#comment on fic

[twochildreninamoteldemo]

Do you also sometimes feel discouraged or bad abt your ff when it doesn't get as many kudos or comments compared to other fics? I'm trying not to let it discourage me especially bcos ik there's ppl who do love it from the few who do comment, but ngl it's making me want to delete everything and stop trying. Ik I should write for me and I do, but it still feels bad knowing ppl don't see my ff as comment or kudo "worthy". Sorry for sounding pitiful, but do you have any advice on getting over this feeling? :(

I do; i think it's really hard not to, especially since we live in a world now where so much of our worth is defined by attention via numbers (social media). And I don't just mean in a "everyone wants to be an influencer or be popular" way, but that's literally how authors market their books now, it's how indie music artists can get big...anything creative in the publishing world depends on this type of marketability. and in turn that marketability, obstensibily, defines our worth.

so it's hard not to take these assumptions of a creative trying to make a living in the real world into fandom. even if you don't create for a living, seeing how authors have to grovel on booktok is a little disheartening, and even more embarrassing when i realize i do it on tumblr for my fic. I'm thinking of this one long fic i've written that has gotten many in-depth comments from the people who've read it and loved it, but at the same time, disproportionate kudos, and it does make you question your skill, even if that doesn't make any sense. One thing you have to remember is that people click on fics all the time and mark them for later--this is especially true for longer fics, or fics of darker subject matter that someone might need to be in the right headspace for. And keep in mind that kudos are public--someone might not want to have their username plastered to a fic with questionable content lol (to that, i encourage people to log out and give a guest kudos instead, if possible!).

with all these things I sometimes feel like I'm trying to rationalize, but what it ultimately comes down to is that there's fic that's going to be something everyone wants to read, and there's fic that's not everyone's jam. being in the spn fandom--especially wincest--i know that while the unhinged fans will remain for many more years, it's no longer a fandom at its peak, and i'm more likely to receive curiosity hits than actual people who will read and kudos it. none of that is an indication of how good a writer you are. And beyond that, fandom is anti-capitalist, and thinking of it in terms of the "marketability" I mentioned earlier or even just "popularity" undermines the point. So while it's difficult not to, I try to ignore the numbers as best I can, and all I can do is encourage people to comment, because it truly is quality over quantity. a good comment can make a person's whole week.

much love to u anon, and please don't ever delete your work! <3

[elen-aranel]

In lieu of being able to go out with friends today I watched two Christmas movies (a Kindhearted Christmas was better than the Christmas Wedding planner which was weird), the last season of the Expanse and the first five episodes of Leverage (the original, not the new one — I’ve never seen it). Also 22/71 rows on a baby blanket

Even when I have nothing but time I still don’t feel like I have time, you know?

[firebird820]

I am trying

when ao3 is back up i want all of you to leave comments on the fics you were interrupted from reading, the fics you were looking to find, the fics you were thinking about re-reading, and the fics left open in your tabs for months now.

when ao3 is back up, i want you all to show some love to your favourite writers, favourite fics, or even just the 600 word one-shot that brought a smile to your face that tuesday three weeks ago.

when ao3 is back up i want you all to remember that comments and explicitly voiced appreciation are what keep writers going.

[thatbuddie]

people telling you they reread your fic is the biggest compliment you could ever receive. there are thousands of stories out there begging to be found, to be explored, but your story meant so much to someone that they came back to it eagerly, they went over every word again. to love is to return and loving a fic is rereading it. thank you to all readers and rereaders <3333

[majoringinsarcasm]

DONT BE AFRAID TO COMMENT ON OLD FICS DONT BE AFRAID TO COMMENT ON FICS IN A FANDOM THE AUTHOR MAY NO LONGER BE ACTIVE IN. IF THE STORY IS STILL UP LET THEM KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS IT MIGHT JUST BE THE REMINDER THAT MAKES THEIR DAY.

SINCERELY SOMEONE WHO JUST GOT A REPLY THAT MADE ME WANNA MAKE THIS POST

[pixiemage]

Please, for the love of god, please don’t be this person. No matter how long it’s been since an update, no matter how many unfinished stories are sitting on their account, no matter what - do not be this person.

Not only is it insanely rude, but you also do more damage than you think be being such a self-entitled ass about something someone created for free and for fun. “This author” can see what you say.

RIP decency indeed.

[barnabusthebarmyballetschool]

this is actually really helpful advice

Still obsessed with Arthur Conan Doyle’s letter to Bram Stoker gushing about how wonderful a book Dracula is, but particularly how it makes such a good template for leaving fic comments, so I’m gonna to a BREAKDOWN:

Just say you loved reading it - “I am sure that you will not think it an impertinence if I write to tell you how very much I have enjoyed reading Dracula.”

Comment on a detail of the craft or structure that impressed you - “It is really wonderful how with so much exciting interest over so long a book there is never an anticlimax.“

Comment on how it emotionally affected you - “It holds you from the very start and grows more and more engrossing until it is quite painfully vivid.”

SHARE YOUR BLORBO FEELINGS - “The old Professor is most excellent and so are the two girls.”

Show appreciation for them as an author - “I congratulate you with all my heart for having written so fine a book.”

Next time you don’t know what to say on a fic you enjoyed, just use the ACD method~

[mandos-mind-trick]

This also very much applies to fanfics. Some people need to take a step back and think before they make straight fools out of themselves.

[wanderingcas]

people are really looking at stats to determine if a fic is worth reading? no wonder fics that never got popular at the first drop never had a chance 💀

[tadfools]

You guys are commenting on the fics you read right? You’re at least leaving kudos on the Astarion smut and the pairs that have less than 20 fics for them too? You’re bookmarking stories you really like that are still being updated and ones that haven’t been touched in over a year right?

You know that even the smallest interactions are like cocaine to fic writers right? You understand how important a string of emoji hearts left behind on a chapter at three am is right?? Right????

You’re treating AO3 like a community and not a content factory….right?

[romansleftshoulderpad]

As a writer, I love going back through the comments I've gotten on AO3. I promise that the minute you take of your time has been appreciated for hours/months/years

[cincincinnanom]

Hi Tumblr fun fact I got proposed to bc of a fanfic a wrote

Fun times as a writer

[frownyalfred]

want your favorite author to update but don’t want to be too pushy in their comment section?

here’s 5 things you can do to encourage them:

Reblog their fic link on tumblr (bonus if it’s with tags)

Bookmark the fic with a note about what you’re excited about/love in the fic

Recommend the fic to your friends or local discord channel

Draw art or create other media for the fic (as indicated by the author’s comfort level)

Leave them a comment when re-reading about the parts of the chapter/story that stood out to you the second time

[freakrenaissance]

This is me. I do this all the time, so I'm glad it's not creepy 😅 always creeping out of the bushes to yell into the void about a 3 year old fic that rocked me 🤷🏾‍♀️ finding some GORGEOUS new Din gems rn.... hope people are ready 😆

I know sometimes it makes folks nervous, so…

I promise we love and appreciate you and your enthusiasm and it’s not weird or creepy at all 😭😭😭💕💕💕

[flonflonflon]

Some fanart of the Under the Red Hood animated movie version of Jason Todd :'))) ilu son you deserve the world

[writeouswriter]

People sorting ao3 solely by stats and only clicking on fics with a certain amount of kudos or comments, you will not survive the winter, nor the summer, nor at all, *brings out knife,* run