How to Write a Story Comment

And by how to write a story comment, I mean how to write a good story comment. As in a comment where, when the author receives it, they’re like ‘god DAMN this is a lovely comment and I’m going to cry because this comment made my day’, type comments.

(JUST TO CLARIFY this is not pointed at anyone in particular, I’ve noticed in general some people don’t know how to give story comments or refrain from doing so because they’re not sure what to say, etc etc. So here is my lil guide)

There’s two types of comments I love receiving from people:
a) The story comment where the person fangirls about the characters and the plot line and though it’s not necessarily constructive, it’s still nice to hear.
EG (louis tomlinson.)
Ha, swell. I get it.
I'm making jokes to hide the fact that I am a mESS
I love this story, I love the bond that the group has and how much they all care for each other and just ugh
ALEX
HOW AM I GOING TO RECOVER
(by subscribing to the other stories of course ha)


Idk why but these comments make me melt inside and especially if it’s from someone who’s been following the story for a while and okay maybe I’m just biased to Kara’s comments HA

b) The constructive story comment kind. The comments where you can tell someone’s actually read your story (heads up: it’s pretty obvious when you read a comment whether the commenter has read the story or not. Pro tip, read the story. No one appreciates a comment if you give a comment like: Great story, love the layout, keep it up! This tells me nothing. Throw me a bone.)

Now if you don’t know how to give a story comment or you struggle on what to write in a story comment, read on!

Most people write story comments in different ways, but this is a structure I like to go by to ensure I’m giving a well thought out story comment. Example of each is given by Ella for El (lungsmoke)’s story, If You Love Me, Let Me Know

1. LAYOUT / SUMMARY: I like to write a line or two about the layout, if it fits well with the mood of the story. For the summary, I’d judge whether I find it interesting, whether it captivates me or on the other hand, if there’s too information or not enough. If you think the summary is nice and short, say so. If you think it’s too long and could be edited down, let the author know.

I love, love, love the way you have set up the summary. The second person narrative makes it so much more personal and far easier to connect to the character. I also like that the character has the same birthday as me, just the year before I was born LOL. And, the layout is absolutely beautiful~

Some people like to go chapter by chapter and write their thoughts on each chapter, or some like to combine it all. For combining everything, these are some things I like to comment on:

2. PLOT: Is the plot interesting, is it cliché or has the author put a twist that you’ve enjoyed? Do you think the pacing of the story is too fast or slow (ie is it too quick for character A to meet a guy in chapter one and marry him in chapter two with no explanation of what’s happened)? Are plot details and events consistent? Or are they contradictory?

3. CHARACTERS: How are the characters? Are they dimensional, do they grab your attention or do you think they’re bland? Are they diverse? Are there quirks about them that you like? Do you think the action of what the character does is fitting for the story or do you think it was unnecessary? Pretty much anything you think about the character, lay it all here.

4. STYLE OF WRITING: Has the author written the story in a certain way that makes the plot or the characters stand out or show their character better? Do you think the author is able to convey the story effectively when writing in first / second / third person? How does the writing make you feel? Does it bring out any particular emotion?

I love how raw you keep it - you really capture the awkwardness of puberty and growing up, you don't sugarcoat the details that people normally like to ignore or skim over. You hit the nail completely on the head, I just think the way you have written it is so perfect and just... captures everything perfectly, I can't even think of another way to phrase how I'm feeling about this.

As I've said before, the second person narration really helps to nail down the character and for the reader to engage in the story. It flows well and doesn't sound choppy or awkward as second person narration sometimes can. Him meeting Lachlan and going to the club was actually so perfectly written, I absolutely loved it. There's something very raw and beautiful about the way you have written these experiences, and yet it is so... real. There's something very real about all of this.


5. GRAMMAR / SPELLING: Are there any mistakes? Point them out. Sometimes as authors we miss things that we don’t realise until someone points them out, which are greatly appreciated (at least on my end it is).

6. SPECIFIC LINES YOU LIKED: Sometimes there’s a line that an author is written so I quote it and fangirl after about why I liked the line and why I felt the need to repeat it back to the author.

7. OVERALL COMMENTS: Tie up the comments with a ‘overall, I (insert how you felt about the piece)’. Make a comment or two about what you thought of the plot or characters and a brief sentence on what could be improved and then bam. DONE.

Honestly, the way you handled your chosen character was absolutely perfect. I loved the twist you put on it, I loved that you decided to be experimental. My heart yearned during this whole thing (mainly because I can definitely relate to Billie, 100%). And honestly? The first time I read this I almost cried, because it really hit hard at home. Your writing is absolutely beautiful, I have no idea how you could impossibly improve something so perfectly executed. A beautiful piece!

THINGS TO REMEMBER:
- Point out things you like and things you think could be improved. Don’t say ‘I hate this’ or ‘This is bad / stupid / other insulting word here’. Be constructive, but not rude. You can give criticism, but please do not be mean or rude about it. Not cool, fam.
- READ THE STORY: Like I said before, it’s painfully obvious when someone hasn’t read the story. The comment is extremely vague and honestly, what’s the point of commenting on a story if you’re not willing to read the story? I’d rather a silent reader than a vague half-assed comment.

LAST THING I SWEAR:
- If you are an author looking for feedback, keep in mind that you may get a mix of positive feedback or feedback on how to improve. If it’s the latter, do not be discouraged. No one’s a perfect writer and there’s all things that we could improve on (except Jordan bc have you read her stories). If we never get feedback, how are we supposed to better ourselves? Getting nice comments is obviously a great lil ego boost but if you’re going to a) delete or ignore the comments or b) get defensive, then please don’t ask for feedback if you’re not open to listening to it.

I think that’s it. If I’ve missed anything, I apologise – it’s 2am here and I’m in my loopy stage. Let me know if I’ve missed anything!
May 30th, 2016 at 06:10pm