Comment Culture - Tumblr Posts
Every single fic update there is an author trying frantically to find the right balance between a nonchalant aside of "leave a comment if you enjoyed =)" and clinging desperately to the coat tails of a random stranger, dragging along behind them on the street wailing "Please, please! I have to know what you thought! I'm desperate to talk to people about this! Ask me about the alliterative repetition! Ask me about the symbolism!"
I don’t know who needs to hear this but be nice to fanfic authors. Reblog their stuff. Tell them you liked it. How you felt when reading. What school assignment you didn’t finish because of how captivating their story was. Don’t just scream to your friends about it. But tell them.
So many wonderfully talented people out there don’t get the praise they need. If their work brought you joy, make their day better by telling them it did.
real, genuine question
When you, a reader, leave comments on a fic, do you expect the author to reply? If “expect” is perhaps the wrong word… do you enjoy it when they do? Am I going overboard by replying to everybody who comments on my stuff and making them all uncomfortable?
I have been out of fandom for a minute and don’t know the current etiquette.
… surely it’s not just that I’m overthinking this. Surely not. I have never in my life.
Golden Rules for Fanfiction Readers:
if the fic already has a thousand comments, comment still. Your comment will still matter and delight the author.
if a fic is a decade old and the author hasn’t been active in the last five years, comment still. There will come a time when the author will read and cherish your comment, or maybe it will motivate them enough to start writing again. You never know!
if the author never responds to comments, comment still. Interaction with the author is a very nice bonus, but you can be sure that even if the author doesn’t answer, they will read it and enjoy it at some point
there’s no such thing as a too long comment.
there’s no such thing as a too incoherent comment.
the author will give no flying fuck about any gramatical errors, typo or other misspellings. If you’re a non-native speaker struggling to express themselves, you can be sure the author will be all the more pleased that you surmounted the language barrier to let them know you appreciated their work. Don’t be afraid!
there’s no such thing as commenting too often.
you will never, ever come across as creepy by obsessing over a fic or an author to the point where you worry the author might think you’re a stalker. On the contrary, the author will be delighted by your investment in their work.
say thank you. It’s always appreciated to see readers acknowledge the work and commitment that is put into writing.
the floaty review box (ao3 add-on) is your friend
be positive and encouraging. Positive reviews make writers all warm and glowy from the inside, bashing plunge their soul into icy darkness. You want the first, not the second!
whoever you are, if you read their fic, YOU are IMPORTANT to the author. Let them know you’re there!
(if any author wants to contradict one of those rules, please let me know!)
(Submitted by @randomishnickname)
Getting a long, thought-through, lovely review on a piece of your writing you really love
Friendly reminder to COMMENT on the fics you like