Appreciation without Anxiety: Commenting 101

dictacontrion:

This time last year I was just starting to peek out from lurkerdom. There was a little bit of time cause of holiday breaks and I’d read so much amazing stuff at last year’s erised, but I was so nervous to start commenting. A year later it’s way easier and I figure there are some other people out there in the same boat I was in. So, from a fanfic writer and frequent commenter, some thoughts about how to start commenting with minimal fear

1. Before we even get into this, do writers really care about comments? OMG, we care so much. Writing is hard and you don’t know if anyone is going to like what you’re writing. Finding out that you did something right, that you don’t suck, means everything. Really. There have been moments where I’m stuck on a story and get a comment on an old fic and it’s so encouraging and energizing. Your words mean more to us than I can even really describe.

2. But why would they care about my comment? You – yes, you, exactly, precisely you – you, the reader, are who we’re writing for. If you’re reading our stuff, we care. It doesn’t matter if other people have commented. You, as a reader, as you, come to the story with feelings and perspectives that no one else can bring to it. Just by having read our stories, you have something worthwhile and important to say about them, and we truly want to hear you.

3. What the hell do I say? First and most important: anything nice you say will be the right thing. Short of telling us that we suck and our stories are awful, you really can’t go wrong.

4. No, but actually, what do I say? Here are some things you can say. You can use one or two or all of them. You can mix or match. But these are some good tangible ways to start.

• You can keep it simple – Great story!“ “Loved it!” Taking the time to share a few short words still means loads to us.
• Say how the story made you feel – “This brought a smile to my face!” “I got all choked up!” “I needed a cold shower!” “I couldn’t stop laughing!” Anything like that is fantastic.
• Tell us what it was like to read the story – “I was on the edge of my seat,” “That was a great twist,” “this stayed on my mind all afternoon,” “I could see this world so clearly,” “I totally lost track of time.” Writers can never know what it’s like to read our own work – telling us what it was like for you is a huge gift. 
• Mention moments you liked – “[Favorite Line Here] – wow, what a great line!” “I loved when X just threw Y up against a wall and kissed him!” You don’t have to explain it. Saying what stood out is helpful and exciting and can be an especially easy way to comment – copy, paste, “loved this line!” and go.
• Talk about aspects of the storytelling that stood out to you – Plot development, pacing, dialogue, characterization, the conclusion, chemistry between the characters, secondary characters, how the story related to canon, cool headcanons that were included. I think this can be the hardest type of commenting because some of this stuff is hard to articulate, so maybe this is more like Commenting 102, but if you’re trying to figure out what you liked or want to be more specific in your comment, anything from that list would be a great place to start.

4. But what if I embarrass myself? What if there’s a typo or I comment on the wrong story or just end up flailing incoherently? I think most of us kind of love it when readers are left in a state of incoherent flailing? So don’t sweat that. If you’re worried about commenting on the wrong story, double check that you’re on the right page, then proceed. And if you do comment on the wrong story, delete it. No harm, no foul – really. We’ve all clicked on a wrong tab sometime. If there’s a typo, don’t sweat it. There’s probably a typo in the story. There’s probably a typo in this post. I’ve misspelled “typo” a couple times already. NBD. You left a comment – you are already a winner.

4a. No, really, I’m not sure you get how nervous this makes me. Totally possible. I’ll mention one other thing that helped me (and I was really super nervous): starting with anon fests. The anonymity made it way easier. Maybe I was commenting to one of my all-time faves who would normally leave me totally incoherent, but maybe I was commenting to another n00b just like me. Anon fests are a great way to give it a shot.

5. But what if English isn’t my first language and I accidentally say the wrong thing? First, if you’re reading and commenting in a language that’s not your first language, props. You’re awesome. That’s awesome. Second, it’s the general sentiment that matters. I’ve gotten comments where the grammar or conjugation is a little off and, really and truly, I am so excited to get the comment that that’s what matters. And knowing English isn’t your first language and you still went to all the effort of reading my story is an unbelievable gift. I will be flattered and amazed by you.

6. But I don’t have a username, what should I do? There are two great things about non-anon comments: (1) we can thank you, (2) It’s super extra exciting to realize someone liked one of your things enough to read another one of your things. So I generally am in favor of having them, and they’re free and whatnot, but that’s an opinion. If you don’t have one and don’t want one and still want to comment, unless a comm has disallowed anon comments (which if it’s done is usually to prevent trolling), go on and comment anonymously. Your words still mean a lot, and we still want to hear them!

7. What if I didn’t like the story? Just don’t comment. Easy.

8. What if I really liked the story but I’m kind of embarrassed that I liked the story? Yeah…been there. The story’s great, but it’s got a kink you never knew you liked and whoa why do you like it so much? Or it’s kind of cracky, or it doesn’t align with your politics or whatever – it happens. And you’re never required to comment. You could also sit on it for a while and come back later if you decide you want to comment or you could comment anonymously. One thing to think about: if commenting feels like putting yourself out there, imagine how it might have felt for the author to hit “post.” Being honest about what you like is a way to end up with more of it, and to show support for authors who are willing to take those risks.

9. If I start commenting, do I have to comment on every story? Nah. It’s lovely if you do, but comments are not a requirement. It’s not like entering into a new world of homework. Comment on what you like, on what moves you or excites you, on things you enjoy. There’s also, at least on AO3, the kudos option, which is still a nice way to give a writer a general thumbs up

10. That’s all nice or whatever, but why should I spend my time commenting? Aren’t the stories just there for me to read? Well…kind of. The stories are there for you to read whether or not you leave a comment after you read them. But fandom is a community, and fanfic is a labor of love. Reader feedback is really the only thing we have to go on. The most popular on A03 in the whole of my favorite ship has gotten kudos 7% of the time and comments .001% of the time. Repeat: comments .001% of the time. And it’s a little hard to know, as a writer, what’s going on there. If a story of mine has been viewed 7500 times and has 320 kudos and 13 comments, does that mean that 7180 people really didn’t like it very much? Are people clicking on it, reading the first paragraph, and deciding it’s so bad they have to back-button immediately? I don’t think that’s the case, but without reader feedback, all we know is that you clicked on something. Without knowing that you liked things, or why you liked things, or what things you liked…it just gets hard. Harder to feel like the writing is doing what (for a lot of us, anyway) it’s meant to do: tell stories that move you, that help you stay in these amazing worlds, that give you (and us!) a way to revisit favorite characters and ideas. Harder to be motivated to write. And then ships and fandoms start shrinking, and no one wants that, right? So, yes, the stories that are already there will be probably there whether or not you comment. But commenting is a way to keep a fandom healthy and thriving. It’s a way to meet people (if that’s a thing you want to do), to encourage writers, and to end up with more fanworks to enjoy. Your comments are the wind in your favorite ship’s sails, basically. And that makes commenting one of the absolute best ways to show your fandom love.

11. Okay. This makes sense. I’m ready. How do I start? The next time you read something, click “leave a comment.” Write some words there. You can use some of the examples above if it helps. Let yourself be nervous if you’re nervous. Try an anon fest if that makes it easier. If you want to try it with someone who is thick-skinned and non-judgy and hard to offend, you can try it with mine (potentially self-serving, I realize, but you already know I’m down for comments and chill about them). And then hit “submit.” And you will have made somebody’s day.