Hey fellow author, let’s sit down and have a chat, shall we? Great, help yourself to your beverage of choice and a snack, because we may be here a while. And since I’ve been known for being blunt, even brutally honest, it may make what I say go down a little easier.
There’s something all authors desperately and genuinely want: to be read. Right? I want my stories and words to be seen, and I can’t imagine any other author feeling differently. So, now that that’s established… here’s some painful truth. You’re sabotaging your own efforts.
Whoa… whoa… before you scroll on or message me to do something improbable to myself, hear me out…. okay? I’ve done some of these too.. and it’s an easy habit to break (or get into) and makes your readership REALLY boom.
I know I have a Marvel Masterlist as well, but since I wrote a Thomas Sharpe x Reader fic (and Tom Hiddleston x Reader one), I decided to make a new Masterlist for Tom and the characters he played. and yes I know he played a looooooot more
Characters are people, and people are never without fault. People are problematic. People do disgusting things. Let your characters do these things, and have your narrative condemn or punish them.
if the fic already has a thousand comments, comment still. Your comment will still matter and delight the author.
if a fic is a decade old and the author hasn’t been active in the last five years, comment still. There will come a time when the author will read and cherish your comment, or maybe it will motivate them enough to start writing again. You never know!
if the author never responds to comments, comment still. Interaction with the author is a very nice bonus, but you can be sure that even if the author doesn’t answer, they will read it and enjoy it at some point
there’s no such thing as a too long comment.
there’s no such thing as a too incoherent comment.
the author will give no flying fuck about any gramatical errors, typo or other misspellings. If you’re a non-native speaker struggling to express themselves, you can be sure the author will be all the more pleased that you surmounted the language barrier to let them know you appreciated their work. Don’t be afraid!
there’s no such thing as commenting too often.
you will never, ever come across as creepy by obsessing over a fic or an author to the point where you worry the author might think you’re a stalker. On the contrary, the author will be delighted by your investment in their work.
say thank you. It’s always appreciated to see readers acknowledge the work and commitment that is put into writing.
the floaty review box (ao3 add-on) is your friend
be positive and encouraging. Positive reviews make writers all warm and glowy from the inside, bashing plunge their soul into icy darkness. You want the first, not the second!
whoever you are, if you read their fic, YOU are IMPORTANT to the author. Let them know you’re there!
(if any author wants to contradict one of those rules, please let me know!)
To those fanfic writers that are not english native speakers: sometimes, when I read your work, I notice that english isn’t your first language, because there are strange phrases. I know immediately that to you, they are perfectly normal, since it’s the way your language describes things. And I love that, because here you go, creating your art, in a language you spent so much time learning, just so that other people can enjoy your stories! It is so amazing and I will never criticise you for that, but instead I will be thankful that you put in all the effort.
I love you all, you are amazing. Keep creating, please!
Writing is hard. Writing in a language that is not your native tongue is even harder. I love and respect the hell out of you all!
@everyone who reads a multichapter fic and comments on each individual chapter (rather than commenting just once at the end) so the author can see you read through to individual events with changing thoughts and reactions: i would kill a man for you.
Create a mess 