Commenting - Tumblr Posts

In the spirit of encouraging people to comment on fanfics while also making it easier to do so, I feel obliged to share a browser extension for ao3 that has quite literally revolutionized the comment game for me.

I present to you: the floating ao3 comment box!

From what I've seen, a big problem for many people is that once you reach the comments at the bottom of a fic, your memory of it miraculously disappears. Anything you wanted to say is stuck ten paragraphs ago, and you barely remember what you thought while reading. This fixes that!

I'll give a little explanation on the features and how it works, but if you want to skip all that, here's the link.

The extension is visible as a small blue box in the upper left corner.

(Side note: The green colouring is not from the extension, that's me.)

If you click on it, you open a comment box window at the bottom of your screen but not at the bottom of the fic. I opened my own fic for demonstrative purposes.

The website also gives explanations on how exactly it functions, but I'll summarize regardless.

insert selection -> if you highlight a sentence in the fic it will be added in italics to the comment box

add to comment box -> once you're done writing your comment, you click this button and the entire thing will automatically copied to the ao3 comment box

delete -> self explanatory

on mulitchapter fics, you will be given the option to either add the comment to just the current chapter or the entire fic

The best part? You can simply close the window the same way you opened it and your progress will automatically be saved. So you can open it, comment on a paragraph, and then close it and keep reading without having the box in your face.

Comments are what keep writers going, and as both a writer and a reader, I think it's such an easy way of showing support and enthusiasm.

I keep seeing posts and comments about how "it's so hard to leave comments on a fic" because either readers don't know what to say, or it's just too much emotional/mental work to come up with something.

So! Here's a quick cheat sheet. Feel free to copy+paste these to make commenting and supporting/encouraging fic authors easy and painless! (also, consider: you can leave as a comment any of the keysmashing you'd do in tumblr tags. Go nuts.)

Most of these can also be used on videos, art, and anywhere else you might leave feedback on a creative project.

Tier 1: Easy

<3

Love it!

thanks for the chapter

!!!!!

great chapter!

OH MY GOSH

oooooooh...

O.O

:D

Tier 2: Simple

I loved this chapter! Thanks for the update

I am up past my bedtime reading this.

I'm reading this at work/on the train/in class/at a party and I'm loving it

So good! Can't wait for the next chapter!

Was so excited to get the notification for this!

I love your writing

I enjoy/enjoyed this fic so much.

I'm sending this to a friend!

Biting this. Eating it. Devouring, even.

Awwww! Them.

Tier 3: Requires Input

I loved when [character] [did thing]

I loved the part when [thing happened]

[literally just copy+pasting a line you like and adding !!!!!!!!! to it]

My favorite part was [the part with the thing]

I love how you write [descriptions/dialog/specific person/etc]

Oh no, [character name]!!

Tier 4: Prompts

Point out a line you liked and what it made you think/how it made you react

Ask a question like, "Is Hardened Detective Man's mother still alive in this AU?" or "Does Brave Space Princess know about the [macguffin mentioned in chapter 2]?" or "Who's your favorite character to write in this fic?"

ask a rhetorical question of the characters, like: "Lovable High School Character! Do you have any idea what you're doing???" or "Dinosaur Researcher, are you aware there's a whole series of movies about why this is a bad idea?" or "Dark Vigilante Father Figure, do you even see what your adoptive acrobat son is trying to tell you?"

Address a statement to the characters (similar to above)

Tell the author how you found their fic

Tell them you're subscribed and you get excited whenever they upload

Comment that you can't wait to see how [story element] works out.

Commenting is the best way you can encourage a fic writer and inspire new content. And comments aren't book reviews (or at least, they don't have to be. We do love those though lol) -- they don't have to be long and complex. Keysmashes and emojis and one-sentence reactions are MORE than awesome!

If you don't have the energy or time to comment (and remember, even a !!!!!!!! is a great comment), at LEAST leave a kudos and consider saving a link to the fic to come back and comment later.

Now go forth! Support writers! Be a part of a healthy fandom ecosystem!

101 Comment Starters

I began working on this last summer. Like many veteran fanfiction authors, I lament the decline in commenting that I’ve seen in my fandom, the Tolkien fandom. I’m also a humanities teacher, so I spend a good part of my day teaching young people how to write, and one lesson I’ve learned the hard way is that each type of writing involves unique skills that have to be learned. And commenting is a unique form of writing and one that comes with added stresses around social expectations and public performance. My research on the Tolkien fanfic community confirms this: Many people want to comment, but they simply don’t know what to say.

