Recently I joined a discord server and many people there told me they love my fics since then! And I’m overjoyed because I usually don’t get many comments, but I can’t help but feel bitter for that exact same reason. Had I not joined that server (which requires socialising and that often exhausts me), I would have never known there are more people than I thought enjoying my writing. I’m trying to focus only on the positive, but man, is it really that hard to say ‘I liked it’?

salt-of-the-ao3:

sunalsolove:

I’ve had some super weird experiences with this topic where it seems people just think you know that they read your fics. I’m unfortunately not a mind reader, so I don’t, lol.

Maybe it’s one of those things where the reader feels like they know you because the read your stories and author’s notes, and they’re engaged with your writing, but have sort of forgotten that’s not a two way street with out kudos or comments!

So don’t assume a writer knows you’re there for every update. Let them know you care! It’s an excellent way to get even more stories from you favorite authors😀

I totally get that fear! But seriously:

The main goal of comments is to let authors know you exist.

And they’ll be delighted to know you exist – you, an actual flesh and blood person is out there reading their work (and enjoying it enough to wave and make you aware of their existence). Each and every single comment is still a proof that this story matters enough to people to take a few seconds to type something!

So really, just posting a heart emoji, a “thanks!”, a “this is great”, a GIF…this makes the little writer’s heart beat faster. You don’t need to overthink it or put pressure on yourself – and i know that social anxiety can make all of this very difficult, but really, it’s really hard to do something wrong in that regard, if you’re not being a dick. And, to quote the “Golden Rules for Fanfiction Readers” post:

salt-of-the-ao3:

Yeah, i know that feeling – one time I chatted with a reader and asked their opinion on one of my fics (which has no comments) – only for them to tell me it was their utter favorite. Which is grand, but i would never have known that had I not asked.

Sometimes i have the feeling some readers really don’t grasp that the authors have no way of knowing they liked the fic if they don’t give feedback, as if the authors can thelepatically grasp their enjoyment.

I guess we as a society are just…not that used (yet) to giving feedback to content producers. There’s some change there in recent years, more possibilities of interaction between audience and creators via social media and the like. But the “passive” consumer role is still dominant.

“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!”

Here are some posts with tips on how to comment:

http://salt-of-the-ao3.tumblr.com/post/173007478471/how-to-comment-on-fanfictions

http://salt-of-the-ao3.tumblr.com/post/170244624799/ao3commentoftheday-the-types-of-comments-you

http://salt-of-the-ao3.tumblr.com/post/168829873211/wallmakerrelict-i-love-giving-and-receiving-fic

Again, i really don’t want to pressure anyone out there, to make you feel like you have a “moral obligation” to comment or whatsnot. You don’t, and you’re completely valid if you don’t comment. Really.

I just want to make y’all aware that your feedback, however vain it may seem to you, can mean so, so much to an author. Readers have that power. And you know the thing they say about great power 😉

Also, y’all, please feel free to comment in your own language. I will happily copy and paste it into google translate or find someone who speaks your language and get, if not the nuance of your comment, the general gist and be happy to get it no different than if it were written in English!