How to talk to your favorite writers
Hello everyone! Iāve been seeing a lot of negativity to some of my favorite writers lately and I would like to take a moment to address this. I know itās the internet and people interact differently on tumblr, but some of yāall really have no manners and itās appalling.
Treat the writer like a regular human being.
Write a personal comment and address them by their name.
Say something that is unique about their skills.
Reread your message. Would you say that to them if you were speaking toĀ them face-to-face? No? Then donāt say it online either!
Just because writers share some of their personal lives online DOES NOT mean you get to be nosy and ask weirdly invasive questions.
Do not copy and paste the same message to a bunch of writers because they WILL see it and it WILL make them feel crummy that you didnāt actually take time to write something special.
Do not make comparisons to another writer.
āWow, you write this AU way better than [name of other writer]!āis not a compliment.
No need to badmouth others to uplift someone else.
Writers are trying to create their own stories, theyāre not interested in copying off of somebody.
This can be really discouraging because people like to write as a form of release, not as a competition.
Constructive criticism/unnecessary bashing
If you donāt know the writer personally, do not give them constructive criticism.
āI couldnāt relate to the storyā isnāt constructive criticism. Why do you assume you need the right background experience to enjoy a story? We arenāt Marvel superheroes with six-packs, yet everyone loves watching the Avengers movies. "I canāt relateā probably just means youāre small-minded and unable to empathize with others. Sorry, itās a you problem.
Are youĀ really being constructive or are you just shitting on their effort?
Lastly, it takes ZERO effort to exit the page if you donāt like something. Bam, youāre done. No more wasted energy on that story. GO ON WITH YOUR LIFE!!
Stop asking about updates and pretending youāre not.
Youāre not fooling ANYBODY when you say, āI loved the last chapter. Whenās the next one coming out?ā
Writers explicitly include āDo not ask me about updatesā on their pages for a reason and, here you are, asking for an update.
Also, this isnāt even a compliment. You didnāt even say what you liked about it. That doesnāt provide the writer any motivation to keep going.
Imagine youāve just completed a big assignment and youāre feeling so good about yourself. Your boss bursts your bubble by asking, āOk, so when are you finishing the next one?ā It is utterly demoralizing and makes you feel like youāve made no progress at all!
At the end of the day, writers spend a lot of time and energy crafting these beautiful stories FOR FREE. Please show them a little more kindness and patience.
andulkaphoto
kianamaiart
germansingergirl
janainaart
origamiaround
