Plus, even if you don't get reviews in turn, you've a) made other authors happy by reviewing them, and b) maybe inspired other people to do more reviewing as well, both on those authors' stories and, perhaps, eventually your own as well. Really, it's a win-win all around, no matter how you look at it.
So, you're not wrong, but this doesn't avoid the problem of there only being a very narrow band of safe comments. Trying to stick within that can turn it into a frustrating chore and you risk people feeling you're insincere. Branch out, and you risk saying the wrong thing and being yelled at. And even if you can handle someone blowing up at you, when we're operating under the system where that only happens because you purposely chose to ruin their day, it may make people decide you don't deserve comments and you'd be better off in that respect if you stayed quiet. Even if you can walk the line flawlessly, the comments you get in return are likely going to base what's acceptable on your own ones, so we still have the problem that people can want more in-depth comments but neither side is willing to take the risk of going first.
It's better than silence but it is way more difficult and risky than it should be.
I'm willing to say fuck it and comment with my thoughts because that's what I want in return, and this has gotten me a circle of people who'll actually talk to me about what I wrote, but I would absolutely not wish the cost of that on anyone else, and I know a lot of people flat out can't put up with that level of abuse.
Comment on Curing the Comment Drought
Farla on Chapter 1 Fri 17 Apr 2020 01:24AM UTC
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