I might be commenting a bit more...

If you look at "My comments" under the menu "MyLSF" you will find a meter showing the various categories. To figure out what you need to do to reach the next level, you either have to do a little bit of mathematics or just comment till you get there;)

Views to comments ratio chart:

higher than 500:1 - sloth
between 250 and 500:1 - slug
between 100 and 250:1 - occasional
between 50 and 100:1 - active
between 25 and 50:1 - grand
between 10 and 25:1 - super
between 5 and 10:1 - supreme
less than 5:1 - deity

Many thanks - you're an absolute star. I've saved these to a word document for future reference.

Firstly I would like to thank everyone who has read my stories and particularly those who have taken the trouble to comment. I make a point of responding to each comment made.
I welcome all comments as they are food for thought whether or not the reader and I agree; fortunately almost all are constructive.
As far as my reading is concerned, I start by supporting the newly posted stories, when I have read the current crop, I then look at recent comments on stories that I haven't read, which often direct me to authors who may new to me or older stories from my favourite authors both of which gives additional enjoyment. My next point of call is the latest read column with the very useful summaries and categorisations by our wonderful validators. (Here I do tend to migrate towards known likes M/F, M/f, m/f, F/f, F/F ,f/f and F/m in that order but, I am afraid, almost never stories that are principally M/M M/m F/M or heaven forbid f/M, (except of course where they are new and uncategorised and the title does not give the necessary clues). if I am still looking for stories the search function provides a useful series of filters and the luck dip function has frequently unearthed real gems often written years previously.
In all cases I if I start a story I will do the author the courtesy of reading to the end of the tale (or at least the part).
If I discover a series that like I will often read all the way through to the end in a single sitting, or with the minimum number of breaks (or if posted in stages re-read the whole series again later). I am afraid that I do not then always comment on each part; normally at the end and frequently then again at the beginning to encourage other readers to read on.
I do agree that commenting from a smartphone is much more difficult and I am afraid ends to some of my comments containing missing letters, spelling mistakes, or even worse the results of predictive text !! For which I apologise. It is much easier on the laptop. (which is why I have just edited this comment and wish I could do so on the two story comments I write this afternoon, where all of these have occurred).
Once again many thanks to all readers and commentators, as well as to the wonderful team at LSF abs fellow authors who bring such enjoyment to so many.

Nailed another dozen comments. I've post 207 comments since I started this process and I now up to 1671 out of stories 2020 read.

I find I'm waffling a bit on my decision to comment more. There are a number of reasons.

If an author is inactive, and possibly dead, what purpose does my comment serve?

If a story already has a large number of comments or everything that needs to be said has been said, then I'm just another redundant voice.

If I read a story that I genuinely do not like, I may not even finish it. Let alone comment on it. Do I really have an obligation to that author?

Some authors are prolific. If I read one of their stories, I may not comment. Especially if I've already commented on a similar story of theirs. I do try and comment on stories by newer authors.

The reason that bothers me most pertains to some of the best stories that I've read. Not that I haven't commented on some great stories. Sometimes I think I said the right things. Mostly, I think my comments are more about me than about the story. I regret that. There are some stories that are so well written and so thoughtful that they deserve praise. Not a gratuitous comment. I don't want to give a bandstand type comment like "Nice beat, easy to dance to, I give it a 10."

To the deserving authors whose stories I haven't commented on, sooner or later, after I've read and reread your stories, I'll comment. (Aren't you lucky). I would apologize, but I think it's your fault, for writing stories that require so much effort to process.

Thanks for an interesting post! I recognize many your of thoughts, but I have decided to treat these questions in a more naive and pragmatic fashion.


Many people look at recent comments before they decide what to read, so a comment is a way to keep a story alive. I like the thought that people will read my stories when I am no more, although it may be a bit silly.


I know, but an author's vanity in insatiable! And, as I said above, a comment is a sign that a story is still alive, and that always feels good.


No. Reading and commenting should be a pleasure, not a chore.


I think this is a fair policy. I try to comment on (almost) everything I read, and as a consequence my comments are not always equally inspired.


I have definitely found myself in this position, and there are some great stories in here with very inadequate comments from me. I have decided to be pragmatic; it's better to give a tame comment than no comment at all (recall that an author's vanity in insatiable), and if I decide to wait a couple of days before I come up with the perfect comment, I will just forget about it.