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I am wondering why there are so few comments left on this site. My friend Lajien has been posting a story here weekly (Abrupt Change) and no one wants to leave him any comments here. This lack of feedback has him considering to abandon his stories here, since it seems to him that no one is interested in them. How can we change this? It seems only a handful of readers leave comments. How can we encourage people to leave more of them?
Comments
Not everyone is a wordsmith
I am definitely not a wordsmith so very reluctant to do comments. Secondly I do not read all authors right away unless they have fallen into my favourites listing. Sometimes I wait until the author is almost finished so I can read all the story at once. Just a few thoughts of mine.
why I hesitate to comment
I have a lot of stories here, so I know the feeling of not having comments. In my case I'm afraid to offend the writer. While I may not like parts of a story, I feel it was important for the writer to put it in the story. I do not want to make them feel bad when they're writing what is true for them. I also feel a positive comment could demean the rest of the story. As a result, I don't leave comments. I do leave kudos, almost every story.
I respect the effort writers put in their stories and do not want to risk demeaning their work. Does this make sense to anyone else?
Boys will be girls... if they're lucky!
Jennifer Sue
Comments….
I rarely leave a comment. If I feel I have a suggestion to help I might leave a note. Extremely rarely I level a criticism. If I liked the chapter or story I leave a kudos. (I write in response - like this - more often.) A wise participant has commented before that counting reads and kudos tells more of the state of things than counting comments.
Also and sadly several prolific commenters on this site have passed (remembering Stan).
BAK 0.25tspgirl
A comment can be a brief observation
Thank you Julia. You speak for many if not all the writers on this site.
I am extremely grateful for any and all kudos bestowed upon my scribblings by our wonderful readers. They are the reward beyond our own sense of accomplishment, however meager those accomplishments may be.
However, we also treasure any feedback we receive, hopefully positive. But even negative feedback of a constructive kind can inspire us to continue and improve. There is a misconception that the comments need be a sort of capsule review. I see it as an ongoing conversation between the writer and their audience.
A sentence, an off-the-cuff observation, a pithy witticism...all are welcome. We just want to know if there's someone out there, waving back.
And the BCTS readership is the best in our little corner of the TG universe. I have enjoyed publishing my stories here, regardless of the reception they may have received (I do agree with Sally Field though: "You like me! You really like me!). I have enjoyed both the lengthy treatises submitted as comments and the friendly, always concise ones as well (I'm looking at you, Dot, darling). I just wish there were more of them to read.
So please drop on by when you can to all the stories you enjoy reading, leave a comment, whatever it might be. And don't worry about bringing anything with you. Tea and biscuits for all visitors!
Hugs,
Sammy
Multiple reasons
Some folks have understandable trust issues and don’t like to login to sites. Usually I read on a rsblet and it is hard to type on it (tablet, dammit). Some of us have arthritic hands. Sometimes the tablet forgets my login and I don’t have my password available when I’m reading (20-some random characters, it’s not paranoia if someone’s out to get you). During the first year of Covid I enjoyed the stories but forgot about the Kudos button. Sometimes I have to finish reading quickly to do something for somebody else.
Or in a word, real life. As Erin has reminded me, that’s the best kind.
Thanks to Lajien for the story and to you for being their caring friend. That’s the best kind, too.
Most of the time ...
... when I've really enjoyed a story, I'll leave a comment. If I don't feel pulled into the story, early, I tend to look for another story. That doesn't mean there's anything with the story I'd been reading. It just means I have a bit of a short attention span. I'm not sure how many others are like me, but I imagine there may be a few others with similar reading styles.
Personally
I personally don't read comments on my own stories until a significant time has passed that I can look at them a bit dispassionately. When I post a story, it's already complete; I never post in installments. Since I won't post a story that's not complete, any criticism or suggestion for the story would be superfluous.
I'm sure this colors my tendency to not comment. The exception would be to encourage an author to continue a story that's been left hanging for a time. And then, I'm likely to PM them, because if they have delayed posting, they likely won't be reading the comment.
I do however leave kudos. I also look at "My Stories" to see the hit count and kudos count. For me, that's a much better gauge of how the story is doing than relying on someone to comment.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt
Authors are Highly Sensitive
As if Julia you proved my point. Some only want accolades of how great their story and their writing is. What they can't handle is constructive criticism. Others wish for comments but for many readers they read the story and move on as it takes time and thought to leave a comment. Some start the story and leave without reading it because it wasn't what they were looking for. Many times I refuse to leave a comment on some really rank stories with endless sex. Which is hypocritical of me as I have wrote some of those myself that set the computer on fire. Some of the authors I leave catty comments because I know they can handle it and usually send back arrows and slings in return.