As a teacher of writing, I often use  sentence starters or mentor sentences. The writer uses these to jumpstart their thinking and writing, until they become comfortable enough to begin working independently. “101 Comment Starters” is built around this research-based strategy of teaching writing.

Some of the comment starters are simple enough that they can be merely copied and pasted. Others require filling in some blanks or providing some elaboration. In some cases, a because can be dropped if the reader isn’t comfortable providing that level of elaboration yet. In other cases, a more experienced commenter can add the because and elaborate more on their comment.

They also differ in their level of praise. They range from simple statements of how the author made the reader feel to compliments around an aspect of the author’s writing or their work in general. I’ve tried to limit words like really, very, and so as much as possible, except when it made the comment feel wooden. You’re welcome, of course, to add those words in if you feel they more accurately help capture how a story impacted you.

If you’re just starting to comment, please keep in mind that the vast majority of authors will love to hear from you! They don’t care how long or elaborate your comment is. They don’t care if your English is perfect or if you’re a little awkward. They just want to know that you’re reading and enjoying their work.

Finally, please feel free to reblog and share and add your own comment starters!

101 Comment Starters

Keep reading

Just FYI if your first/primary language isn’t English and you A. read one of my stories and then B. put forth the effort to leave a comment, in English, to tell me that you liked it, please NEVER apologize for your grammar or w/e, the fact that you slogged through an English-language story and then COMMENTED on it in the same language is A++++++ and I adore you, I’m honestly incredibly touched and it makes my day every time, OK THANK YOU BYE

AO3 Commenting Ettiquette, A Guide:

I've seen a steep rise in the phenomenon of AO3 readers leaving comments that, frankly, read as demanding and entitled and leave authors with no desire to write more fic, if that's the reception they're going to get.

To paraphrase Hanlon's Razor, I try never to attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by incompetency, and therefore assume that these commenters are coming from a genuine place of enjoyment which they simply don't know how to communicate well.

Consequently, I intend to dissect an example of such a comment, and then provide an example formula of what to say instead.

[Image ID: A screenshot of an AO3 comment. The comment text reads: "Oh my God finally please post as soon as possible I can't wait to see Bruce reaction [four pink heart emoji] please please please update as soon as possible [four pleading face emoji] /end screenshot ID]

So what's wrong with this comment? The commenter said "please," after all... Three times, even! Surely that must be polite enough!

Let's dig in:

"Oh my God finally" - the use of the word "finally" carries the implication that the commenter has been waiting a long time for an update, and they feel entitled to this, and all subsequent updates. Even if a fic hasn't been updated for years, authors don't owe you updates. Period.

"please post as soon as possible... please please please update as soon as possible" - as previously established, the author doesn't owe you an update. This comment was posted 10 hours after the previous update - not even a single day had gone by! Authors are people, with jobs and lives and schedules of their own. Some authors have regularly scheduled updates, and keep readers apprised of such via author's notes or posts on their blogs, and some post updates when they can, as the inspiration strikes and schedules allow. In all cases, updating is a choice an author makes, not something they owe you by default, and certainly not a trick to be performed on command.

Everything in the comment is about the commenter - "I can't wait to see Bruce reaction" is the only mention of any of the chapter's contents. At no point in this comment did the commenter express gratitude to the author for posting the chapter, respect for their time, skill, energy, creativity, effort, etc., or even mention what they liked about it. Instead, the only thing the commenter talked about is what they want to see in future chapters, which yet again carries that same sense of entitlement of "this is the story I want to see, write it for me!"

So how do we do better?

Express gratitude to authors and artists for their work. Something as simple as "Thank you for this latest chapter!" goes a long way to making an author feel appreciated. Note that I use the word "chapter" and not "update" - using the word "chapter" shows that the reader understands that this is a labour of love, and the author is making a choice to share it voluntarily. Conversely, using the word "update" gives the sense that this is Content Creation™️, something the author is doing as A Task, a chore, or a job, something that they implicitly Owe Someone.

Mention what you liked, in detail if you can, or more generally if you can't. It can be as simple as "I really liked this chapter!" or as detailed as "I really liked when [character] did [thing], it felt so in-character, as if it was a deleted scene from the original [movie/book/etc.]." The important part is showing the author that their work is appreciated, that people are reading it and resonating with it. The body of the comment should be centered around the author, not the commenter.

