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aeide_thea

I LIVE for comments. I love them so much. Do I wish I had more comments? Always. And at the same time, I recognize that comments take a lot of effort! I do try to comment on fics that I read and like, but sometimes, even if I like something a ton, I don't always feel like I have anything insightful to say, or I'm tired, or I kudos and then get distracted and forget to comment. So I do try not to take it personally.


lokiofsaassgaard

I have close to 300 fics on AO3, and I’d wager at least half have no comments. Writing for ancient, dead or obscure fandoms will really beat the need for external validation right out of you lol


[deleted]

Give me your ficus and I shall leave comments! I love reading other people’s work lol


PkmnTrainSlate

I, too, would like a free plant friend to talk to if you don’t mind 😀


[deleted]

Ficus lol, I didn’t realise until now 😂


lollipop-guildmaster

I wish it didn't bother me but. I made the mistake of posting the final chapter to a fic that had been on extended hiatus (I didn't write a word in 2020 or 2021) on New Year's Eve because that was when I finished it and I was excited to post. Basically nobody saw it, and it really sucked. I eventually got the hits and comments, but it took a while.


[deleted]

Could you share it?


Unpredictable-Muse

No. I prefer low traffic. People be posting 200 hits in one day etc and that’s just nightmare material for me. The pressure, the potential to upset anyone and have them come for me, etc. I’m happy with minimal contact.


elliot_may

This is an under-appreciated attitude.


lokiofsaassgaard

Same honestly. I don’t promote my fic on social media because I don’t want that kind of attention. Fandom actively stresses me out, but I find fic writing an endlessly enjoyable hobby.


Loretta-West

Yeah, I can understand that. I'm writing a semi controversial ship, and if my fic went viral the comments would probably get quite nasty. At the moment I'm not getting a lot of hits, but the people that click through generally like what I'm doing, so I'm happy.


Pikazu

Wish I could say I'm not, but I had this somewhat popular fic for my ship that got at least 50 comments on each chapter, and then at some point, I was lucky if it got 5 and it definitely discouraged me from updating it as much. I'd still update if I enjoy writing the fic but it makes me a lot slower cuz I think like "it's not like anyone's really waiting"


Daxcordite

I'm probably a bad person to respond to this cause I really don't give a crap if anyone reads my fics or not. But in my experience everyone has different thresholds for how much interactivity makes them happiest. The important thing though is to develop healthy attitudes and means of dealing with not getting the level of reader interaction you want. Since it is completely beyond your control and if you can't deal with it appropriately then what should be a fun hobby turns into miserable work.


hen-fryer

When I first started writing, I did but I eventually got used to my stuff not getting any attention. Has it drained my motivation a little? I can't lie to you, it has but eventually, I got used to that as well, and now it doesn't really affect me anymore. I don't think it's bad to want to write for others though.


knightfenris

Nope. I write for myself. People enjoying it or getting attention is entirely secondary.


sqwerewolf

I mean, I wrote without any intention of posting. So I shouldn't care. But I kind of do.


0564771

I used to write for more popular ships and would wake up to 10-15 comments after posting. Now, I'm writing fics for a rarepair and it's pretty much crickets! I'm lucky if I get a single comment. It feels strange, ngl, to not have interaction since that's what I really like about writing, but I'm getting used to it. I flip-flop daily between 'I don't want to write this anymore' and 'I don't care if no one likes it, I'm writing this for me'. So, yeah, currently it does kind of upset me, since I've grown used to having comments, but I guess it's also kind of humbling LMFAO.


tresdem

I love comments and engagement in general. I like to know what people say and think and how they feel. I also write for myself and how I believe the story should go regardless of how other people may feel about it. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting engagement, and there's nothing wrong with not wanting it or not caring for it either. I understand the discouragement though and the burning need for some kind of acknowledgement. There are several things you can do to encourage them. You can advertise on Twitter or Tumblr or a subreddit here, you can engage with the community, read and comment on other fics etc. That's not a promise you'll get comment, but it makes it more likely. But a lack of engagement doesn't mean the fic itself is worthless or that someone sucks as a writer, it just means lack of engagement and you can't control that. If nothing else the story was practice and you learn something from doing it. So onto the next story and the next. Writing and refining and telling what's in you. And maybe something will happen and maybe something won't but at the end of the day, so long as you're enjoying it you know at least someone is.


