Original rant → What readers need to remember when reading fics.

I’m really excited to do this rant. Previously, chapter 10 was about ual Content; in fact, the chapter is already done. However, rereading it, I feel like it is too unorganized and doesn’t actually say anything, so I will revise it, again. This rant is inspired by you guys, the readers. It is going to be slightly hypocritical.

I don’t ask for comments and I don’t really reply to comments that well either, but I want them. If you have read something by me, please leave a comment. It’s only fair that I put several hours of work into a chapter and receive your thirty second feedback. I do agree that authors have every right to ask for comments because a lot of readers will dismiss the story and move on. That being said, I’ve made some rules about how authors deal with comments.

Comments cannot be demanded in exchange for another update. I’m not sure if this happens a lot, but I know I saw this a few times before I started writing fanfics myself. At the end of every chapter a few authors would say, “I’m not updating until I get (insert number here) comments!” It was one of those things I vowed to never do but I sadly accidently did on my first day of writing. I posted six chapters in one day (granted, they were ty chapters ranging from 200-1500 words in length) and I hadn’t received any comments for the last few, so I said I wouldn’t post the next few chapters until I got some comments. After that a reader told me they had already commented so much that day and I felt awful. Needless to say, I apologized for being so ungrateful.

Seriously, be grateful for your comments! If I said that today, I would never have completed my fic This is Utopia. (Shameless promotions!) I got a comment maybe once every three or four chapters and none for the second half of the fic. You’re an awful, awful person if you ask your readers for comments in exchange for updates. That really shows that you only write for the attention.

You cannot whine about how all your subscribers are not commenting. The fact of the matter is that all your subscribers will not comment on your fic. You are delusional if you think they will. You will have a majority of silent readers. I have seen writers with over 1000 subs about how all their readers aren’t commenting, and I understand where they are coming from, but if you have over 200 comments for every chapter there is nothing to feel bad about! While we’re at it, don’t go to people’s wall and say, “You subscribed but didn’t comment, please comment.” Someone has done that to Maria, I think it was her.

What I think authors should do instead is ask specific questions to try and engage the readers and get them thinking. I would say “Comments are Motivation~” at the end of every chapter because they really were. Simple things that aren’t so demanding are nice. All authors have to do is be polite about it. Asking isn’t really going to sway people that much anyway.

Now, to the readers: As an author I think it is important for readers to comment because it does motivate us and tell us we are doing things right and it lets us know that people are actually reading the fic. I said that nobody commented for the second half of This is Utopia. I’m not even sure that my subscribers know the fic is finished. I have no idea if anyone has read it since the last comment. This is a genuine worry of mine. If I didn’t think I’d sound like an attention , I’d ask if they were aware of its completion.

The comments given make our day. Those wonderful comments that praise us or tell us what the reader liked about the chapter/fic, loves those. The last comment I got for This is Utopia made me giddy for a whole day. The person’s comments actually made me feel like a good writer. Remember how I say that we write for ourselves and post for you? That is really the case for me. If I don’t think I’m a good enough writer I don’t post. This is because my first two fics were fics I would hate based on my standards today so I am really self-conscious about posting new things. Those compliments, oh, thank you.

“Update Soon!” Is meaningless to writers. I know everyone hates to get these comments. Seriously, we put tears and blood into these fics and you leave a comment that could be for anything? you, you. Go yourself. Don’t say that when we’ve just updated a chapter. Don’t say that if it has been a week since we updated. Don’t say that if we are on hiatus. Don’t ever say that! I will update when I feel like it.

Now comes the exceptions. If there is a significant amount of fangirl gush accompanying the update plea it acceptable because the reader as contributed their fair share of the comment bargain. Or if a writer has not updated in a long time (several months) and they have not announced a hiatus, it is acceptable to inquire the state of the fic. “I am looking forward to the next chapter! How is it going? Are you okay? Will you continue this fic? I really like this fic, please continue it.”

Here are some rules when commenting.

Always be respectful. If you can’t leave a nice comment or at least make an insult sound like a compliment, don’t comment and stop reading the fic. There are so many people I’ve wanted to make cry because their fics were so bad, but I just stopped and closed the tab.

Give advice and point out mistakes politely.  Do you think I tell people to go themselves in my reviews? Of course I don’t. Don’t sound condescending, don’t act like you know more than the author, and don’t pretend you are doing them a big favor. I got advice like that once and it pissed me off. What I recommend instead is to always give a compliment for every negative thing you say. “Well, you need to make their reaction more believable, but oh my gosh, I squealed when ____ walked in on them!” That being said, when I point out mistakes in the comments section I usually make a joke about it.

Actually think about your comment for a second. Seriously, we put the time into writing a chapter, you can put the time in your comment. Try asking questions about parts you are confused about or try to be our friends. What did you like? Dislike? What do you want to see more of? Your favorite part? What you think of the characters? Their interactions? The flow of the story? Relatable to you? What does this chapter make you think?

I do leave some mean comments to people occasionally, but I have always interacted with the person before and the person usually has a couple hundred subscribers to make them feel better.