Sadly, too many readers haven't a clue between attacking the story and or the author and leaving a comment. Thus they may get called out by the author and getting their own emotions hurt they stop leaving comments.
To my ever lasting shame I did that years and years back when I read a story about a ponygirl. I forgot the story was fiction. I told the author there was no way that much hardware could be put in a person's mouth. I was the ultimate authority on bridles and bits because I grew up on a farm with horses and other livestock. Days later it dawned in my tiny little brain what the hell was I thinking? It was a fictional story! The good that come from that was I never again questioned what an author wanted to put in his or her story line.
The only answer to your friend is she or he needs to write stories to please him or herself. There will be one appreciative reader and both reader and author will be happy.
Hugs Julia
Barb
Life is a gift. Treat it as such instead of as a right. One will be a lot happier.
Oklahoma born and raised cowgirl
I'm guilty of that Barbie. I
I'm guilty of that Barbie. I like stories to make sense, to believe they could happen. I don't read many magical stories as you can say absolutly anything. It somehow feels like cheating.
I look for Kudos, anything around 90 + I think is successful here. Perhaps the writer should try other sites for feedback. They all have their own preferences though.
I got 63 comments on one story, but some of those were me answering.
I don't leave many comments, perhaps I should?
Leeanna
Variety of reasons
Generally, if something in an episode hooks me emotionally, I comment. If I disagree with the premise, I probably will not comment. If it is too violent, or too sexual, or involves abuse or pediophilia or the thought of it, I just want to forget it. If it warms my heart, I probably will comment.
As others have mentioned
Authors can be a strange lot. Some have egos that need to handled carefully, while others don't care what the readers think and write for themselves. Thus the only winning move is not to play. I find myself fearful of offending due to pointing out flaws because in the end, does the flaw really detract from the story? or does the story have to be machine perfect in spelling, punctuation, even the proper word use? There are stories here that have thousands of such errors, but the stories are too engrossing to not accept them and keep reading. And wait with bated breath (yes, that is the correct usage, as used by William Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice) for the next installment. I don't say anything for fear of losing a great story. To never see another word of it or learn how the story ends would be a horrendous fate. We have lost enough wordsmiths to the ravages of time, I fear offending and driving others away, so I can only speak with my kudos or an occasion PM. Sorry to be so wordy, but this is my answer, and only mine, as each person is different and has their own story to tell...
Be well,
Diana
I comment less now than I used to,
but I also READ a lot less stories than I used to, so there's that.
I haven't read your friend's stories. I've avoided "Abrupt Change" specifically because it states in its description of chapters "preteen/intermediate," which isn't an age range I tend to delve into even for authors I very much trust. In fact, of late, I think there are only 4 stories I've been keeping up with on-site, plus Patreon stories, which is where most of my comments now find their home.
Even on the stories I read here, I comment less than I probably should, simply because I don't always feel I have anything of particular value to say, and I know that as an author, while I certainly *like* comments that amount to a "good job!" sticker on my story's page, I prefer to see comments that are engaging with the story itself: asking questions, commenting on a particular part of the narrative, etc. Because of that, I tend to try and avoid making comments that don't do so.
BUT.
Please, remind your friend that comments have nothing to do with the quality of your story. Neither does read count, for that matter. There are plenty of stories that get beacoup comments here that I'd never touch, and even more that get tons of hits but are the same. Sometimes, those things are just about what content is trending, not the quality of the content itself.
So, they should keep posting. They might not get comments *right now,* but if they keep posting then they drastically increase the likelihood of more comments in the future, both on their newer *and* older work.
*hugs*
Melanie E.
Mel Is Right
The number of comments, the number of kudos, nor the total of kudos and comments do not have a direct correlation with the quality of the story -- nor does the number of hits.
Bru is one of the better writers on this site. Her stories attract a lot of hits, comments, and kudos. They should. But one of the Prime reasons she has so many readers, kudos and comments is the short length of her offerings. If you start a Bru story you will more than likely finish it. If you finish it you will likely leave a kudo, because her stories are amusing. Since you giggled you probably will leave an appreciative comment.
Serials will likely draw less readers. Even the best serials will lose about half their readers by the fourth installment. Sometimes poorly written serials draw a lot of comments trying to steer the plot. Sometimes excellent serials draw comments trying to steer the plot.
I love comments. I especially love comments on old stories. Comments make me a better writer. It helps me stay in the readers' heads during the writing process. As you can see I need more comments.
Jill
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Useful data . . . .
Thanks for that sanity check, Jill. As a new author, it’s helpful to know that big drop-offs in readership for later installments of a long story are normal. My intuition suggested that would be the case — but the demon on the other shoulder is always there to say, “maybe it’s just ‘cuz the story kinda sucked, Em.” :D
Emma
I've noticed a drop...
