Agreed, Fans Should Not Be Afraid To Interact With The Author Of A Fic They Like Because In The End We

agreed, fans should not be afraid to interact with the author of a fic they like because in the end we all like that thing and its what brings us together, lol

plus, as an author, comments and kudos give me motivation and fuel me to write. a lot of the times i do talk about fics to other people, but i do kudos all the fics i like

i dont get why people are so afraid to show their appreciation to an author when in the end we’re all loser enough to write and read about fictional characters. plus, kudos exists for a reason, and even if youre too scared to kudos something on your account, you could do it on a guest or something idk

i definitely agree with this entirely btw

So recently I've noticed a lot of discussion in fandom spaces regarding how readers discuss fics in private Discord servers without the author present, and as a fanfic writer myself, I'm... kind of conflicted.

On one hand, I believe that readers have the right to a space away from the author where they can freely share their thoughts on the fic with one another, especially when those thoughts are not 100% positive nor otherwise appropriate to share with the author directly. Discussing a fic with your friends is a very different social situation to leaving a comment directly on the fic where you'd expect the author to see it, so I can understand why some readers choose to do one but not the other, especially since many authors don't want any constructive criticism nor anything perceived as negative in their fic comments. I will admit, I do sometimes wonder if, or how often, people talk about my writing in private spaces, but it's only an idle curiosity, not a thought that keeps me up at night.

On the other hand, if a bunch of people talk about a particular fanfic in a private server, but none of them comment on the fic directly, or worse, leave kudos, then that's kind of weird, IMO. I've read anecdotes from fellow writers detailing how they got little to no feedback on their fic and thought nobody was reading it, only to discover that a bunch of people were reading it, but only sharing their thoughts in a private space the author wasn't privy to. That's fucked up. Fanfiction authors should not be seen as above their readers, even if their fics are on Heat Waves levels of notoriety. We're fans just like you, and we'd love to have the opportunity to discuss our work with fellow fans. If our work means so much to you that you stay up all night reading it, that you can't stop thinking about it, that you're driven to gush about it with your friends – we want to hear about it! If you're going to talk about a fic in a private space, the very least you could do is leave kudos, just to let the author know that yes, someone is out there reading and enjoying their stuff. Again, readers have the right to that private space, and to be honest I personally don't mind if they don't also comment directly on my fics; that's absolutely fine, I consider comments to be a lovely bonus rather than an expectation. But I know how hurtful and isolating it can be to think that nobody even cares enough to say "thank you, I liked this!" in response to a piece of writing you've poured your heart and soul into.

Idk, that's just my two cents on the matter.