About commenting
I was checking which kind of friends only banners writers I like have (even though I'm not going to go friend only, because I feel there is no reason yet) and then run into a discussion about commenting. I would very much like to comment there, but really, I don't even know if I have read this person's fics or do I just recognize her name. The post is also almost a month old, so wouldn't that be very creepy if I commented? So I think that the second best idea is to write my thoughts here.
I don't comment on fics normally, even though I just some days ago commented on two. Why don't I comment then:
My english. When I want to comment, it's for fics and writers I really like and I don't want to make mistakes and embarrass myself in front of the people I admire.
I have problems speaking/writing (english) when there are my irl friends who may hear/read.
I'm late. I feel that it's not allowed to comment anymore when the other comments has been written some time ago. If every comment was written the day the fic was posted and maybe the day after that, I feel that the writer (and other people) think I'm odd, if I comment for example just 5 days later. And sometimes I'm months or years late.
Or (I'm late, so) the writer will not see/care about my comment anyway. Do they? Maybe everywhere else but in hols, but I don't really have any experiences about this.
The fic seems to be meant only to friends. I read mostly fics from people who doesn't post their fics anywhere and, now when I might have courage to use my english to comment, I don't remember anymore how I have found them in the first place. What if they posted the fic only for friends and think I'm screepy?
I'm scared to seem stupid. I am kind of stupid, okay, but I hate to show it. And sometimes I seem more stupid than I am. And the other reasons come all to this too.
I don't think the writers want/get happy about my comments, because they are just from me and nobody knows me. And as you can see when someone post again an awfully cliche akame with bad grammar, no plot/horrible plot and girl!kame and it gets more than five comments. How can they know I'm not one of those who comments also there?
'This was nice' can't be enough. If I liked the fic just ok, but didn't love it, I feel it shows and the writer is not happy. And when I loved the fic, my limitations in english and in general communicating come in the way and I can't say as well I would like to how much I loved it. And the writer would again feel that I didn't like it.
Because I'm lazy.
I don't like the fic enough. I'm not going to read anything else from this writer so I'm actually giving my opinion when I don't comment. (The problem is of course that I don't comment even when I like, not this.)
Why I commented twice now and am thinking that I want to comment more:
Why to comment anyway...: They had earned the comments. I wanted to comment. I wanted them to keep writing. It's polite. I would like to get some comments myself, so I thought they would like them also. And so on.
It doesn't make me stupid if my english is not the best. And my english has got a bit better.
I wasn't late/someone else was quite late too.
They were in places from which everyone can find them.
I could make long enough and not too stupid comments (for my liking).
Most importantly: the first writer wrote a (long nice) response (to which I would have liked to answer, but for that I don't have the courage anymore) and I felt that there was a meaning in commenting - that it did some good.
How could people (expecially they who don't write fics) know that their comments are wanted, if you don't tell them?
Then, another point:
There where I found this discussion from was this one person who said ”I like the authors best that write for themselves.”
That's just as bad an excuse as my excuses are! Or worse. That has nothing to do with the people commenting. That is just she trying to make her lazyness acceptable.
Of course it is best when people write for themselves, but probably they get something from the supportive comments too.
(And what if someone starts writing for acceptance and then learns to enjoy writing? What about people who are not as individualistic (as Americans, and to minimize misunderstandings, me) and are really happy only by others happiness? Okay, I still hope that people don't write just because of comments, it can't do any good.)
Yeah, that was it. I should really stop with these essayish entries.