Fanfic Question

[dreiser]

When people email me about my fanfic, I generally reply to them but when it comes to Livejournal (and especially Fanfiction.net) comments I don't respond for the most part. I've just read a lengthy discussion on one of the forums I lurk at where some established and pretty well known fanfic writers were saying to not reply to each and every comment they get is ungrateful and downright rude.

Really? I don't think that. I'm not sure what I would reply with anyway. Thank you over and over? I reply when I have something to say back to the person or they ask a question I have an answer to otherwise I just leave it.

Just wondering what other fanfic writers/readers on my friendslist or who read this LJ think about it.

Comments

[corchen.livejournal.com]

I reply to all my comments - partly because I know that, as a reader, I don't like to comment on fic when I know that a writer doesn't respond, it makes me feel as if they don't appreciate comments. Then again, I hate the one-liners, but just reply with 'thanks' to those. Nothing wrong with a generic response to a generic comment.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

Maybe the appreciation part is where I'm confused. It's sort of like another level of the fanfic hostage move where writers claim they won't write another chapter of fic unless they get so many comments back. So if I don't reply to a comment the person who writes it won't write another one? It's very odd to me.

[corchen.livejournal.com]

Blecch, I hate that - I write for me, not for ego-stroking by readers. It comes across as a very teenage move, saying 'if I get enough comments I'll write more chappies omg !!11!eleventy!' But yeah, if a writer never seems to reply to comments I might not bother commenting. If they just reply when they have something to say, though, that's fine. I'm not one of the one-liner commenters, generally, so there's usually something there to reply to.

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

I understand. I was just really confused by the whole discussion because I never considered my lack of response to be a rude thing, you know? It's nice to get other perspectives.

[corchen.livejournal.com]

That's fair enough - personally, I do feel it's rude not to take a few seconds when someone's bothered to comment on a fic - besides, considering the ratio of readers to commenters, we should encourage anyone who does bother!

[dreiser.livejournal.com]

Maybe... but I rather respond when I have something genuine for a response rather than a generic thank you. It feels insincere to me but everyone is different.

[corchen.livejournal.com]

Ah, see, even when all I say is 'Thanks!' which I sometimes do, it's still sincere, Just nothing more than 'thanks'. Make sense? (Love that icon.)