Me when somebody reblogs one of my posts without adding any tags to specify how they feel about it:

This is such a fascinating discussion. As a redear/fic reccer I have never ever imagined that authors treat kudos as  “This fic meets my minimum requirements for liking a thing. It’s not great, but it’s not that bad. I can give it a thumbs up, sure. Why not?” This thought is an eye opener and a little bit of a bummer, tbh. 

I personally give kudo when I liked/ loved the fic and want to support the author. Maybe I’m spoiled because my OTP has too many fics on AO3 and I can easily ignore fics that meet my minimum requirement? Also, as a reader, I see kudos as a bat-signal to other readers - come here, read this fic!  A good amount of kudos tells that this fic is appreciated by many readers. I’m not saying that a lot of into kudos = good fic (or even the fic I will like), that is not the case. Still, a lot of readers pay attention to the amount of kudos, not comments, when deciding to read a fic. So, for me it boils down to comments are personal and emotional (and then the discussion about how authors respond to comments is important)  and kudos is my thank you to the author + me giving boost to the fic to get more readers. 

I’ve read some discussions on anon meme about kudo vs comments practices.. And yes, some readers will leave kudo if they simply managed to finish the fic, others treat kudos as a thumbs up, good job! button only when they liked the fic. And some folks said that they leave kudos if the fic was adequate and comment if they really loved the fic, but they don’t give kudos when they comment (since kudo is impersonal). I wonder how writers feel about getting a lovely comment but not kudo from the same reader? 

Nearly every writer I know, myself included, has said to me at one or another that we ourselves kudos as a “this fic meets minimum standards.” Basically any fic I finish, I kudos. I now try to comment also, and if it’s a friend I comment as much as I can (often every chapter).

Honestly I’ve never once checked to see if someone who left a comment also left kudos. A comment is enough for me, even if that happened I don’t think I’d mind. (But it’s impossible to tell especially if the comment is anon, they might have left guest kudos…)

But basically: as a writer the original reply completely reflects how I feel about it. Kudos are awesome, I do love them, but it’s not the same…

Thanks for your additions, and for answering the person above.

Fandom: God there’s like NO content anymore. I wish we could get more art and fanfics :(((

Someone: Hey, I can’t draw anything digitally, because I can’t afford a tablet, but here’s a pen on paper drawing that I spent a lot of time and hard work on. Also, I took a shot at my first fanfic and I’d really like some feedback or at least some kudos if you enjoyed it :)

Fandom: Oh... yeah sorry no... not you. We actually meant writers that are already well known and popular to produce MORE content... I mean, if a popular blog shares your work then maybe. And we don’t really like pen to paper art. We just don’t think it’s professional or even looks good :/

This is why I try to reblog things that have little notes - the fandom NEEDS new people, or it dies, but the OLD people are there to support the new creators! New creators will leave and forget if the fandom doesn't welcome them, because they feel left out. We should remember that all great artists and writers, even the famous ones in big name fandoms, they all started from nothing.

If you don't want a fandom to die feed the sparks that come anew, don't blow on the old burnt ashes hoping they'll start again.

people always talk about leaving comments on ao3 like it's a nice thing to do, or the best way to encourage writers to keep writing, or overall like it's how you Do Your Part in fandom

and yeah, all those things are true, but having spent the past few months leaving enthusiastic comments on as many things as i can, i have a different perspective

you should leave comments on fics because it's fun

taking the time to stop and focus on what i like about a story has made me way more aware of what's going on in stories and what i like about them. there's bit more actual comprehension and appreciation and not just beaming content into my eyes to fill time

i like noticing cool little things in fics, or riffing on funny events. i've never been very good at speculating or picking apart characters, but sometimes something clicks and it rocks.

and of course it's pretty nice when you get a response and it's clear you've made another person happy

so yeah, you should leave comments for your own sake, too. it makes reading better!

not to be controversial bc I know this is like…not in line with shifting opinions on fanfic comment culture but if there’s a glaring typo in my work I will NOT be offended by pointing it out. if ao3 fucks up the formatting…I will also not be offended by having this pointed out…

‘looking forward to the next update’ and ‘I hope you update soon!’ are different vibes than a demand, and should be read in good faith because a reader is finding their way to tell you how much they love it. I will not be mad at this.

‘I don’t usually like this ship but this fic made me feel something’ is also incredibly high praise. I’m not going to get mad at this.

even ‘I love this fic but I’m curious about why you made [x] choice’ is just another way a reader is engaging in and putting thought into your work.

