Why so many complaints about silent readers?

I keep seeing posts about silent readers and I have to say...It's pretty one sided.

I'm both a reader and an author and I have been both a silent reader and have had many silent readers. Most, if not all, of my stories have some form of comments from the readers or anticipating readers. 

Personally, if I read a story worth commentary, I will comment. I feel like that may be the case with most everyone. With that being said, I rarely comment. There are very few stories I have commented on, and those comments were well deserved. The stories provoked my inner thought process, and I needed to express that. I don't think it's a requirement to comment on everything you read, because not everything you read deserves a comment. I sincerely hope that it is the intention of all writers to write because of a need to express, not a need to impress. 

Your readers are not your reviewers. Allow them to read in peace. Do you realise how annoyed you'd be if every author of every book you ever read followed you around until you gave them feedback on every chapter? That's incredibly unrealistic. Take pride in what you write because you wrote it, not because someone commented on it. 

And I repeat.

Readers aren't your reviewers. Readers aren't your reviewers.

Allow them to read your story and enjoy it in peace.

P.s. thank you for even having interest in my stories both silent and commenting readers. 💖

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hzhfobsessed #1
hmm, that's a perspective i see a lot around, but to me as a writer, i feel like it's a bit disheartening if i've written like ten chapters of smth i consider really good, and no one's given any feedback ;; like it doesn't have to be positive, it can be suggesting smth but like, i worked hard and when ppl do enjoy (or don't enjoy) the story, i want to know

that being said, i do read a lot of fics where i'm like yeahhhhhh it wasn't bad but it wasn't GOOD so i totally get where you're coming from!!
-cheminks #2
i'm a silent reader as well! and i really do prefer to just read and go. only when i feel so provoked by emotion for what i just read, do i comment. and when i comment, i write paragraphs. lol. i really wish they'd stop blaming us for authors leaving and other thing. it was their choice afterall. it's not like we're obligated. me subscribing or upvoting is to show i like something. i wouldn't do so otherwise.
Lidashen #3
I think it was when I started to think how real life author deal with writing a novel by themselves without showing it to anyone until they find a publisher is when I think fanfiction writers are having it less difficult? Because just writing and having a space to share your ideas but not getting feedback makes you anxious, just imagined the real life author writing without anyone knowing about their story and no places to pre-publish to gauge readers interests. It's worst.

Since I open my story to members only, I noticed people are more willing to read and come out to comment, even if they don't subscribe. And I don't mind that, subscribe or no subscribe and give me a comment is fine. Views showed each week by each chapter that they came back to read what I update. I even turn off subscriber notification * yet it didn't work to how I like it... it still show me an alert just without the popup box. OTL. Anyway, what I mean is, this place is just a space for you to share your writing or putting it up as a place of storage and shouldn't be more. Shouldn't expect more than that.

AFF is very generous to me tbh. AO3 is worst for someone who writes genres that other kpop fans aren't into and with rare rare crackships at that. And it's thanks to ao3 that I kind of getting used to not getting anything and view these places as storage space for my stories rather than anything else.
Kreeper #4
As a silent reader MYSELF, I don't feel obligated on every story I read unless it's really worth it. I would give feedback if it was a really good fic with mild things I want to see improved. But if the story is hopeless, why give feedback?
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