It saddens me to have to do this, but it seems like lately, an unsettling percentage of comments I receive is more upsetting than encouraging, and many of my writer friends are experiencing something similar.
If you have been linked to this post, it probably means you did one of these things, and the person who linked you here wants you to read this.
Three types of comments that writers HATE:
3. BITCHING ABOUT STYLE CHOICES. Responding to any character with “I don’t like that you didn’t make them <insert other sexuality here>” will make the writer upset. Do not tell me you are disappointed that my asexual characters are not interested in sex or that there will be no romance for my aromantic characters. Ace and aro people exist, and they have had enough erasure over the years. Same thing goes for bi characters, pan characters, trans characters, or even straight characters.
For that matter, that goes for characters with disabilities or mental health issues, too. And for gender-, race-, or culture-switched characters. And for threesomes that don’t end in the third character getting dumped and your OTP getting together. These are deliberate stylistic choices that the author made for a reason. It’s not constructive criticism to comment on these, it’s just whining because the fic is different from how you would have written it.
Of course, if the author made a mistake and represented a sexuality/disability/other characteristic poorly, AND you have experience with that characteristic, you might be doing them a favor by pointing it out. Gently. Berating someone never helps.
Also, I have seen writers receive comments that ignore the pairings in the story entirely and instead focus on the commenter’s OTP, even if that OTP does not interact in the story at all. For the love of God, do not do this. I can’t believe I even need to say that.
2. TOP VS. BOTTOM. Any kind of comment criticizing the writer’s choice of who tops or who bottoms is gross. This is particularly prevalent in KPop, which, since it is a real person fandom, makes it particularly gross. The assumption that a person can ONLY top or ONLY bottom because of how they look or act is harmful and wrong. The assumption that you can discern someone’s sexual preferences by watching them perform on a stage is harmful and wrong. You do not know these people in real life, so stop acting like it.
This is different from “I don’t generally like to write/read X person topping/bottoming because of personal preference.” Your personal preference is one thing. Berating or guilting an author because their story does not line up with your personal preference is a completely different thing. Acting like your personal preference is The Law Of The Land and not even recognizing that it is, in fact, your opinion, is ridiculous.
1. “MOAR PLZ!!” This can also manifest as “we want a sequel!” or “is this finished? Awww :( ” or “you know, there’s plenty of material here to make this oneshot into a chaptered fic!” or “when will you be updating this?”, especially when a fic is either a) several years old and clearly abandoned or b) clearly marked complete.
DO. NOT. DO. THIS. It’s demanding, entitled, and it makes the writer feel like shit. Writing is HARD WORK and while you might think a comment like this is complimentary, the writer reads this as your hard work isn’t good enough. Fanfiction is a hobby of which you reap the rewards for free. Writers are not your typing monkeys.
Instead of the above, try this!
Three types of comments that writers LOVE:
3. KEYBOARD SMASH. Written flailing, extended emoticons, and genuine enthusiasm will always make a writer smile. It doesn’t even need to be long, but a comment with genuine praise, even incoherent praise, will mean more than a kudo or an upvote or a pageview.
2. WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT. If something stood out to you, tell the author! What was your favorite line? Your favorite moment?
Even better is “I don’t normally read this pairing/kink/setting/genre BUT I really enjoyed this one BECAUSE <insert reasons>.”
1. BOOK REPORTS. My favorite, favorite, FAVORITE comments are the long, complicated, overanalytical, super in-depth ones. This type of comment is not for everyone, and of course you are not required to write a critical thesis, but if you really loved a fic, there’s no better way to show it. You might think you are annoying or freaking out the writer, but trust me, you are making their day.
90% of commenters are wonderful, and 90% of comments are encouraging and helpful to the writer, but it only takes one bad comment to ruin a writer’s day. Please take this as your gentle reminder to treat writers, and their works, with respect.