I just feel like a lot of authors take any comment that’s not perfectly articulated glowing praise in the exact manner they’re hoping to receive it in bad faith.

fic engagement has been dropping across the board over the last several years, and yes it’s frustrating but it isn’t as though I can’t see how it happens. comment anxiety can be a real thing. the last thing anyone wants to do is offend an author they love, and that means sometimes people default to silence.

idk where I’m going with this I guess aside from saying unless a comment is outright attacking me I’m never going to get mad at it, and I think a lot of authors should feel the same way. ESPECIALLY TYPOS PLZ GOD POINT OUT MY TYPOS.

I saw a comment by someone on reddit who said they no longer comment on any fanfiction because of the risk of it being AI and ... that just seems like such a cop out to me, not to mention incredibly cruel to authors.

Please please please do not stop commenting on all fics or interacting with authors because you are worried about things being AI. The risk is slim, and the damage you do to authors by doing this is awful.

Writers put so much effort into their fics. For people to openly admit they still read and consume these fics, but choose not to comment on anything because of the possibility of someone using AI for their writing is incredibly selfish. You're punishing authors by doing this. You're not being moral or helpful or crusading for any useful cause - you're just hurting authors.

Ironically, by doing this, you're actually more likely to cause authors to stop writing (silence does this), and people who can't write will fill the gaps left by creating AI writing - so you're making the problem worse, not helping anyone.

If you want to support authors and writers, then SUPPORT them! Reblog work and send authors asks, leave comments and kudos, and above all don't punish people with silence.

on the interpretation of comments

this post is also available on Dreamwidth

When a comment hits your inbox, it arrives without knowing your current frame of mind or stress level. It doesn't know whether you're having a crisis of confidence or the best day ever. The comment doesn't know your history, your insecurities, your preferences, or your personal stances on a wide range of issues. 

More importantly: neither does the person who left that comment. 

What prompts someone to leave a comment on a fanwork? Most of the time, it's some combination of

While there are certainly people out there who leave hateful or harassing comments, the overwhelming majority of commenters are trying their best to share joy and make someone's day a little better. 

So why is it so easy to take a comment that was written in an attempt to make someone happy and instead be annoyed, frustrated, hurt, or otherwise upset? 

As I said at the top, the commenter has no way of knowing what kind of day you're having or how you feel about the work they left their comment on. They don't know whether you feel guilt or pressure to post the next chapter. They don't know whether you're desperate to talk to someone about your characters and the story. If you do feel those things, though, it can be far too easy to read more into a comment than is actually there. A neutral statement becomes a demand. A question becomes a harsh critique. One wrong word can take a comment from a compliment to an insult. 

In those moments when you start to feel those things, I encourage you to pause and take a breath. Remember that most people who comment on fanworks are not trying to upset you. Look to see if there might be a different way to interpret what they've said. Perhaps the phrasing is awkward or the word choice is odd. Not everyone who leaves comments feels comfortable writing. Not everyone speaks the same language you do to the same level of proficiency. 

Look at your interpretation and see if you're actually projecting your insecurity. Is your anger at the comment actually a defense mechanism because something in the comment pushed an emotional button for you? Do you have guilt related to how slowly you're writing? Worry about how your ending will be received? Anxiety around receiving hate for the ship or the character that you're writing about? Fear that your writing isn't any good?

Maybe it's not your own insecurity at all. Perhaps you've just seen other writers who are upset at comments and taken their interpretation on as your own. Negativity is easy to pass on to those around you, and if you have a whole group of people saying, "This is obviously rude!" then you'll have blinders on to any other possible meaning.

It can be difficult to look at a comment that you interpret as mean and try to find a way to read it positively, and I don't blame anyone who doesn't want to put in that effort. I've just found that if I put myself in the other person's shoes and remember that most people are actually trying to be nice instead of mean, I can often find a way of reading something "rude" and realize that it's really not that bad at all.  

↑↑↑ this is really terrific advice! the last thing that [most] writers want is to scare away commenters, right? so when i browse the comments on fics i'm reading and i see someone say something that might be phrased a little awkwardly, only for the writer to make some harsh retort, i feel *so bad* for the commenter (even if they were misguided in their wording, which can always be addressed in a polite way!).

an interaction like this will then go one of three ways, generally: 1) the commenter will apologize in some manner; will maybe try to [apologetically] defend their reasoning; 2) the commenter will get offended and potentially make things worse by continuing the thread (oof); 3) the commenter will go silent. maybe forever (at least on that author's work, if not get comment-shy in general after a negative interaction with an author).

