I love giving and receiving fic reviews, but for a long time the whole process of writing a review used to be very fraught because I wanted to show my appreciation but I didn’t want to leave a generic “Loved this, please write more!” like every other comment the author had already gotten and was probably sick of. (Note - as an author, we do not get sick of these comments. We do not get sick of any comments.) But I figured something out a while ago and I figured I’d share it. How to leave a good comment on a fic: PICK A LINE.
Literally any line. Pick it as you’re reading. If a phrase or a sentence or a paragraph jumps out at you, highlight it and hit Ctrl+C. Then save that puppy until the comment section, paste it in, and let the author know why you liked it.
“___” My favorite line, it was hilarious!
“___” I’m gonna cry! Poor Character B!
“___” That is totally something Character A would say.
“___” omg this totally sums up their whole relationship, doesn’t it?
I’m a writer who is friends with a lot of writers. I have never met a writer who didn’t fucking love this. Worried that you’re not leaving a comprehensive review? It’s okay. Tell the author about the five-word sentence that you loved in their 10K word fic, and they will glow. I’m telling you this is foolproof. Take the stress out of commenting. Pick a line. Make a writer’s day.
yes
yesyesyes
AHHH YES! THE PERFECT REMARK TO MAKE.
No, seriously, I shit you not. I have written four complete novels. I self-published the first and the second accidentally aqcuired me an agent and now the third’s getting edited for publishing. I also have self-esteem issues like WOW, and every single person who has told me “You’re a great writer, here’s this over-arching statement that is detailed and genuine” gets an anxious, skeptical response. Because how do you even accept a compliment like that. It’s like being told “You’re really smart” and then you kind of shuffle and go, “Uh, thanks?”
BUT THE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON A SPECIFIC LINE. BE STILL MY HEART. THE PEOPLE WHO READ MY WRITING AND START LAUGHING AND LOOK UP TO TELL ME “THIS IS A GREAT LINE, I LOVE THIS CHARACTER’S SENSE OF HUMOR” OR WHO MAKE A DISTRESSED NOISE AND SAY “HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO MY FAVORITE CHARACTER, THIS ONE LINE IS SO HEARTBREAKING”.
Those are the people who make me turn scarlet and duck my head and cover my mouth because my awkward grin is awful. Those are the people who make me WANT to talk to them about my writing, about the characters who live in my mind and the words that run through my veins. Those are the people who I remember when I reread something I wrote and hear the voices of every critic I’ve ever had telling me to pull my head out of the clouds, when I feel like I’m drowning in a black sea of my own inadequacy. Those are the people who I very awkwardly and tentatively tell “So…I wrote a new thing…if you maybe…wanna, you know, take a look at it…if you’re not too busy…or something.”
God yes. Pick a line. Make a writer love you.