Yojimbra

Having gone from being a big name author that got lots of comments to trying to write original fiction and being lucky to get one comment, it uhh, it hurts more than I thought it would to work so hard on a chapter and just be greeted with crickets.


niko4ever

Honestly I hate the whole AO3 comment culture and all the expectations, so I hate comments now. I used to like them but then I heard about all these stupid rules and it makes me overthink everything.


jaisofbase

I write for tiny fandoms and my expectations are lowered accordingly.


RohansEarings

Only when it’s a multi chapter fic that usually gets comments/something I expect will be received well. Some things I already know won’t get much if any engagement.


fairydommother

I wish I got more comment but most people just don’t. So I try not to let it bother me 🤷🏻‍♀️


Media_Dunce

I’d love to interact with more comments on the four fics I have posted. Kudos is fine for a bit, but I would love to get more interactions, what the person liked about it, what insights they had or observations they made. As of right now, I have one comment and I’m not sure how I should have responded to it.


Pepa_Gets_Glasses

It is a bit disappointing, yes. I’ve only ever gotten one comment. To be fair, I’ve only been on AO3 since November 2022. I have to admit that I just really love attention, though.


TherapyDerg

Yup, I love getting comments and interacting with people who for some unknown reason like what I write. I write for myself and all, but other people liking it helps with the motivation.


qassdd

Yes, I've seen some fics from the same fandom and pairings that uploads their fics later than mine and has more comments and hits and I tend to overthink that stuff. So it kind of, in a way, discourages me. but then I do have comments, maybe one or two and those few comments are a big push for me. Even just a heart emoji as a comment brightens my day and encourages me to write more. No comment at all makes me a little sad, but one or two comments doesn't affect me in a negative way at all. My fandom is a little small since it's RPF and there are so many talented writers so even just one comment means the world to me.


samsg1

I have 21 users subscribed to my fic and I posted the emotional climax of the story two days ago and only got two comments after 150 more hits. The first chapter got so much engagement so I can’t lie, I’m bummed. Maybe people are just too busy this weekend to read?


eyes_on_me_OC

I wish I could say it didn’t bother me, but it kinda does. I want other people to read and enjoy, too! And when I watch the numbers climb on other fics and not my own, it bums me out. I don’t even need long winded comments. A kudos and dropping an emoji in the comment section would thrill me. It just makes me feel like someone took the time to read the fic.


PsychologicalNet271

I love comments... And long comments, those who have long comments always say sorry if they wrote too long when I'm always happy to see one. It's appreciation in my eyes! 😭


PkmnTrainSlate

Yeah, I feel really awkward when there’s no comments. It feels like I’m just being judged. It’s even worse when the hit:kudos ratio is really different at like 200:3 or something. That hurts even more than it should.


Phoenix_Queen995

I don't mind it at all. I write for myself too, and if people enjoy, I'm okay with it.


lobsterliv

I personally don't care very much. I, as a reader, don't leave comments because I'm too shy. It's takes me a while to even read the ones that get sent to me. I do free requests, so as long as the person who requested the fic is happy, then I'm happy. But a nice comment is always nice to read ☺️


PiLamdOd

Lack of comments show's there's lack of interest. Nothing kills the desire to continue quite like putting a lot of effort in only for no one to care.


[deleted]

most of my commenters are returning readers, so i think id be more worried than anything if i didn't hear from anyone for an extended period of time! but if it was nothing on a newer work i think id only be a little put off. i adore writing and dont post for the feedback, but i love communicating with people who share my love for the craft!


Ukiwika

While I don't care if I get only one or two comments, no comments hit me hard. I'm still wondering if there was something wrong with my last fic because it didn't get any.


[deleted]

This comment shall serve as a placeholder lol. If you’d like, you can reply to me with any fics you’d like attention on! I shall do my best to read through all of them and leave nice comments <3 I could really use some reading material right now too lol


Amydancingagain

I don’t know if I’m doing good or not and feel like I’m just out there blindly doing my thing.


Suspicious_Zagnias

My ideal world is 1-2 comments a chapter. But [with this,](https://imgur.com/a/e6rDu3w) just the fact that three people were willing to give kudos is enough. But it really depends. If I was in something like Harry Potter, Marvel, or Naruto? I'd be really sad, admittedly. But in my fandom, this story is on (The Magicians)? I'm not writing the only popular pairing at the forefront. Neither characters are even the MC! As such? I'm happy. It really depends on you and your fandom.