Express your excitement for future chapters/artworks/etc. As mentioned previously, avoid words that make it sound like you feel the author owes readers more writing, and try to stick more to expressing your feelings of excitement. If you want to add speculation of what might come next, be careful not to come off as demanding that the author write it Exactly That Way - they are the author, not you, and if you want the fic to go in a specific direction, there's nothing stopping you from writing your own fic!

Avoid emoji-only comments. These make many authors feel like you're only commenting out of a sense of obligation, like "if there's enough comments we can get a new update." You can use emoji in comments, but try to also include some verbal expression of gratitude, and maybe even details of what you liked.

Here's a possible formula for how to write a non-demanding comment that doesn't come off as entitled, and some examples:

[Expression of gratitude to the author] + [Details of the story which you enjoyed] + [Expression of anticipation for where the story is going]

Your comment could be simple: "Thank you! I liked this chapter a lot. I'm excited to keep reading♡"

Or more detailed: "Thank you for sharing this newest chapter! I really liked the way you show Alice going through the stages of grief, it felt really genuine and real and heartbreaking. I can't wait to see what happens with Alice, Bob and Carol after this!"

The important part is that you aren’t making the author feel like you think they owe you something, because that's a surefire way to make them stop writing.

If you've read all the way here, thank you for your patience and willingness to listen, and I hope we can all help make AO3 comments a better experience for authors and readers alike!♡

Thanks soo much for the advice. This is one of the things that I struggle with so much with commenting as a reader. I am a terrible writer, but unfortunately cannot read something without noticing little errors as I read - I even do it with published books as well.  I took your advice and have left a comment on the fic with all the things I loved about it, and found the author on Tumblr to let her know how much I liked it and to see if she was looking for a beta. 

So I need some advice. I recently made a New Years resolution to make an effort to comment more when I read things I like. The fic I am reading at the moment flows quite well, but there are some really obvious errors with missing words/names, and the grammar and overall sentence structure could do with some work simply to make reading easier. I love the fic but am not sure how to convey just how much while also giving constructive feedback. Thoughts??

This is really tricky territory and it’s really not easy to answer without knowing the author personally. 

Some writers would love to have missing words, grammar errors, and typos pointed out to them, and they’d appreciate hearing about it.  You might even get a shout out in an author’s note.

Other writers would internally cringe, externally thank you, and then crawl into a corner in the foetal position, rocking themselves and telling themselves over and over again what a terrible writer they are. 

It’s a spectrum. 

My advice would be to keep the public comments positive and ask, either in a comment or via a different form of communication (like a tumblr ask) if they’re looking for a beta. Do not mention the errors you’ve noticed, just leave it at “beta”. They’ll know what you mean. 

If they say no, then they’re probably fine with posting things the way they are and you saying something probably won’t change things. If they say yes, you get to fix all of the typos AND you get to read the fic before it’s even posted! Win-win!

Edited to add: I forgot to say that that’s an AWESOME resolution, and you are a hero for wanting to comment more :D

If you’re unsure how to leave comments on AO3, just know that I received this comment on a fic today and it is the best thing I’ve ever received

Don’t feel like you have to leave a long rambling comment or nothing at all. Literally just anything makes fic authors smile

Excruciating. Detail.

Fanfiction writers only want one* thing and it’s disgusting

*Comments where you explain in excruciating detail how each line made you feel

You're so welcome! I'm really glad you saw this. It's too easy as creators to get caught up in the little flaws we see in our work, and I imagine it's that much worse in a visual medium. I'm always ranting to anyone who'll listen about how important feedback and comments are just to validate the creator's effort, but if it also helps them take a step back and see the beauty again in their creation, it's worth the time tenfold. 🥰

And I'll never get tired of seeing your piece cross my feed. 💖

Hearts will dream again Lungs will breathe in Wash away the sins It's where it begins Feet won't fail you now Arms won't let you down Wash away the sins It's where it begins

It takes so very little to please most authors. We are typically very needy and just elated to know you were here and enjoyed yourself. 😅

Here’s some good and easy comment ideas for those who feel shy or don’t know what to say but would like to leave something:

1. A classic: keyboard smash such as

Nrbdbsbbkigq or fhbdboejwbakwjev

2. THEM <3

(Fill in pronouns as needed or refer to a pairing)

3. Screaming, crying, throwing up, ect

Or it’s cousin:

4. Kicking my feet, giggling

5. [Block of copy-pasted text] I like/love this bit in particular; I like how you phrased this

