Help Digressions: The Art of Commenting

I think everyone enjoys praise - it's human nature - and negative comments can sting a little depending on how they're phrased.

However, one of the reasons I've started to resubmit stories here that were formerly published only on my blog is that it's a more critical forum. Blogland tends to be warm and fuzzy, and typically visitors will either post a wholly positive comment or they'll say nothing. I think that's partly because if they didn't like your stuff they wouldn't be spending time on your blog to begin with, and partly because they feel uncomfortable posting negatively about your work on your site.

I'm well aware that my stories aren't perfect, and I think feedback of any kind can only help me to improve them. It's my experience that once you've spent a long time on writing something it becomes difficult to re-read it objectively. That makes someone else's view invaluable.

For the people who worry that their comments are too short/ too bland, please don't be put off. I see those short comments acting as a kind of barometer of success, and the longer and more detailed ones helping me to nudge the needle in the right direction!

Absolutely. I try to cultivate the best commenters.

And Underling. Thanks for the contribution and your observation about blogs. I'd often felt the same way about people's blogs - it really is their space and it feels as if you are a guest and so have to be on your best behaviour, consequently one tends to just say nothing when otherwise one might have somethign helpful to suggest.