A comment on comments.

I'm not as good about commenting on others stories as I should be. I'm trying to be better, but at times it's hard to come up with something that tells the author I really read their work because the story doesn't speak to me in a way that makes me want to highlight it.

On the other hand, and this is a bit hypocritical on my part. I love getting comments on my own stores. I don't mind if the comments are somewhat negative providing the commenter remembers there is a living, breathing person on the other end whose reading that comment. So do your best to be nice, be respectful and remember, someone worked hard on that story.

I also try to respond to every comment I get, sometimes it's little more than thank you for reading and commenting. Other times when I feel I need to explain myself or what I was trying to accomplish in the story, I may give a brief explanation of my thought processes.

I do have to say, it is very gratifying when someone slogs through a 10 story series and comments on each installment. I'm left feeling that maybe they enjoyed my work. It's a good feeling.

You took the words right out of my mouth, Priscilla.
I am an avid reader, but some stories that aren't the way I roll I don't comment on. I have never yet left a disparaging comment, I would rather walk away. What some people like others don't. Fortunately we are all different. I very rarely give "guidance" as I think it could be seen as arrogance, who am I to criticise?
I would rather writers carried on writing and perhaps write more to my liking than them be discouarged.

After reading the responses to this thread, the general feeling seems to be that it's a shame that more people don't post comments after reading a story.

Whilst we fully appreciate that it's nice for authors to receive comments on their work, please don't take it too far. We've had a few people write in and say certain authors are making a nuisance of themselves by sending unsolicited popups telling people to comment on their stories. It's not a smart move to hound readers this way as it likely has the opposite effect to what the author intended = no comment!

@flopsybunny
Ok, ok - I'll stop already. Geesh.

I truly appreciate all the comments I get, but since my addiction to this subject is - well, not a secret, but something I would not wish my partner to have to see - I only browse this site on occasion. Thus, I often do not respond for a long time or, at certain points in my life when computer access was limited, not at all. People who write, especially people like us who write the kind of stuff that appears here do so because they HAVE TO; still, comments, positive or negative, let us know someone is reading and even enjoying our output.

And you didn't send me a single message! Don't you think I'm worth it, or are you taking my comments for granted? In any case I'm really going to consider before I give you another one!

@Alef
Ok. I'll make an exception in your case. Look for my pop-up.

I have a tendency to return people's comment and thank them for commenting, in case they were exceptionally kind, or their comment gave me an idea to another story, or if they left a question hanging which I felt compelled to respond to. I hope the readers don't experience that as me being pushy. At least in my mind, I don't bug people for comments. I hope that's the way I come through. I'm just trying to show how grateful I am, because the comments are my lifeblood.

@Glagla
What you are describing seems to be good manners on thaw part of an author, and what many of us do. I can't imagine that this is what floppy was referring to. On the other hand, if you were to notice a member had recently read a few of your stories (without commenting) and you were to send him/her a popup message "why the hell didn't you comment on my stories, you ingrate" (or perhaps something much more polite that is still interpreted the same way), THAT is what floppy seems to be discouraging. And I swear, I'm not going to do that any more.