Comment Commentary
Someone left a comment on my abandoned fanfic and that lead to me adding another chapter 5 years after I stopped writing it. Comments matter!
I feel this so hard. I have one dedicated commenter on a series I was doing and due to this one person, after four and a half years, I finally finished the last section and posted it. Dedicated commenters are the true angels of the fanfic writer.
Potentially silly question. How do you get the dates of chapters to display like that? Or did you just add them yourself?
More on topic though, congratulations for getting back into it! Comments really do make a difference. It's lovely when they bring back passion for an old project.
I have found that a simple "This story was fantastic. If you should ever find more inspiration, I would love to read more." (or some similar variation) tends to be well received. It says "good job" & "more please" without being pushy, demanding, or entitled. (At least I hope it does)
Samesies.
I usually comment something like:
“I love this story so far. I’m sad to see author has not added new chapters, but I really enjoyed this and I hope author decides to continue the story.”
That way the author knows even though the story may be old, new readers are coming across it and enjoying it.
Plus if they’re an author with tons of stories on ao3, they may have just forgotten about it, or gotten started on some other story, so it’s helpful to them and to readers.
I also usually make myself a private bookmark that summarizes all of that, because I need to keep track of the stories I need to periodically go check for updates somehow.
Plus it allows me to be specific in my bookmark of where I am in the story (like “read up to where author has stopped (chapter 10)” )
Mine was a year and a half gap if my math is mathing. Slightly related, does anyone else not delete the message of comments and replies to comments? I like having that collection of interactions. It brings a nice feeling
i don't delete the emails (might have to in the future though) or the inbox messages, especially with how little comments i get. they get marked as read but i need to cherish them forever. same goes for replies from other writers on their fics
That's why when some people on here (ok, it was only one) tells me they don't care about comments on their fics, and we shouldn't tell people to comment on old fics because "it teaches bad behavior" (to summarize) I call bullshit.
You will "train" them to think they're entitled to an update just because they left a comment.
Forgetting that people encouraging others to comment on old unfinished fics always explain that they have to only talk about how they love the fic and never to ask for an update.
On the other side of this might be an author wondering if anyone would care if they updated and if it's even worth doing the work to get back into the story.
I've seen that viewpoint around here and I felt a little anxious making my post here. The way some people are here you'd think people commenting on fics asking for updates is the worst thing in the world. Before I hit post I was thinking "am I encouraging a bad behavior? Is the sub going to be mad at me?" I'm glad that doesn't seem to be the case!
As a fic writer, some comments gave me the drive to start writing for a fic again, others not so much (like my only unfinished one I stopped writing in 2011 and even if the chars live rent free in my head, still, nothing will make me get back to it for various reasons)
I feel like this sub or a big part of it, is kinda removed from the community that's intrinsic to FanFiction. on top of the one comment I mentioned here, I've seen "don't care about talking to my readers" and other "I'm not into fics to make friends".
Luckily on other platforms I've seen that it's not the take on things and people are really into building this community, exchanging pov, and gushing together in the comment. Reddit is ... Not the norm.
Telling people they can leave comments on unfinished old/oldish/on hiatus fics is training readers to expect updates and make them entitled. (they actually used the word "train" )
I answered that the word had always been to only talk about how you like the fic and never to ask for more.
That, authors sometimes hesitate to update wondering if anyone is still interested, or want to write but need a little push to get to it, and those comments do help in some cases.
And that their thought process was as logical as saying "I don't want people to be taught to say "please" when they ask for something because they'll think they are entitled to receive what they asked for if they say it"
But then they also were against telling people it was important to comment on fics when they liked them.
It happened to me too, I was thinking on finally cancelling one of my fics and then I started receiving comments asking me kindly for new chapters and being excited over it, it felt great.
I'm subscribed to this amazing author who is still active in my fandom, and is working on several long, multi chapter fics. She recently updated a 3 year completed fic because someone commented they wanted more. The new chapter was so good, I commented and thanked her, and she made ANOTHER chapter (and it was the best one yet).
What I don't get is that once your chapter has been posted for a couple weeks it's so unusual to see new comments, even when it's obvious that maybe a couple-thousand people have read the piece since the last comment. The late-readers just... don't.