6. I keep rotating [character/section of text] in my head

7. I read this while [insert what you were doing; ie: procrastinating a test, waiting for the bus, ect]

8. Extra Kudos!

9. Encore! Bravo! Magnificent!

10. [character name] my beloved

11. I relate to this so hard

Optional, include [line of text] or situation you relate to

12. Thank you for sharing!

13. 💖💖💖

14. I love how you’ve written [x character trait]

15. I love this kind of AU so much!!

16. I’m so excited to see what happens next! I hope [random story prediction here]

17. I will commit atrocities for this character!

18. This is some hella good soup!

19. This is my favorite [trope, paring, au]!

20. AAAAAA They are so [soft/traumatized/attractive]!!!

Feel free to mix and match these for an extra special comment!

Additionally, if you have some favorite go-to comments, feel free to share!

There's this weird vibe I've always noticed/felt in fandom, where creators aren't supposed to explicitly want/solicit comments, like it's greedy or something. Maybe it goes back to ye olden days when fic writers would sort of hold their WIPs to ransom by making updates contingent on a certain amount of comments? I'm trying to scrutinise how I feel about that in hindsight and I'm not sure. I know I hated it back then, but I was a literal kid who had never written and shared anything. Hm.

With my last fic/s, although they were complete, I posted chapters weekly, and explicitly admitted that I was doing so in hopes of seeing more engagement and more comments throughout the story instead of one comment at the end of 140,000 words (which is still wonderful and I treasure every one, don't get me the least bit wrong). Can I tell you how much I agonised over that decision, and how vulnerable I felt to criticism for it, whether anyone said anything to my face or not?

There's this real sense of shaming of creators who aren't just morally above it all somehow; who don't just create for the lofty pursuit of the craft itself; who don't simply share as an afterthought and care not for how the masses respond.

That ain't me. I write because I want to share. Sharing is at least 50% of the reason I write at all. At least. I write because I'm giddy at the thought of someone else (maybe multiple someones, holy shit!) enjoying the themes and scenes and imagery as much as I do. The thought of an excited comment (or maybe multiple comments, holy shit!) telling me I did good is why I bother taking the idea from my head and slaving it out onto digital paper at all.

So I suppose I understand that old "next chapter when I get X comments" even if that's not how I'd do it. I don't read WIPs anymore (burned too many times by abandoned fics back in the day; probably why I refuse to post unfinished works myself), but I guess it was just another way of saying what I often do: "Please comment. The author lives for comments. Validate meee!"

People used to comment on web comics.

People used to comment on fanfiction.

People used to comment on fanart.

People used to comment on OCs.

I hate "content" culture.

I hate "consuming content" and scrolling immediately to the next thing.

People used to be excited about the art that other people created.

People used to want to share that excitement with creators.

I hate this future.

Sometimes when I'm struggling with my mental health, or real life is sapping my already-limited energy more than usual, I will drop the ball and not reply to comments for a while. But please know that they mean no less to me during those times. I will still read them the moment they appear in my inbox. I will read and re-read and smile and cry and screenshot to show my best friend so they can be happy for me too. In fact, during those times, comments mean even more.

Those who don't comment on fics you like, you've got no idea the joy you could be supplying to someone. Consider that just because it took you 15-30 minutes to read doesn't mean that's how long it took the author to write. I'm seven months in on my current fic. Having that effort validated? And all it would take is a few words? As little as a thanks? Please, just a minute more of your time.

We're not big business. We're not mass producers. We're sitting at our computers or on our phones watching the hit counter go up in single figures. Your acknowledgement is oxygen. Your engagement is everything.

The sharing of fanfiction was a two-way street once. It's got quiet on the readers' side of the road lately. We miss you.

people who let me wake up to this get a special place in heaven. firefly_fox how does it feel to hold my life in ur hands....

I don’t know who needs to hear this but be nice to fanfic authors. Reblog their stuff. Tell them you liked it. How you felt when reading. What school assignment you didn’t finish because of how captivating their story was. Don’t just scream to your friends about it. But tell them.

So many wonderfully talented people out there don’t get the praise they need. If their work brought you joy, make their day better by telling them it did.

real, genuine question

When you, a reader, leave comments on a fic, do you expect the author to reply? If “expect” is perhaps the wrong word… do you enjoy it when they do? Am I going overboard by replying to everybody who comments on my stuff and making them all uncomfortable?

