Why do writers comment on their own stories?

[DeYaKen]

In the loving wives section recently an author wrote more words in comments on his own story than were contained in the actual story.

This begs the question what motivates authors to comment on their own work?

Is it just to bump up the number of comments?

Is it to answer their critics?

Is it that the story needed to be explained?

Do you do it? and if so why?

 

[mikoli5763]

Yes,

I've done it in the past, but don't think I will in the future.
I over reacted to some of the comments and felt I needed to explain my reasons for how the story went or to defend myself when the comment was to personal. It was during the period of my beginning to write and submit and hadn't developed the thicker skin to allow me to ignore such comments that I have now.
Some comments still evoke both of those reactions, but I bring them here now that I've found AH.

 

[oggbashan]

I have done it rarely but for specific reasons.

1. To thank previous commentors for their advice e.g. when I changed the name of a character in the final few paragraphs.

2. To explain that the older comments refer to the version before a substantial edit.

3. To note that the story is stalled awaiting another chapter, or needs a substantial rewrite.

Generally I think that it is pointless for an author to comment on earlier comments because the person who left that comment is unlikely to return to see if there is any response.

An author's comment is only likely to be read by future readers.

 

[RejectReality]

To admit a mistake when a reader points it out in a comment.

To answer questions from anonymous.

To leave notes about scheduling for ongoing stories.

To thank the anonymous commenters ( usually address signed comments directly )

Very rarely to address negative commentary that I feel is unfounded and detrimental to potential readership if left unchecked. Usually, other readers take care of this without any need for intervention.

If possible, I try to lump all of the above into a single comment. The first and last are usually the ones that end up by themselves, as they tend to not happen within the first rush of comments, or before the comments really get going.

Oddly enough, I've found that there are a fair number of readers who will return to see a comment "conversation" and sometimes respond. If that's the only way they'll interact, and they're interesting enough, I'm happy to have a conversation with them on the comment board.

 

[TxRad]

What Ogg said, more or less.

 

[Tsotha]

An author's comment is only likely to be read by future readers.

Well, future readers will know that, if they comment, it is possible that you'll respond.

I think responding is a very cordial thing to do, especially if you're writing a long story and there are people who always leave a comment. People like being appreciated, and feeling like their comment isn't just being thrown in an unread pile of words, so I'd say it's good to acknowledge and thank them for their input.

 

[DeYaKen]

Well, future readers will know that, if they comment, it is possible that you'll respond.

I think responding is a very cordial thing to do, especially if you're writing a long story and there are people who always leave a comment. People like being appreciated, and feeling like their comment isn't just being thrown in an unread pile of words, so I'd say it's good to acknowledge and thank them for their input.

But surely that is something you do with a PM. I thank most commenters, good or bad but never by adding another comment. Of course all those anons get rejected.

I have done this once or twice in the past. The last time was to explain why a story was so short (I'd written it for another site and decided to share it with lit readers.)

The writer in question was even posting comments on his own comments. I wondered if it was a means of prolonging the life of the story by having it appear in the most recent comments list.

 

[oggbashan]

But surely that is something you do with a PM. I thank most commenters, good or bad but never by adding another comment. Of course all those anons get rejected.

...

I agree. Responding by PM is better than writing a comment on the comment.

I regret that I haven't responded as much as I should. My excuse is that I don't always notice when a new comment is added to my stories because I have so many posted. Even if I do notice, often off-line life interferes with my available time.

I do appreciate comments, but if I don't notice one I don't think it is worth responding by PM a couple of months late.

 

[Tsotha]

But surely that is something you do with a PM. I thank most commenters, good or bad but never by adding another comment. Of course all those anons get rejected.

I have done this once or twice in the past. The last time was to explain why a story was so short (I'd written it for another site and decided to share it with lit readers.)

The writer in question was even posting comments on his own comments. I wondered if it was a means of prolonging the life of the story by having it appear in the most recent comments list.

