffering on my behalf.
It would mostly be my own 'mostly' unfiltered thoughts, hence why i'm not sure that sort of personal stuff is allowed here.

[moontokkym]

I mean, on paper it's allowed, but I personnally don't think it's wise.

I get that you want to call for help and empathy and for someone to read and understand how you're feeling. That's normal and usually a sign that you do need to talk to someone. That someone should be a friend, a therapist, a close family member, or an internet friend over SMS, someone you feel comfortable with and who has your back. You could even write it down in a journal and illustrate it. Get your catharsis somewhere you are safe and the people are good.

The internet can be horribly cruel, and if you post your unfiltered thoughts online, especially the ones that are deeply personal and traumatic that you won't necessarily be able to express clearly to others, bad actors and people who wish you harm will use that against you. Other hurt people could lash out too, trying to push you down so they can feel better in comparaison. If someone irl doesn't like you and finds your writing (trust me, it's way easier than you think even if you separate your tapas account from any other social media and your real name) it can very easily be weaponised against you.

I'm not saying don't talk about your struggles, please do. Get that storm out of your head and on to the page, it helps. Even on tapas there are truely heartfelt stories that are beautiful and moving that are born from experiences similar to yours, but the authors have taken a step back to digest it and express it in the best way they can to protect themselves. I worry that if you post raw emotion, you won't have any skin to protect against feedback shooting straight through your heart.

[cherrystark]

I think that it's okay to vent about writing IF you have a specific topic that you want to discuss or a conversation to be had. Other than that, I would encourage you to vent to someone close to you that you can trust as you let it go.

• You'll always deal with imposter syndrome in some form or fashion. It's a part of an artist's life. It's up to you if you let that stop you. Learning your craft and making the best product possible is the only way to conquer it. You're the only one you have to impress.

• Getting outside validation from your peers/audience is a wonderful thing but they don't care about your work as much as you think they do. Schedules are important for time management but as long as you ARE uploading, readers are happy. While there will ALWAYS be readers who think its their job to critique your work, more readers are going to love it as is.

• Not all platforms are created equal. Just because a site is known for romance or litRPG, it doesn't mean that your work will do great there. You have to work at it and market accordingly. Study trends in online fiction but don't write to them. Trends change. What sold five years ago isn't always selling well today. If you are putting out your best work possible, people eventually will find it. Building an audience takes time.

I don't know if that advice helps at all, but a lot of people struggle with writers frustration and that is some of the advice people have given. Best of luck.

[TheLemmaLlama]

Yeah, there are no rules against this afaik, nor would I see a reason for there to be

I would agree it's safer to filter it somehow; e.g. through a character. It could also help you process your emotions and experiences better, to think of how to best tell it as a narrative. But if you don't want to do that, or just don't have the energy, I personally haven't witnessed many instances of cruelty in response to someone venting, for what it's worth.

Not everyone has someone close they can vent to. If that's you, I wouldn't let that scare you ^^; (Though as a middle ground, there are dedicated support communities around the internet specifically for people to vent, where they are explicit rules against being cruel and unsupportive :])