this has a trickle-down effect on the community at large. other readers might see the exchange and be put off by the drama, and might be wary of commenting since the author seems to have a short fuse. i've definitely experienced this, myself; i've read and left kudos on works but skipped commenting because the author wasn't someone i wanted to interact with after reading their reaction to a comment they didn't like. even if i would've left something comparably nice and benign, the author reads as "potentially volatile" in my mind, so i'll likely steer clear.

of course there's something to be said for maintaining your boundaries, etc., and i'm not suggesting that authors allow hurtful rudeness to go unchecked. but if something in a comment ticks you off, taking a breather before responding (*at least* a day imo) is a very good idea. perspectives can shift drastically over time, once emotions cool down and reason is allowed to prevail. i've had comments that felt slightly mean-spirited at first read, which i decided to ignore, only to return to them a day or so later and realized that my first interpretation was a bit muddled by my own insecurities. consider the fact that many readers are not native english speakers (if you're writing in english ofc), and that there are cultural, educational and especially *age* differences (developmental) to consider before making assumptions about a commenter's intentions. when in doubt: give them the benefit of the doubt!

lastly, please recognize that neurodivergence and mental illness is a thing. i often suspect that certain comments that authors have responded negatively to were written by people who fall somewhere on the more socially awkward end of the spectrum, which can be misread as rudeness. if you pause and ask yourself, "could this person be autistic? ...could they have a cluster B personality disorder?" you might experience more compassion and forgiveness than knee-jerk offense. and if you, yourself, are a neurodivergent / mentally ill author, all the more reason to pause + reassess your initial reactions and practice the kind of patient communication and willingness to understand that you'd want others to show to you.

at the end of the day, it's your story and you can control your experience to some extent (limiting/disabling comments, blocking folks, or policing your own commenters as you see fit). it would just behoove all of us if we try to recognize each other's humanity more.

Me when somebody reblogs one of my posts without adding any tags to specify how they feel about it:

I feel like this is an unpopular opinion, but more people should read incomplete/unfinished/in-progress fanfics.

I've noticed this huge trend where creators on tiktok and tumblr who will be explaining how to use Archive Of Our Own to new users and they always say "and make sure to scroll down and click completed only" or how people will go out of their way to mention they only read completed fics 'because they were traumatized when they forgot to check the dates and didn't realize this fic hadn't been updated since 2012'.

The thing is - I think by not engaging with and/or actively avoiding writer's WIPs readers are potentially adding to the aggregate of abandoned works. Now this obviously isn't the case for all abandoned fics, anything from major life events, to loss of interest, to getting busy can be a reason for a fic getting abandoned - but at least on some level I just know that writers are quitting while they're ahead when they aren't garnering any response or feedback because reading WIPs has become unpopular. If you're worried about reading something that hasn't been updated since 2012 then you can use the date updated function to sort out old fics.

Anyways, support your favorite fanfic writers by engaging with their WIPs.

Legit, getting a subscription on a fic I'd abandoned 10 years earlier spurred me into action to finish it (and write a sequel!)

creators see your reblogs. creators read the nice tags you type in when you love their work. creators beam when you ask to be added to the tag list, or tagged in their edits and writings. creators see your comments saying how beautiful their content is. creators smile when you send an ask telling them how much you like their work. creators appreciate interaction with their content and love you for it, really. so if you like something, reblog it, say how much you love it in the tags, reply to it with a nice message. you’ll make someone’s day.

ao3 is not instagram, and it’s not embarrassing to comment on a story that’s old. we understand that you just happened to come across it now; writing is magical in that you often come across the right story at just the time you need to read it.

also, authors will literally cry over their keyboard if you comment on the stuff they write.

Golden Rules for Fanfiction Readers:

(if any author wants to contradict one of those rules, please let me know!)

(Submitted by @randomishnickname)

there’s this rush and this pressure, sometimes, for huge, mind-blowing numbers on ao3. thousands of kudos and comments and ppl obsessing over ratios, but like - there’s something so incredibly wonderful about, idk, even ten kudos. ten? you mean ten people, TEN total strangers, found something I wrote and clicked on it and read it and liked it? ten comments: you mean ten people took the time to tell me what they thought about my work, took the time and energy to write about MY WORK in their little comment bubble? ten people?? fifty?? one hundred???

but even just one - if one single person took the time out of their day to tell me how much they appreciate the little bit of my soul I just put out into the world - idk, it just means everything, doesn’t it?

reader LIKED the fic? reader left thoughtful comment because they thought there was something worth analyzing? oh! oh! love for reader! love for reader for one thousand years!

Oh you give author comment?? You give author little kudos on their fic?? LOVE FOR READER!! LOVE FOR READER FOR ONE MILLION YEARS!!