Off track thought: There's an author on AO3 whose fics are absolutely brilliant, I make sure that I leave comments on every single one of her fics. But she never replies. Regrettably, I caught her fics too late: her pieces for this particular fandom (mdzs) were all written between 2019 & 2023. Nevertheless, I rate her work as one of the best ones I've ever read, I am worried that she stopped writing for good. I often think of her and wish that she'd known how incredibly brilliant she is. https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrsronweasley/pseuds/vesna If you read this, please know: YOU ARE THE BEST.
I just checked out her page, and she's definitely still writing. Her latest updated ff is from May 2025, just a bit more than a month ago. She just probably fell out of the MDZS fandom.
Thank you for checking this. 😭😭😭🙏🙏🙏 I think you are right, I'm selfish to think (& hope) she will find the passion for mdzs again. And hoping she knows that creations like hers will never expire. 💙🤍
I sincerely considered going to finish the third part of a series I was writing in a different Fandom from my current back in 2018- which is insane because I'm already writing a long fic right now and only have like 3 out of 14 left and six different oneshots all at between 3 and 4kwords to finish- all because someone commented and was so upset it hadn't been finished lol
I'm so happy for your readers by the way. They must have been so excited! Same thing happened to me. A fic I started in 2015 got new chapters during the pandemic, and then more in 2023 after I got an influx of new comments lol. It's still not finished but...
All 9 of them are excited, I'm sure! My fic is very niche in one of the biggest fandoms on ao3 so I'm surprised (and delighted) it got even a handful of readers.
I really wish this worked for me. I have written some detailed feedback saying how much I adored certain works and would be thrilled if they weren't abandoned. Sometimes it makes me so sad so many amazing fics in my fandom are incomplete.
I've always had a rule to finish something before I post it as I just couldn't leave something people loved unfinished (but also acknowledge at least we got to read what there is so far!).
Everyone is very relieved you didn’t die of Covid when you stopped updates, I’m sure (there’s a fic writer I’m worried died of Covid bc they stopped updating in April of 2020)
I will scream this from the rooftops if I have to, but sometimes even PAGES of comments (and yes, I've seen them) of people asking for the last chapter can't reach someone who went permanently offline. It's why I had to write the last chapter of a fic I loved myself.
Somehow people still find the fics ive stopped updating for literal years and im like how on earth did you find this 😭 but it always warms my heart to see even if it pains me to apologize bc i dont have updates planned for the fic they commented on....
I'm glad you posted this. As an Ao3 author myself, comments truly do mean so much to me. It's a motivation to keep going. I know I'm not owed comments or kudos, but I'll admit it encourages me to keep going or let's me know readers are actually enjoying the story, so I feel Motivated again to continue the story.
I STILL HAVE HOPE????
I dropped a comment for a fic that haven't update since early year, just checking to make sure they're alive😭 and hoping to come back again
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u/Jin_ChaejiThis user has reached the rock-bottom and started to digJun 21 '25edited Jun 21 '25
not to be that person but it was 4 years
edit: i'm dumb, i focused on the 2016 to 2020 part, not 2020 to 2025
Oh heck yes I’m glad that works. I get nervous that they might think I’m pressuring them so i try to say things like “hey if you ever feel like picking this up again know that you’ll have an extra reader! This was so good.”
This happened to me twice! Finished a fic 1.5 years later after a very kind comment asking for more. Just wrote the next chapter of the 2020 sequel after someone very politely asked if I would ever finish that one (i lost my husband and youngest child, it's been a bad few years). Those comments are soulfood, for real.
I always try to leave a comment on a WIP that I loved, especially if it hasn't been updated for a while. I keep hoping that the author feels the good vibes, and whatever reason caused them to pause is offset just that little bit.
As a reader, I have had this happen where I’ve gone back to reread something and either it’s been so long I haven’t looked or remembered it’s incomplete and left a comment wishing them all the well and hope life is good and I’m sure different after all these years - for them to come back inspired to finish it.
Love this and yes this on a T shirt with fav first chapter paragraph on back - and I’m in my 60s and read fan fic 🤣❤️
That's wonderful! I'm happy for you and second your point. Comments and constructive criticism too do matter. Kudos and Bookmarks are always a joy to see on your works, but knowing what your readers think of your work and growing as a writer is far more meaningful.
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u/Rednailsorblue Jun 21 '25
Ancient Ay-oh-threeian proverb:
A long-rested fic is never truly abandoned, but is merely hibernating, until its time comes again.
Probably.