you mentioned commenting on everything you read, and as someone who would like to start commenting more, do you have any tips? i feel like i never know what to write
oh hell yeah, big kudos to you friend for wanting to commit! here's some stuff that really helps me:
give yourself a rule! my rule personal rule is if i leave kudos on a fic, i have to comment as well. this took awhile to really work, because it felt like a lot of work at first, but now it works so well that even if i accidentally leave kudos on a fic that didn't particularly resonate,, i still leave a comment. maybe you can start small: leave a comment on all fics written by people you have on your dash/timeline/are subbed to, leave a comment on all fics you read during the day or before bed. start small, build a habit!
in the same vein: start small! don't give yourself a standard for comments! you do NOT have to comment with an essay, or even anything particularly impactful. literally just a leave a comment, any comment! i personally don't leave emoji comments because i have a formula (see below), but i do think it's SUPER cute to receive them because i get to respond with emojis and it's like you're dancing with someone across the room after making eye contact: 💃🪩✨
my own formula for low effort comments is: basic kind of compliment (this is lovely, this really resonated, this is beautiful, i really loved this) + thank you for sharing/writing (some other form of gratitude) or impact on me (so happy i found this, i'll be thinking about this)
you can then customize that (⬆️) formula with other things to make the comment longer! + something specific to the fic (i enjoyed the dynamics, a specific character, the way a scene was handled) + add one quote (or some, or many, mileage will vary)
a lot of times if i'm sleepy and on mobile my comments will literally just look like this : "wow this was so good! i loved the way you handled xyz, thank you so much for sharing this!!!!" and i leave comments like that a lot! am i self conscious about how repetitive i am? NO. i mean them! i don't comment on fics i don't like !! (see tip one)
as an aside, smut fic are sometimes harder to customize comment for depending on like length and theme, but some of the most deserving because explicit fic can get banger hit/kudo/bookmarks and then the comment ratio is absolute ASS so usually i make a point to be like this was sexy, hot, mindblowing + something extra complimentary like: fun/funny/really good dynamics. sometimes writers get a kick out of me saying a pwp is fun/funny, which i think is really cute.
just remember: start small to build the habit! don't pressure yourself to a certain standard! writers are always immensely grateful for comments that are complimentary! and the more you comment, the better you'll get at picking up on things to comment!
if you need a little motivator, there's a lovely a little fest happening right now @justleaveacommentfest -- great opportunity to practice and get into the habit!! but even if you don't decide to participate, i'm sending you lots of good luck with your comment goals!