I have been out of fandom for a minute and don’t know the current etiquette.

… surely it’s not just that I’m overthinking this. Surely not. I have never in my life.

an accurate portrayal of crazy fandoms

I don’t know if this is a fear that many people have as commenters, but for those who are worried that they shouldn’t leave a comment in their native language because the author might not understand—please do it!!

Getting comments in another language is, for me, a bonus because now I’m copying and pasting it into google translate like a kid opening a mysteriously shaped present on Christmas to find when they open it that it’s exactly what they were hoping for!!

The suspense! 🤩🤩 The payoff! 🤩🤩🤩

But in addition to that, it means so much to me because it shows that something I’ve written has sort of transcended language and reached across world borders and cultures and has found a home with someone! It’s brought them joy, and I might never know that person, but to see that joy expressed in a language I don’t speak—there’s just something special about that.

Commenting 101

Lesson 1: Find your catchphrase

"This was great!"

"Thank you for this <3"

"Loved this."

When in doubt, comment your catchphrase.

When you feel too tired/sleepy/overwhelmed/at a loss for words, just write 1 sentence down and you're done! The goal of this is not to be perfect. In fact, forget about perfect! Forget about needing your comment to be special, or that the author might not appreciate such a short comment. We're taking baby steps here and the most important thing you can learn this week is that something is better than nothing.

So start with something generic. Pick something short and sweet. Use one of the examples above. Leave it on every fanfic you read.

Let me repeat that for the people at the back:

Leave it on every fanfic you read.

Leave it at the end of that chapter you're reading. Comment on that fic you just opened. Just write those 2, 3, 4 words. Tell them LLF sent you. That we made you do it. Even if it doesn't feel great just leaving such a short sentence, do it. You can change it for the next fic. But start.

Start with something, even if you're not 100% happy with it. Don't worry about not getting it right the first time. You can iterate and change it up in the next fic or chapter you read and comment. And you can keep changing it up until you get something you're happy with. Even if it doesn't work out this week, there's next week. This will be your go-to sentence. Something that you can use without thinking. So keep it stupid simple.

Now, once you've started, you can stop and hit post on your comment. The only learning for this lesson is that you write something and develop a catchphrase for yourself this week. You can leave more than just your catchphrase in a comment, but it must be included in your comment.

And that's it!

I'll be asking how the week goes for you next weekend, and if you need more help getting started, my ask box is open.

Remember:

When in doubt, comment your catchphrase.

Something is better than nothing.

Goal of the week:

Leave your catchphrase on every fanfic you read.

And for the 10% of you who always leave a comment, I have a question for you:

any actualizations on the JJK trio? We know how Yuji and Nobara look now, but still no clue of Megumi- er, sorry, Meguru (also, funny how the name's meaning remains even with changes)

Hmm... well, looking at a picture of them from those days, Yuuji-sensei is taller now. WAAAAY taller.

ℍ𝕖'𝕤 𝕒 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕒𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕘𝕚𝕒𝕟𝕥. 𝕋𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕚𝕟, 𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕀 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕟𝕠𝕨…

And Nobara-san has different clothes, new haircut, and also said something about 'scar removal'... though I don't think she removed it all.

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕡𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕄𝕒𝕙𝕚𝕥𝕠… 𝕀'𝕞 𝕘𝕝𝕒𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕟'𝕥 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕠 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕣𝕪 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕀𝕕𝕝𝕖 𝕋𝕣𝕒𝕟𝕤𝕗𝕚𝕘𝕦𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 𝕖𝕗𝕗𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕤. Now Meguru-san... he let his hair grow and tied it back? Both Yuuji-sensei and Nobara-san said his hair resembled his sister's, though Maki-san pointed his fringe is more like his long-gone dad...

ℂ𝕠𝕞𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕜 𝕠𝕗 𝕚𝕥, 𝕤𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝔸𝕊 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕨𝕙𝕠 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕡𝕦𝕥 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕥𝕠𝕘𝕖𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕣 𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕦𝕥 𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕕𝕒𝕕 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕙𝕖 𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕪 𝕤𝕒𝕨 𝕙𝕚𝕞 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕓𝕖𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕦𝕣𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕕… 𝕐𝕦𝕦𝕛𝕚 𝕤𝕒𝕚𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕤 𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕖𝕟𝕖𝕕 𝕓𝕖𝕗𝕠𝕣𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 '𝕞𝕚𝕤𝕦𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕟𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟'.

I'm glad he told us about it already. Or more like Meguru-san got him to 'confess' after they came over with their protégés.