For one reason or another, many do not feel comfortable sending a PM, or even getting an account on Literotica. And yet, from what I've seen (on other people's stories—I don't have anything published yet), some anons might just be convinced to do that if they are acknowledged by the writer. I guess some people are just shy.

 

[soflabbwlvr]

I have done it when a reader was confused about something in the story. I apologized for not expressing the concept more clearly, and then explained what I had intended.

I've also done it to direct readers to a sequel that was not readily apparent from the titles of the two pieces.

I have noticed that other authors engage in dialog with their readers. Those authors tend to have the most comments, and the most loyal readers. I respond to private feedback, but not the posted comments.

 

[Cruel2BKind]

In the comments, I sometimes acknowledge if i've made a mistake in the narrative.

For instance in one story, I accidentally switched from 3rd to 1st person for about a paragraph. In a story that was supposed to take place in the 70's, I mentioned viagra. In the title line of an apocalypse story, I accidentally called the evil church 'unitarians', instead of Unitarist.

stuff like that

 

[horrorotica]

On top of what the others said I sometimes do it just to say thanks if I have been getting nice comments.

 

[SecondCircle]

I have owned up for glaring mistakes in the comments field of a particular story before. Just felt I wanted to confirm what the person commenting had pointed out.

There's an idea I've been toying with. Part of me thinks it's pretty cool, but part of me thinks it's dumb as hell. I've thought of going back to stories a few months down the road, after the comments, votes, and views have settled down, and leaving an "Author's Recap" of each story. Sort of a short monologue of my thoughts and feelings about my story. Not to say "OMG this was a good story I wrote! You fuckers should read it and give it a five!" But to kind of give a few thoughts on it. Like what inspired the story or concept, to point out a few things I wished I delivered better, some favorite points of the story, how I think I've improved, etc. etc. Sort of like a "making the movie" DVD special feature with a movie director or something like that. Just a little snippet.

Recently I thought of doing it and was kinda like, "yeah, that's not a bad idea." Then I sit there for a minute and eventually say, "That's dumb as fuck. Who would care? Just write your damn stories."

Meh. Oh well.

 

[desertslave]

I've only ever commented on one of my own stories, and it was to correct a rather snide comment with erroneous information. I almost deleted the original comment, but decided to let it stand (along with my response) in the hopes of educating the readers just a bit.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I have owned up for glaring mistakes in the comments field of a particular story before. Just felt I wanted to confirm what the person commenting had pointed out.

There's an idea I've been toying with. Part of me thinks it's pretty cool, but part of me thinks it's dumb as hell. I've thought of going back to stories a few months down the road, after the comments, votes, and views have settled down, and leaving an "Author's Recap" of each story. Sort of a short monologue of my thoughts and feelings about my story. Not to say "OMG this was a good story I wrote! You fuckers should read it and give it a five!" But to kind of give a few thoughts on it. Like what inspired the story or concept, to point out a few things I wished I delivered better, some favorite points of the story, how I think I've improved, etc. etc. Sort of like a "making the movie" DVD special feature with a movie director or something like that. Just a little snippet.

Recently I thought of doing it and was kinda like, "yeah, that's not a bad idea." Then I sit there for a minute and eventually say, "That's dumb as fuck. Who would care? Just write your damn stories."

Meh. Oh well.

Seems like a good idea to me.

 

[sr71plt]

I do it rarely--to respond to a reader comment that I think begs for response.

What I like to see in an author joining in the comments is the author's thoughts on the why/what of the story. What inspired it, what the author was striving for.

 

[SecondCircle]

I do it rarely--to respond to a reader comment that I think begs for response.

What I like to see in an author joining in the comments is the author's thoughts on the why/what of the story. What inspired it, what the author was striving for.

Huh. Makes me think my dumb idea may be worth a shot. I too think if I read a story and I really enjoyed it, I'd be interested in reading a comment by the author giving a little insight on the inspiration and a little afterthought. Maybe I'll look into going forward with it. Part of me considered it a little conceited, but I double think too much sometimes.

 

[lovecraft68]

I have done It couple of times if an anon comment either posed a great question or made a gpod point

And that is because they were anon and no other way to contact them.

