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101 Comment Starters

I began working on this last summer. Like many veteran fanfiction authors, I lament the decline in commenting that I’ve seen in my fandom, the Tolkien fandom. I’m also a humanities teacher, so I spend a good part of my day teaching young people how to write, and one lesson I’ve learned the hard way is that each type of writing involves unique skills that have to be learned. And commenting is a unique form of writing and one that comes with added stresses around social expectations and public performance. My research on the Tolkien fanfic community confirms this: Many people want to comment, but they simply don’t know what to say.

As a teacher of writing, I often use  sentence starters or mentor sentences. The writer uses these to jumpstart their thinking and writing, until they become comfortable enough to begin working independently. “101 Comment Starters” is built around this research-based strategy of teaching writing.

Some of the comment starters are simple enough that they can be merely copied and pasted. Others require filling in some blanks or providing some elaboration. In some cases, a because can be dropped if the reader isn’t comfortable providing that level of elaboration yet. In other cases, a more experienced commenter can add the because and elaborate more on their comment.

They also differ in their level of praise. They range from simple statements of how the author made the reader feel to compliments around an aspect of the author’s writing or their work in general. I’ve tried to limit words like really, very, and so as much as possible, except when it made the comment feel wooden. You’re welcome, of course, to add those words in if you feel they more accurately help capture how a story impacted you.

If you’re just starting to comment, please keep in mind that the vast majority of authors will love to hear from you! They don’t care how long or elaborate your comment is. They don’t care if your English is perfect or if you’re a little awkward. They just want to know that you’re reading and enjoying their work.

Finally, please feel free to reblog and share and add your own comment starters!

101 Comment Starters

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Ten questions to ask a friend who just read your novel

Here are ten questions to ask that will not put your friend in a tough spot, but will still give you some useful input on your novel:

1. At what point did you feel like “Ah, now the story has really begun!”  2. What were the points where you found yourself skimming?  3. Which setting in the book was clearest to you as you were reading it? Which do you remember the best?  4. Which character would you most like to meet and get to know?  5. What was the most suspenseful moment in the book?  6. If you had to pick one character to get rid of, who would you axe?  7. Was there a situation in the novel that reminded you of something in your own life?  8. Where did you stop reading, the first time you cracked open the manuscript? (Can show you where your first dull part is, and help you fix your pacing.)  9. What was the last book you read, before this? And what did you think of it? (This can put their comments in context in surprising ways, when you find out what their general interests are. It might surprise you.)  10. Finish this sentence: “I kept reading because…”

Your friend is probably still going to tell you, “It was good!” However, if you can ask any specific questions, and read between the lines, you can still get some helpful information out of even the most well-meaning reader.

Source: Examiner

Writing Tips Pt. 15 - Constructive Criticism

One important thing for any writer is to learn how to receive feedback on their work so they can improve. Even professionals can continue to improve their craft, and having an outside perspective can be very important to this.

One thing I often see among novice writers is a misunderstanding of what actually constitutes "constructive criticism." I frequently see novice authors who say they want constructive criticism, but when someone leaves a comment or review that brings up anything less than absolutely positive (pointing out a flaw, expressing confusion over a character's behavior, etc.), the author responds as though the entire story, and the author by extension, has been outright insulted. They say they want constructive criticism, but what they really want is just praise.

So first you need to know what constructive criticism actually is.

Praise: when the reader is gushing over every good thing in the story. ("This is the best story ever! You're awesome! I love your characters! It was great when your characters did the thing, and I liked how you wrote the fight sequence!")

Constructive Criticism, Critique: when the reader points out the story's flaws, but also (sometimes) what the author has done well. There may not always be positives mentioned, but the overall tone will be informative rather than hateful. If the reader knows of ways to fix the flaws or otherwise improve the story, they'll also provide such suggestions. ("I really liked your story. You captured the main character's personality well, and I liked how they interacted with their nemesis. Your pacing through the fight sequence felt rushed, though. Maybe if you switched to a different POV character for that scene? Or wrote a few extra action beats in there. You also gave one character a fire spell in chapter three but previously they could only do ice magic. I love your magic system, though!")

Insults, Flames: when the reader is negative to the point of offense. The commentary will be unhelpful. ("Your story sucks! You should stop writing! Go jump in a lake!")

Now, it should be noted that praise is not bad. Only one of these three types of feedback is universally bad, and that would be the insults. Ignore these. Block the comments if you can, report them for abuse if the site you're on allows it, and move on with your day. But keep in mind that simply pointing out the story's shortcomings aren't (usually) a personal attack, even if they don't mention any positives at all. The idea is generally to help, not harm. If there is a personal attack, ignore the attack.

But if it's just actual constructive criticism, put on your big kid pants, accept or ignore (because you don't have to accept someone's constructive criticism, even if you asked for it in the first place), and and don't retaliate. Throwing a fit when someone points out your spelling errors or your gross mischaracterization just makes you look like a child. And this applies to grown adults and professional writers just as much as beginners.

But if you take the feedback with grace and dignity, even if it's to politely point out that you're not accepting constructive criticism at this time or that you have an editor but thanks for the feedback anyway, you will come across as a professional in attitude, even if you're just starting out.