Thread by @parchmints, Interacting With Fan Fic—Etiquette 101, a thread As promised, here’s my thread [...]

Interacting With Fan Fic—Etiquette 101, a thread

As promised, here’s my thread on:

-How to comment on a fic
-How NOT to comment on a fic
-Multichap Fics
-Bookmarking on Ao3
-Reccing and rec threads
-How to support authors
-Misc. notes

How to comment on a fic:

1. DO IT! Please! The thrill of getting an email from Ao3 saying we’ve received a comment on a recent update is the biggest shot of dopamine (or whatever chemical that induces happiness) I can think of. The comments make the work worth it.

2. if you’re in anyway shy or self-conscious about commenting, here are some short and sweet comments that you can just copy-and-paste and are perfectly acceptable:

-Loved this!
-Kudos!
-This was so great/fun/lovely/etc.
-Thank you!
-I had fun reading this!
-Great job!
-etc.

Bottom line for these quippy little comments—they take two seconds to type, they’re very appreciated, and they’re completely inoffensive and kind. If you read a fic to its end, there’s no reason not to add something small and sweet like this.

3. If you want to leave something more robust, something the author is gonna be crying happy tears about, here are some great ways to do that:

-Pointing out specific moments you liked, moments that made you laugh, made you cry, made you FEEL something

-live commenting—making a comment as you read with your reactions (these are soooo fun to read)
-Letting the author know what you thought they did well i.e. their writing style, their characterizations, the plot , etc.

Basically, be kind and let them know they’re doing great!

How NOT to comment on a fic:

1. DON’T GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM UNLESS THE AUTHOR SPECIFICALLY ASKS FOR IT

Critique is a sacred thing and I do NOT want it from someone I’m not very close to. Fics are free for you to read and they have no obligation to be perfect.

2. Do NOT demand updates.

Things like “Can’t wait to find out what happens next!” is fine. “UPDATE THIS RIGHT NOW!!” is not.

Also, don’t go to someone’s inbox and ask when the next update is. You’ll get it when you get it and not a moment before. It’s FREE, remember.

3. Don’t make note of how long it’s been since they’ve updated.

“Oh, dang, I was worried you’d abandon this!” just comes off as judge-y and ungrateful. Again, authors do this...for free.

4. If an author has a hc you don’t quite agree with, don’t bring it up

The author likes to think this character has brown eyes even if they don’t in canon? Hey, guess what, that’s their prerogative, it isn’t hurting anyone and it’s fan fiction. They can do what they want.

If you enjoyed reading it but it wasn’t EXACTLY to your taste, that’s really not something the author needs to know.

Bottom line—JUST BE NICE! I know I’m somewhat complicating things with a list, but truly, it’s simple. The comments are for encouraging the author, for letting them know they made your day a little better; don’t treat them like youtube comments, please.

Multichap fics:

A lot of people won’t open a multichap fic until it’s done and god, please, GET OUT OF THAT HABIT!

Please, please, PLEASE read WIPs. Multichap fic writers need your encouaragement the most. Most multichap fics get abandoned because writers feel-

discouraged and that no one likes it. If you bookmark a multichap, be a friend, and read it (as painful as it is).

I know the anticipation is rough, BUT following multichap wips can be really fun, esp. if you get some friends to read it with you and then you have a-

little fandom around this fic and whenever it updates you get to yell at each other about it. Following a multichap fic is a little torturous but the pay off is worth it!!

Another note on Multichaps:

If you like commenting on every chapter, even if it’s been published for a while, that’s totally fine and not at all annoying! It’s like watching you live tweet your experience and it’s fun to read!

That being said, feel free to just comment-

on the latest chapter. Either is fine!

Bookmarking on Ao3:

If you’re someone who like to write little notes in the margins of your Ao3 bookmarks, I’ve got news for you—AUTHORS CAN READ THAT!

So if you write something like “6/10, it was okay. won’t read again.” uh, ouch?

That being said, of course, organize your fics how you want, BUT I suggest if you have a ranking system and your thoughts on the fic aren’t too kind, just make it a private bookmark! Then, authors can’t see it and no one has to feel bad.

Feel free to leave it public if your notes are nice though! I love looking through my fics bookmarks. Just use good judgement here. The golden rule is always “be kind”.

Reccing and Rec Threads:

1. Do them! It’s a great way to support authors and get their work out there and it’s one of the highest compliments you can give!

2. If you do make a rec list please DON’T add a ranking system (i.e. 9/10, B+)

This can just really hurt if an author is searching their fic name (we do this. frequently.) and see you comparing fics in this way. If you’re gonna rec a fic, just rec it and say why you like it.

I think it’s okay to note your mega-favs with a little star or something similar. It’s just when you add things like numbers and letter grades where that can feel really :/

Again, just be kind.

How to support authors:

Being a fic writer can often feel really thankless and even pointless sometimes. We don’t get the same visibility as artists just by nature of the craft and we don’t get as much traffic. It can be really disheartening.

With that said, it’s really important you support authors. They write not just novel-length fic but *series*-length fic for free. And it’s a MONUMENTAL amount of work.

The average person can write about 500 words an hour (often less) so a 30k fic? that’s 60 hours of work.

And that’s not including the hours it takes to edit. It’s a huge task to write something and tbh we’re often take for granted in fandom spaces.

I’m lucky if I get more than 200 notes on a chapter announcement on either tumblr or twitter. Most of those are likes.

How you can help:

-RETWEET/REBLOG (give them exposure!)
-Rec fics!
-Comment!
-Donate to the author’s ko-fi or patreon.
-Follow their socials!
-Buy commissions!

Helping authors get a name for themselves and spreading their work is honestly so important. Agents care about social media numbers and lots of your fav fic writers wanna go pro! Help them by spreading their work and giving them exposure.

Artist friends, this is where you can really help. Artists tend to have more followers than authors and I think we should be supporting each other when it comes to reblogs and retweets.

Misc. Notes:

Live Tweeting—

If you’re gonna live tweet a fic with screenshots and stuff, great! that’s so much fun, I love seeing what passages people connect to.

But, please, link the fic! don’t make people ask for it.

If you’re on tumblr and making comments in the tags, please follow the same rules as above! Authors check them I promise you.

I promise you, an author does NOT care if you make typos in the comments.

If English isn’t your first language and you’re self-conscious, the author will be touched that you’re trying and that you liked their fic enough to say something about it (and if not they’re a dick).

Sheesh, this is long, but I hope it was informative and helpful. If you have questions, you can go to my cc (located on my pinned) and I’ll do my best to answer.

I do want to say that these are my own personal views and that authors may disagree with me at points,

but I think this is a pretty safe set of guidelines for being a good friend to authors.

Now, go forth and comment!

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