#commenting help

by your friendly neighborhood fanfic writer, me

Comments are the ultimate validation, and I know it’s kinda hard to think of something to say that feels real and meaningful, so here’s a guide to writing a nice, true comment that will make a writer super happy! (As a writer, I can confirm that getting comments like this are amazing to read and respond to)

1: say exactly what about it you liked

Did you laugh at a particularly savage comeback? Was there a poetic metaphor or line that resonated? Is there a unique perspective that you hadn’t thought about before? Go back and find a moment you really, really enjoyed and tell them! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just mention a specific encounter or reaction or line and make sure to say what you liked about it.

2: what’s a detail in their writing that you noticed?

Do you love the way they developed the relationship? Was there a bit of foreshadowing that made you go AHA? Do you appreciate the characterization of someone? Is there an allusion to something else that made the story richer? It’s amazing when you put extra effort on a piece and someone notices it. If you see something, say something type shit. Analyze a little bit. Read into something. Go fucking wild!

3: emojis convey emotion very well

Just getting a comment full of emojis is nice, but they’re really better as the finishing touch on an in-depth comment. Add a heart (or four) or a smile or bubbles and flowers or diamond emojis to properly convey your whimsyness. Keysmashes are also good! Sometimes you’re just feeling a little aggjdhjannsippqkqkbclamapqkd which is a very relatable feeling. CAPS CONVEY LOTS OF FEELINGS.

4: DO NOT HATE

I’m serious. Don’t say they could have written a part better. Don’t start a ship war or ask why they wrote two characters together. You chose to read it and it’s not their fault if you’re a little bitch about it. People work hard on fics and they do it for free. Don’t be a fucking asshole. If they specifically say that constructive criticism and feedback are appreciated, then that’s alright, but again, that’s constructive, and make sure to put it in a compliment sandwich. No one wants to be told why this amazing thing they did is garbage and quite frankly you’re garbage for saying that (those who leave criticizing comments are trash but those who leave hate comments are worse than trash!)

Bonus: theorize!

Have you connected the dots? Have you connected shit? Have you struck gold or coal? It doesn’t matter! Tell the author your ideas for what’s gonna happen next no matter how wild it is. Crack a joke. Rant about a character and their choices. Ask who’s dying next (if you really want to know). Be a fucking simp. Be kind.

Here’s a few example comments plus some sentence starters for people struggling! Remember, it doesn’t matter if it sounds awkward. Just do it!

Example 1: Wow! I really loved the interaction at the coffee shop between Linda and Mary! It was super cute and really realistic. **Can’t wait to read more <33333333

**(try to avoid sentences like this unless the next chapter is already published cause it can be read as demanding updates which is a big nono. It’s really annoying and can make people less motivated)

Example 2: Woah the part where Lou mentioned the blue roses was really nice foreshadowing! It made their next run-in flow a lot smoother and added another bit of cuteness to the relationship. Adorable!!! 🥰 🩵💙💚🩶🤍💙🩵💚

Example 3: I can’t believe you killed off Kaiden that was so unexpected!!! It was so saaaaaaad but amazingly done, making me cry over here but in a really good way. Argdjsnndnsdnavfievsehjefeuwgueejwnsnsjbdiw 😭😭😭🩷❤️❤️❤️🧡🧡💛💛💖💖

Sentence starters/templates (completely fine to copy paste and fill in, i don’t need credit):

I really liked/appreciate/love/enjoyed/etc the way you did [the foreshadowing, the interaction, the description, etc]! It was so funny/engaging/well-put/adorable/etc and it made me feel [your emotion here] + [emoji of your choice]

This line, “copy and paste the quote then put quotation marks around it to show where it begins and ends,” was so poetic/deep/pretty/etc! It made me feel [emotion or convenient keysmash, all caps optional] and it’s stuck in my head/equally adoring metaphor! You did a good job/you’re a good writer/well done/other compliment here! Thanks for writing [emojis if you don’t already have some]

Alternate version: real-time reactions!

These are super fun to read as well as write. How you do it is as you’re reading, in a separate note/doc/writing place, copy and paste a line or paragraph that you had a visceral reaction to. It can look like this or any way you want it:

“You told me you were my best friend!” Ebony* yells, the glass in her hand exploding in a sudden burst of glittering shards.

“Well, I lied!” Harry screams back.

||** WHAT he’s a lying liar who lies this isn’t gonna end well the dRaMa

*(yes, as in Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way sue me okay i couldn’t resist)

**(a symbol or something to separate the reactions from the quotes is often helpful)

“And you’ll do best in…”

The Sorting Hat pauses as what feels like everyone in the school holds their breath.

The whispers are deafening in the silence.

It’s gotta be Slytherin, and who ever heard of a Malfoy as anything but a snake? and he better not be joining us!

“…HUFFLEPUFF!”

Draco nearly faints.

|| OHHHHH did NOT see that one coming what a curveball he’s not gonna have a fun time but I will watching him 😈😈😈 hufflepuff Draco forever!!!

So you all are incredibly generous with leaving comments on my fics, and I LOVE YOU FOR IT, but I know there are a lot of authors who would love to see more comments on what they write. And I’ve heard from a lot of people that commenting makes them super anxious or nervous, or they don’t know what to say, so they don’t do it. I don’t know if this is helpful, but I thought maybe a couple of full-in-the-blank sentence stems could help your social anxiety stay asleep while you encourage an author and make them feel nice.

I love comments that give me a sense of the person who is reading, and how they felt while they were reading. Don’t be afraid to show your personality when you comment! And, while long comments literally give me life, if you’re nervous about it, short comments are so lovely too.

Hope these help! (leave a comment, let me know!)

“I loved reading this! My favorite part was when ______ did/said _______.”

“I really liked reading how __[character]__ did/said/was __[quote, idea, personality trait, AU job]__ because I’ve never seen it before.”

“I’ve read a million stories where ______ happens, but the way you write it makes it feel so fresh and new. I didn’t know what was going to happen, and that was so exciting.”

“The whole time I was reading this, I felt __[giddy, happy, nervous, wanted to scream, wanted to hug a pillow]__.”

“I both love you and hate you for writing this.”

“Loved this chapter! My guess is that in the next chapter _____ will happen and I’m so excited to see if I’m right.”

“This is my __[2nd, 4th, 10th]__ time reading this. I came back to read it again because __[it makes me happy, it comforts me, I wanted to scream again]__.”

“My favorite line was ______. This whole thing was great, and I’m really looking forward to the next chapter!”

“After the last chapter, I thought you were going to go in __[direction, plot point]__, so I was really surprised in this chapter, but I really liked it. I’m so excited to see what happens next!”

“I’m sitting here at __[work, home, staring at my mom trying to keep my face blank]__ and you just made me __[laugh, cry, snort, fall over]__ and I don’t think it was subtle and I blame you.”

“I want to slap __[character]__ upside the head, because I want them to get their head out of their butt! GET IT TOGETHER, __[character]__, YOU GAY DISASTER.”

For fluff: “TAKE ME TO THE DENTIST I NEED SURGERY. I LOVED IT.”