... in readership as well as I add chapters to a story. I've also noticed reads seem to go up when I post the final chapter. I'm guessing that's at least partly because some people prefer to wait for the whole story to be up, rather than reading chapters as they're posted.
Interesting countering effect
Regarding serials (written by others of course) I have noticed that when chapter 2 and 3 and to a lesser degree subsequent chapters are posted (with declining readership) the first installment get a bunch of new kudos.
Yes, I come from a family that lives, and thrives, on manipulating numbers.
I comment on most stories I read……..
But not on every chapter. If a story stirs something in me, or makes me feel something strongly, I will leave a comment. Not always right away, as sometimes I need to calm down and think about what I want to or need to say - but sometimes I need to say it right away and will leave a comment immediately.
But some stories, although they are very good and make me want to read more, they simply don’t elicit a comment from me. For those, I will usually try to leave a comment that I am enjoying the story and looking forward to more - but to me that seems lame, like I should say more. But there is simply nothing more to say, and often someone else has already said what I want to say better than I could have.
D. Eden
Dum Vivimus, Vivamus
A readers thoughts on comments
Hi,
Personally I'm not very talkative and usually don't say much. Also as i lack the imagination most of my comments would be "Loved it, please write more" (as I don't like writing bad things about others efforts, so I would only comment on the ones I like) and I'm not sure how helpful that is. I do always hit the kudos button.
Also I don't want to influence the author to any great extent, as it is their story. All the comments trying to second. triple or quadruple guess the story, may show enthusiasm but really look like someone trying too hard to say "I told you so" after the next episode. I'd rather read where the authors imagination takes us. And then there are the ones who try to influence the stories far too much, like other authors wanting to drag well written story arcs into their own universe when there is a very large gap in style and content.
I will in future try harder to come up with nice things to say about the stories I'm reading and even some mild comments on stories that are almost my cup of tea.
I confess ...
... to making comments about what I hope will happen in a story. For me, it's not really so much an attempt to steer a story, as it is to express how I'm feeling about what's happening to someone in the story. So, if someone is confronted by an antagonist, I might say something like, "Yikes! I hope she's going to be okay," or ask, "Does he have a secret crush on her?" I really hope saying things like that don't make writers feel like they're under pressure to write something they're not interested in writing.
Reader vs. writer
I'm a reader, not a writer. If I could write, you might find me amongst the authors on this site - but I'm can't and so you won't find any story written by me (anywhere - I hated writing essays at school).
Comments about a story are (at least to me) like creative writing - something I don't do well at all. So I refrain from that (usually). If I find mistales that annoy me sufficiently I may write to the author in a hopefully constructive way, but this will only happen if I am either extremely annoyed (-> bad story) or like the story so much, that I want it to be the best it could be (yes, that kind of criticism is an impled compliment to the author).
Reviews are also a problem for me: I want to avoid spoilers (yeah, old Usenet habit) - but how to write something that will help others readers decide whether to read a story/novel or not without giving away anything that has not yet been included in the blurb announcing/advertising is a mystery to me. So I don't write reviews as I'm unable to do it in a way that I would judge acceptable.
Discussions/debates are something completely different, I have no problem participating in a discourse. But don't ask me to write in a creative way and expect some result this decade (with me constantly prevaricating and hoping that you will forget about it). ;-)
Painfully ironic
A blog about commenting gets more comments than many stories. :P
Love, Andrea Lena
Commenting = emotional minefield
For me, posting a comment is putting myself out there. This is an emotionally fraught thing for me -- will I sound stupid? will I get "called out" on it? will the author take offense, maybe even leave forever? etc. -- and most of the time, I just don't have the spare energy to spend on it. If I manage to do two or three significant things on a day (e.g., getting out of bed), I'm done for the day, maybe even several days (the joys of CPTSD). And posting my opinion on something to a bunch of people I don't know all that well is way up there.
Also, these days, there are fewer stories that I'm interested in reading, and a lot of those require more attention and energy than I have to follow them (esp. serials.)
Comments
I don’t read all authors and it takes a interesting title or me finding something in a search to read it. I always leave comments however sometimes I get bored with a story and stop reading it. I explained to Lajien the problem I was having with reading abrupt change in constructive criticism and I just couldn’t keep reading the story.
hugs :)
Michelle SidheElf Amaianna
Comments commentary
Speaking for myself, whenever a new comment happens to pop up in the report for a story (or multi-chapter part of a story) of mine posted here there's a burst of excitement along with trepidation: did they like it? did I mess something up? Eeeee! So for me the experience is an Adrenalin-rush - and if the comment is positive and the reader enjoyed (enough to type out that they did!), then the happy high will last that whole darn day - or if it's on an older story which has long ago gone 'quiet', potentially last the whole week. Even if the note says only that hey, they enjoyed this bit of keyboard babble!
