October Novel Prep Challenge

Forgive me if this seems more like a complaint than anything else. I don't mean to sound whiny; I just sometimes need a reminder of why my worries are, perhaps, unfounded. Or a swift kick and someone telling me they are very founded and I need to do some serious revamping.

I'm beginning to realize that my tastes don't seem to be in line with the majority, on this site and in other places. I often just plain do not like items that are celebrated and find myself gravitating toward pieces that a lot of people seem not to care for. A lot of these pieces, I tend to call "Hallmark stories" because if someone were to film them, they'd fit right in on the channel of the same name. Sorry if that sounds elitist...I just don't care for them. This is not to say that the stories themselves are without merit--I would never presume to say that what I like is all that is worthy of liking--but I do not enjoy them at all, and probably never could even if my favorite author were to attempt it. (Granted, Austen is dead and Gaiman would have to add something creepy into the mix, so it wouldn't really fit on Hallmark, in any case.)

My worry is that what I write is so...niche, I guess, that no one will read it. I get complaints that my sentence structure is too formal and old-fashioned, or I drop names that they don't understand even though I consider them basic knowledge (Greek gods, what the Ancient Romans called France, what Eire means, etc in the case of this story). I've had people give my stories low ratings because I include rape and rape makes them uncomfortable, as if it's my job to write happy stories that make people feel good. I know the fact that my stories are rated 18+ and up (typically) means a good chunk of this site won't even read them. I've even had people here on W.com accuse me of hating Christianity and being a bigot because the historian in me doesn't consider the existence of Jesus Christ a definitive fact (not to mention I murder God in the story I'm Prepping).

I am not fishing for views on my pieces, or looking to be patted on the back or anything, I swear. Like I said, I apologize if this seems whiny in any way to any of you. I just...I needed to get this off of my chest. As much as I love Killing Mercutio (which has a broader market, but is still limited because of the "Shakespeare...ew" factor that I've never understood), it is in these mytho-historical fantasy stories that my heart lies. I enjoy them; they are a reflection of me. And I worry that, in order to be viable as a professional author, I will forever be forced to write the Hallmark version of my story to please the majority. I don't mean to insinuate that the average reader is unintellectual, or anything, but will I have to write the "feel good, easy-peasy, Kindle-by-the-pool" version of my stories in order to be appreciated?

Yes, of course, I write for myself. But I also write to be published, and to be able to put "Author" down as my job. And I admit, getting passed over or ignored, or getting the "seems good, but I don't get this part and this part and this part, which means you've written it poorly or done something wrong because I don't understand it" spiel in reviews has me worried. (And, yes, a tad upset, because it's never nice to feel like you're not appreciated, or are once again the only kid left in the corner when it's time to partner up.) Again, sorry. I just needed to get that off my chest, and as my boyfriend doesn't understand this, I wanted to share it with my fellow writers. Any words of wisdom would be welcome.
-Quaddy

Note: I just realized the timing of this could be feasibly construed as meaning it's related to the contest round. It's not. It's been something that's been weighing on me for some time. And, as I was poring through books in order to get this world just right, the thought "what's the point of this; no one is going to appreciate it" popped into my head, so...I figured it was time to get it out.

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