Help Digressions: The Art of Commenting

And it seems that every author has his own fan club.

Even some commenters seem to have their own fan clubs

I am curious as to why comments disappear. Do you go through and sweep the generic ones or have they just been removed by the commenter? I looked at the help section, but didn't see anything about this.

(Being a mite OCD, I compared the remaining comments with my emails to see which ones were missing. These were older but the two most generic comments.)

I often feel too shy to make a comment. Any ideas for how to get over that?

It's great that you have the desire to comment. Your comment doesn't have to be complex - you could start with anything simple:
"I really enjoyed the story - I felt empathy for Janie"
or
"I felt that xyz was a really stern disciplinarian - she reminded me of a teacher I had in high school"

Anything works - it shows you have connected and the story has made some sort of impact"

At the risk of sounding flippant - just do it! It will get easier after you make a few.

I would suggest reading some of the other comments to get an idea. A good way to start would be with a simple thank you or sharing that you liked the story and why.

I used to be that way too, not that long ago. I always thought that either no one would care to hear my opinion or that if it was worth saying, someone else would already have said it. (Those things may still be true, but now you can't shut me up.)

I am a commenter not a writer, though I do think about a story at times. I felt inadequate saying.."nice story", but over time, I have received feedback from some writers and I realized that most writers like to receive some remark, and a few you can interact with by notes. I tend to be positive and do not criticize a writer on topic or style. I do comment on almost every story, I am not a fan of M/M or M/m but if I open one, I will comment and thank the writer.
I love the short poems, songs and snippets, enjoy a quick comment. I think the key is to enjoy this site, if there is a fundraiser, we should contribute, if you read a story, say thanks. Peace, Turk

ps How about a fundraiser in Great Britain or the States, we can drink a few to loosen the wallets.

I admit I am not a writer but I know what I like and I like to comment. If I cannot find anything good to say I say nothing. I always comment before reading others comments and often find I have repeated some comment but mine is always a true thought of my own. I really appreciate all writers work even if is not to my taste sometimes. thank you all.

I am also a reader not a writer. I don't read comments before I read a story, but I do read them before I write my comments. Unfortunately, that often makes commenting difficult for me. I don't want to repeat what someone else has said. I do try to find a valid point to make, not just say good story, unless that is all I can say. Because I don't write, I feel like whatever I say has less value than you wonderfully creative types, but I do want you to know,how much I appreciate the work that you do. I will not comment on a story if I didn't like it, however. I live by the old adage, "If you can't say something nice......." Well , you know the rest.

i am a reader not a writer as well and i sometimes wish i had better comments because i have read so many wonderful stories here that i do wish i could tell every writer how much i do appreciate their time and talent for sharing the stories with us. admittily there are many that i have not commented on as i am not a fan of a particular pairing or implement and while i do like to acknowledge a writer i also cannot comment on a personal preference ( i have on occasion, but most of the time i do not) so would i like to make better comments... yes, but i also do not know what to say other than well done and thank you and have a great day. So my comments (and i do appreciate hearing back from the author as well that they recieved my comments) may just be a thank you because i can not comment on the subject that the author has chosen.have a great day
Jim