Im general I don't respond. I never argue and I don't defend my story. I had a poster say I was totally inaccurate in a story and I knew I was not. That is enough for me.nothing to prove to anymouse.

I think it looks tacky when authors reply all the time in the comments
Makes them look defensive and insecure. My oplnlon anyway

 

[SecondCircle]

I have done It couple of times if an anon comment either posed a great question or made a gpod point

And that is because they were anon and no other way to contact them.

Im general I don't respond. I never argue and I don't defend my story. I had a poster say I was totally inaccurate in a story and I knew I was not. That is enough for me.nothing to prove to anymouse.

I think it looks tacky when authors reply all the time in the comments
Makes them look defensive and insecure. My oplnlon anyway

I don't like when authors respond defensively in the comments section. There's some dumb crap people say sometimes, and that can be hard to overlook without response. But I always shrug and take the bad with the good.

If its constructive, either thank them or nod and move along. Lesson learned. If its a troll, don't feed them. At all. You're better than that, and if you know they're wrong, then that should be all you need. If they're begging you for a sequel, thank them maybe and give them a "yes or no" update on your plans. Or don't and let the writing or next submission say it all.
If it's an ad, delete it. If it's a zealot and/or psychotic hater that comments in poorly spelled all caps, frame it.

That's kinda how I view it.

 

[slyc_willie]

I did it once to explain why a series (which I later took down) was unfinished. Other than that, I like the reasons Ogg and RR gave for responding to comments. I suppose there are a few of mine in which I could admit to a mistake (such as my magical morphing VW Bug that became a Mercedes in Coming of Age), but those stories and comments have been up for so long now that doing so would be moot.

 

[Tx Tall Tales]

I do it on most stories that get a lot of comments. Much for the same reasons others have stated. To address other comments, to apologize for mistakes, to give the reader some insight into what I was thinking. I try to avoid responding to negative comments, unless they are accurate, and then I typically 'fess up. On stories with overwhelmingly positive responses, like Charity Begins Next Door, every 50-75 comments, I'll leave one of my own, thanking the commenters. In controversial stories that generate a lot of feedback, I'll respond with one large comment, addressing many of the most useful directly.

There's another reason, I didn't see addressed.

I believe in building a fan base. Connecting with the readers. Letting them have a peek behind the curtain, so to speak. For this reason, I usually have an introduction, where I sometimes talk about the story, and some of the ideas behind it. I'll respond to comments, describing my thoughts that went into the writing, and at the end I'll write a few lines to the reader. I believe it helps build a rapport with the readers, whose comments and emails often talk to me directly, instead of leaving generic statements. I understand this is different than what most authors do, but I find it valuable, and think it works.

I don't use PM much with the readers, and don't make a habit of PMing everyone who leaves a comment. I do respond to email, and that already takes up more of my writing time than I'd prefer.

 

[sr71plt]

I don't PM readers--unless they PM me, which only rarely happens. I respond to e-mails that don't want to pick a fight. And I receive very few critical ones. I have on occasion e-mailed thanks to the readers who read a lot of my stories and give them very favorable reviews. I don't beg them to continue or push stories at them, though--I just note my gratitude that they are giving such encouragement.

 

[lovecraft68]

I did comment once to own up to a mistake that eventually became a joke with a few readers who e-mailed me on a regular basis on my SWB series.

I started a story with the woman wearing black panties. Later I wanted someone to see her panties were soaked through which would not happen with black so I changed the color. I went through and thought I got them all, but missed a couple and two readers pointed it out, but neither mean spirited I think they got a kick out of catching it.

So I pretty much came out and said they got me, then made a joke about them being "mood" panties.

 

[StrangeLife]

The comment area is for the readers - not the author - so I never write in it. I had my say in the story. I read it carefully of course, since that's how I learn how to improve my writing.

On a more general note, I feel that a story should never require the author to explain or excuse anything. If it does, it's not ready to be published and needs more work.

 

[sr71plt]

The comment area is for the readers - not the author

Oh? Where do you see the Web site making that statement?