Ok, so maybe I'm a junkie searching for the next hit. It's possible!
Kudos are great, don't get me wrong, but to see the reader's chosen handle and message feels to me so much stronger. I can put a name to the (hopefully) positive boost and I can thank them directly in response. Kudos are a bit impersonal as you've got no idea who clicked, so there's no solid feeling of a connection (no matter how small that may be) to an actual community member - one who you can then recognize in other postings or even if/when they comment on other people's stories. I've also had kind folks private message me with info regarding typos or mangled phrasing (thanks again Kimmie!) which has helped tremendously in cleaning things up. For the feeling of community here on the site, it's the comments that drive such. Otherwise we're just stapling words to no-parking signs that folks happen to see as they pass by.
Everyone is different, of course, and writers are no exception to that rule. We all have to be a bit nutty to be willing to throw our hearts and inner visions onto a page for others to see. It's therefore no surprise really that the reaction to comments is so varied.
I can’t second this more strongly!
Which is why I’m commenting on your comment, instead of just hitting “love.” :D
Emma
Just
Just doing things right.
Could be dangerous!
Now I have to comment to your comment on my comment...the dangers of recursion kicking in!
(It's turtles all the way down...)
Honestly?
I hit the Kudos on every story I read and found was well written, had a sensible plot, found humorous, or just liked. But I don't leave a lot of comments as I feel as I don't want to leave comments that could be seen as altruistic or condescending as something like "Great Start, can't wait for more" could be seen as a pat on the back or something like, "yeah great start, but where's the rest of the chapter?"
Continuing the honesty... I had not read anything you have posted to date. There is a good reason for that. Your first post was in December of 2021?, In January of 2022 I played Humpty Dumpty, fell and almost died from a severe skull fracture and several brain bleeds. When i finally got out of intensive care I spent months in rehabilitation and therapy. (Still in therapy over it). I it took months for me to lose the double vision so I could read again. I lost all fine motor skill on my right ride. Handwriting took weeks to relearn well enough so others could actually read what I had written. I won't even get into how disgusted I am how that effected my ability to play the variety of musical instruments I own.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
Comments
All stories have a reflection on the human condition in some shape or form.
A good story takes that reflection and hopefully forms it into a picture of what that story tries to convey from it to hopefully resonate with the reader.
However, people have an intense hate of being lied to, too easy in this horrible social media age we live in where even the most evil of voices get to shout out their lies (and Big Lies) (e.g. anti-vaxxers, 'Drumpists'. Proud Boys etc) and try to spread disinformation to further their 'legitimacy'.
So a story, as an extreme example, where that protagonist is deceived and tricked into slavery or identity theft or slavery should, for my taste, if commented on at all, would reflect questionable taste of the reader at least In My Opinion.
I have not read your friend's stories but it is likely the subject matter did not stir interest, no offense. And since I don't have infinite time I will not attempt it.
Anyway, good stories will resonate with our innate desires for love, harmony, compassion, companionship etc that means more people will at least venture a note of appreciation.
People are reluctant to criticize a piece that is free, unlike a product review of a bad product that failed to meet its promises.
Like other commentators have said, authors may or may not handle criticism well and try again so people fall back on 'if you have nothing good to say, don't say anything at all'.
Feedback
I do love to receive kudos, and I am please to hear that 90+ means that I have hit the mark with my stories.
But nothing beats a comment no matter how short it is. A positive comment can be just one word, but a negative one I will happily take if reasons are given. Authors do like feedback, and for my part it should play an important part in my creative process.
Some might say that I am already too entrenched in my style for reader contribution to make a difference, but I like to think that style varies with characters, and they always seem to be different - to me anyway.
Maryanne
I tend to leave comments when
I tend to leave comments when the author has touched something deep in me. I try to say I like the story too but not often. It depends a lot on the short-term if it consists of multiple parts I will probably only comment at the end. Also l have trouble thinking of something to write many times.
Kathleen
Comments can be a rare commodity.
My most well received story (Dumb Bet) currently has 61021 reads and 32 comments. That's about 0.0005% comments/hits. However the number of kudos is 458. That's about 0.0075% kudos/hits.
I look at two figures. How many hits and how many kudos. I've arbitrarily decided that anything over 100 kudos is a well received story. Anything beyond that is gravy.
Mind you, I've been posting stories here for about 19 years. It wasn't until 7 years ago that I topped 100 kudos. I happened to win The Crush Mini-Contest that year and many more people started reading my stories. Until then, about 50 to 60 kudos was average. Comments? I really didn't keep track back then. I was writing because there was a story in me that needed to get out.
Hugs
Patricia
Happiness is being all dressed up and HAVING some place to go.
Semper in femineo gerunt