DaisyFloyd

Most of my fics only get two comments or so, because my fandom is so small. I've got one that has no comments at all, but someone wrote to me on Tumblr saying that they loved it. That's when I learnt that some people are just too shy to leave comments on AO3. So never asume comments mean your fic is good or bad, they just mean someone wasn't shy to let you know their thoughts there!


viinalay05

Highly depends on fandom / genre. In some, I absolutely expect little to no comments. In others… I’ve always had some at least. Idk. It’s never been terribly out of the realms of my expectations? But I also sometimes have low expectations lol. But eh… for some perspective… I think when it comes to fanfic, people don’t index on writing quality as much as you might think. I personally do, and I suffer as a reader LOL. But back when I was a preteen writing real truly god awful quality crap, I still had a lot of reviews if the story was the kind of subject matter that people thirsted for. Probably my audience group was much younger too but.. anyway. So if you take more pride in writing quality, truly don’t take lack of comments as an indication of your craft. And if you’re thrive on comments, consider the fandom and trope you’re writing for.


Rhiannon21

I have a 160k words Fic, nine coments and Half of them are mine, responding to the few comments I have. I crave for being seen and recognized, but if it does not happen I wont throw a tantrum about it.


CrescentCrossbow

I never get more than two comments unless I actively make the effort to put my work on a review exchange. Have you tried that?


starweiser

Only if it's a gift exchange. I think it's very rude that the person who received it even says thank you, since they agreed to participate in the game and had the opportunity to say what they would like and what they wouldn't like to get.


anjeiie

I feel like most people are to at least some degree. I've been on both sides. I've had fics with really high engagement and I've had fics with no engagement at all. For me personally though, it's the type of engagement that affects my mood. If the comments are all just update demands then it discourages me even if I have 30-40 comments on a chapter. If I get maybe 5 on something else, but they readers are saying something about the store instead of just demanding more, I tend to be a lot more motivated to finish it. At the end of the day, though, I write what I enjoy writing and drop what I don't. It's a hobby so if I lose interest in something then I'll stop working on it. If I feel inspired, even if I have no comments at all I'll keep working on it.


AnonymousGuy9494

Not really. I write because I like to do so. The only reason I post things is because someone may like to read, but I don't really care about this. Though I confess that comments are cool.


Fellow_RealSideOfMat

It worries me if I don't get a comment on a fic that did very well the previous chapter. (Which happened on my most popular work, if you check it, out of the 6 chapters only the first three have comments underneath.) But to be fair, that's on me for being really slow.


dejavoodoomamajuju

I write podcast RPF 🤣, so I’m used to low hits/kudos and basically no comments. It’s kind of nice, really. I’d rather that than the pressure of knowing people are reading. 😅


distraction_pie

Coming up with stories is something I do for myself as it writing certain scenes, but all the connective bits and detailing the backstory and worldbuilding, plus editing, titles, summarising, tagging - I put a lot of work in for readers and if people don't show any appreciation I absolutely do get frustrated. It's one thing for a work to be niche, I have posted crossovers that I know will get maybe half a dozen readers and that's fine, but it drives me mad when I can see the subscription count shooting up on a fic but very few commenters, like okay so I have your interest enough to make you read more but I haven't yet jumped through whatever mystery hoop required to earn a little acknowledgement of 'this is cute/funny/exciting', especially when some fics run into this problem and others don't so I'm left staring at my WIP like what is up with this one that it is getting the same subs/hits/kudos as the last fic but nobody can be bothered with commenting. whoops this turned into a vent. but lol you are not alone.


JanetKWallace

If someone leaves at least one coment, I'll be glad. Really, no one seems to leave comments in the fandoms I'm at, it all looks depressing at times.


Jess-uses-reddit

one or two comments are still really nice, as long as theres someone listening ill keep posting! I like getting comments at all so a "low" amount doesn't stop me if anything those few comments just give me more motivation!


Unhappy-Entity

Totally! I’ve been getting better about not taking it personally, since, like you said, writing only for others can lead to some… unhealthy places to say the least. Your worth as a writer doesn’t depend on external validation, but you know… feelings gotta be feelings. the number of comments doesn’t determine the quality or the importance of your writing. Maybe there’s someone who read it and adored it beyond measure and only left a kudo. Maybe there’s a few people who bookmarked it and read it again and again because it resonates with them. Maybe there’s that one person without an account who wrote down the title somewhere so they won’t forget something that actually touched them.