What makes you comment?

I'm curious - what's your commenting ratio, and what inspires you to comment?

My ratio is 1.7 to 1 (ranked a "commenting deity"), and nowadays I try to comment on everything I read and include at least one positive comment amongst feedback. When I first started reading on here, I was less stringent, only commenting if a story really took my fancy. So what inspires you to comment? Is there anything that would encourage you to comment more?

For myself, every comment makes me smile. Knowing someone read my writing warms my heart. That's why I try to comment frequently.

I’m a commenting deity too! 2:1.

Hello, there, fellow god!

For me, it’s the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I commented more when I started posting stories, since I hoped for lots of comments on mine!

If I really like a writer I’ll often read everything they’ve written, and comment on it all, or most of it, as well.

I seem to have a ratio of 1.44:1, and I try to comment on basically everything I read these days, although I may occasionally forget if I read something on the bus and don't have time to comment then and there. I must admit that I do not always have an inner urge to comment, but as an author myself I know how much comments are appreciated, and I can usually find something nice to say.

I certainly do comment when I enjoy a story. But what if I haven't enjoyed a story? I don't like to be negative, so I feel not commenting is the better option. Maybe others enjoy what I don't. Maybe a lack of comments is enough.

mianders

That's interesting about not commenting. I personally try to find at least one thing I like about a story to comment on, even if the rest of it wasn't for me - a well-named character, a funny line, an unusual structure. I think we're probably coming at it from the same approach, though - don't make authors feel bad about themselves.

I wouldn’t really tear into anyone’s writing; it’s hard enough to write badly, let alone well, heaven knows!

I might make a suggestion re plot sometimes, but I always try to say something appreciative.

I comment if something really tickles my fancy--more than usual.

I find it harder to comment if I haven't liked something, particularly if I think it is badly written. I do, however, comment negatively, but generally only if is an element of an otherwise readable tale eg that's the wrong word there, you changed tenses halfway through, etc. I genuinely welcome comments like that on my work.

Geoffrey Stirling.

Let me return more seriously to the original question of what makes me comment. There seems to be a number of reasons:

1. Real enthusiasm for the story: When I come across a story I really like, either for its literary quality or for its message (or for both!), I feel a strong urge to let the author know. I'm not always the most perceptive or eloquent of commenters, but I try to find a way to express my enthusiasm, hopefully in a way that pinpoints what is unique about the story.

2. Curiosity: Sometimes there is something I don't quite understand about a story. It may be intentional (as when the author wants to leave the ending open for the readers to ponder) or unintentional, but in such situation I often comment to get a reaction from the author: Is it supposed to be this way or that, or are are we all supposed to decide by ourselves?

3. A detail that deserves mention: Often there is something in a story that strikes my eye: a turn of phrase, a joke, a particularly apt description etc.

4. The behavior of the characters: I'm a naive reader; I like to think of the characters in a story as real people, and I often feel an urge to comment on their behavior, their choices, or their destiny.

5. Author encouragement: I occasionally comment just to encourage the authors (don't tell them!), especially new authors. I may not actually be that enthusiastic about their story, but there is usually something worth a mention.

The only stories I find it hard to comment on, are the ones that I find morally repulsive. I don't mind stories about cruel disciplinarians or outrageous punishments in themselves, but I find it problematic when the author seems to side with the unjust and embrace abuse.

I am also a commenting deity although it looks like I only comment on about one in three stories.

What makes me comment? Enthusiasm mostly when I have just read a story and it has been a satisfying read. I particularly like stories which give insight into psychological motivation or those that make me laugh.

I could comment more. Sometimes I read the existing comments and do not feel I can add much, sometimes it is laziness on my part. I will never write a story and I do appreciate the effort that goes into every story.

Given the general ratio among those not participating in this thread, perhaps the better question is: what makes you NOT comment? ;-

As for me? I love when a story resonates with me, particularly if an author brings some very real aspect of this lifestyle to fictional life. Like any art form, talking the human experience, and rendering it in a way that connects and then takes the relatable experience further to make the reader think, feel, or even just chuckle, is what it's all about. So, when that happens, I get excited, and that enthusiasm makes it hard not to comment. But I too find it hard to decide on a proper course of action when I don't like a story. Part of me wants to comment anyway and thinks that perhaps some criticism might lead the author to better choices in the future, but experience has taught me that most authors don't really want criticism. Many say they do, and some actually mean it, but a significant number write for very personal and sexual reasons, and pointing out the more literary fumbles just seems to irritate more than help.

Now as for why so many others don't comment (just look at ANY story by ANY author for a sad views-to-comments ratio) I think there's something very different going on than mere polite reluctance by an otherwise avid commenter. And I think that 'something' is mere consumer arrogance by people who are here for a specific reason and are just using the fruits of others' labor to get what they want as if the pieces here were free Halloween candy supplied by a rich benefactor to kids who were never taught to say, 'thank you'.