#commenting is hard

[underwaterninja13]

How do y'all respond to comments? like, i know i need to, and I want to, because authors replying to my comments makes my entire fucking day. But how???

[dei2dei]

Leaving Comments: Some Ideas

I suck a leaving them! I want to leave more! What do I doooo!?!

A lot of us have this struggle. Leaving comments is as hard—maybe sometimes harder!—than writing a story. You might not know how to word the feels the fic made you have, or be able to identify craft components, or “leave something worthwhile” if you think the story was fantastic. Hint: any comment is worthwhile, even if it’s a heart emoji! ❤️

If you’re struggling, here are ideas for things to comment on. I’ve tried to keep all of this fandom-blind friendly, especially since I know one source of stress is leaving comments for comment/review exchanges. 

Are character voices distinct? If you’re not fandom blind, can you identify character voices that are preserved from canon? What about them really says “this is CHARACTER”?

I love your voice for A! It’s a really distinct voice and vocabulary compared to B.  / You have a great handle on C’s voice, and it’s like I’m reading a page straight out of the manga. 

Can you identify motivations? Do you get invested in the characters? Are you interested in seeing what they do next? 

It’s easy to see why X throws himself so completely into this and is trying to hunt down the person who stole his ice cream cone. He seems really hot-tempered so I can’t wait to find out how he interacts with the thief!

How is the language - is it lyrical and flowery, is it succinct and terse? Does that help the story at all? 

Your language is just like reading a fairytale, and that makes the story really immersive. Since you’re writing about fairies and the Fae realm, this is PERFECT.

Is there conflict of some kind (big or small) that interests you? 

I have no idea why A & B hate each other so much but I can’t wait to find out!

What do you think of the climax/resolution? Is the end satisfying? Do you want more?

What kind of POV did they use, and how did it help you get into the story? 

Was the pacing great? Were you breathless and just had to keep clicking to find out what happened next? Was it so slow you were totally immersed in the world and sad when you were finished?

Is the writer great with banter? With sensory details? Are their fight sequences amazeballs? Are the setting descriptions out of this world? TELL THEM THAT!

Make guesses about what happens next! 

Call out lines you liked and what they signify or imply to you. Or if they straight-up made you laugh or cry or have other emotional reactions!

Did the author use any new words you’re going to add to your writing/vocabulary?

Was there worldbuilding you loved, or any tiny little details or phrases that you appreciated?

Did you keep reading through (just one more chapter!), did you skip work/stay up late/miss a class to keep reading? The author will keep your secret. ;) 

Keyboard smashes and emojis are valid comments!

If this is an author whose work you read regularly and enjoy (even if you’re a first time commenter), you can tell them that. 

I’ve read everything in ABC series but I’ve been too nervous to comment before. I really enjoyed this story, thank you for writing and sharing it!

You never have to justify the quantity or quality of your comments to anyone*. You can leave as succinct a comment as a heart or smiley face, or as long and in-depth as you’d like. Sometimes all I have the headspace for is a “this was great, count this as a chapter kudos” comment, and the authors I have left that for have been appreciative!

*unless you’re doing an exchange where you need a minimum wordcount, but hopefully these ideas will help you get there!

You don’t have to feel bad about leaving multiple comments in a row or on an old work. There are authors who are over the moon (like me!) when someone does a deep dive and comments on an old piece, or who binges a series, or leaves comments on every chapter. We love you. Sometimes one comment on an unfinished piece can be the impetus for an author to write more.

For more resources…

The Long Live Feedback Project has a comment builder! You can copy the spreadsheet and use drop-downs to pick choices of varying complexity depending on your spoon level, and then paste it all into the comment box at the end! https://longlivefeedback.tumblr.com/commentbuilder 

For AO3 users, there are a few userscripts out there for floating review boxes which allow you to highlight pieces of the story and comment as you go.

Floating comment box for AO3

Adds shortcuts for last chapter and a floaty review box, sorts bookmarks by kudos (slow) and allows filter by complete only, download link t

https://ravenel.tumblr.com/post/156555172141/i-saw-this-post-by-astropixie-about-how-itd-be [this link includes a how-to for FFN!]

[miraclesnail]

Some people: *many paragraphs full of reasons explained eloquently as to why they like this fic/chapter*

Me: i love this part. I don’t know why and can’t really explain it but I love it! Great chapter!

[twocandles]

oh god, finally answered all the comments here

now no one send me messages ever again DX /shitpost

[crisisoninfintefandoms]

As a writer I am desperate for comments, but as a reader I know how hard it can be to express yourself, sometimes especially if a fic is just so good that you can’t even begin to know how talk about it.  There’s been a lot of “formatted” comment posts going around, which I think are super helpful and I’ve totally used them, but sometimes they just don’t seem quite enough?  

So, I’m thinking that in the future I might respond to the Overwhelming Perfection of certain fics by stealing from the Bard himself.  In this case, from the Bard parodying over-dramaticly bad writing in the Mechanical’s play at the end of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Ahem:

“Thus I die. Thus, thus, thus.

Now I am dead,

Now I am fled,

My soul is in the sky.

Tongue, lose thy light.

Moon take thy flight.

Now die, 

die, 

die, 

die.”

Cause, honestly?  That is how feel after reading some fics.  So, I may start just pasting this in whenever I don’t know what else to say, and I hope the authors don’t mind and kinda get what I’m going for.  I’d be totally fine with someone leaving this on one of my fics, so hopefully they’d feel the same.  

Also, If anyone else wants to do this too, feel free.  Maybe we can make “Now I am ded, Now I am fled” some sort of code phrase, idk.   

Anyway, just a random thought I had.  Hell, maybe there’s other literature/poetry we can nab in place of thinking up words ourselves.   

[pocketseizure]

Zelda Meme Day 27

Fanwork (Art, Fic, Videos, Etc.) You've Done

I've written fic. I post it as Rynling on AO3 and tag it as My Fic on Tumblr.

I've drawn a bit of crappy fan art, which I tag as LOL ART on Tumblr. The piece I'm most fond of is a silly drawing I made in MS Paint poking fun at Wind Waker Ganondorf sighing over the way he dressed during his misspent youth in Ocarina of Time.

I've written a few essays, which I generally tag as Zelda Meta. Some of these essays are better than others, but it doesn't matter, because I really love geeking out about Zelda games.

I'm a very small person in a very large fandom, and sometimes I get discouraged. Although it can be difficult to move through fandom while carrying this anxiety, I've met some cool people and had some amazing conversations, and mostly I'm just here to have fun. I always feel a bit awkward commenting on other people's stories and theories and artwork, but what I'd like to try to do from here on out is to give people more encouragement and support while I take a rest from my own projects.

( link to all the meme questions )

[citrusapples]

I always feel slightly awkward when I use the word 'fantastic' as a compliment on Doctor Who stuff. Slightly less with 'brilliant' but still a bit. I need to find more synonyms.