this is my personal take on various ways to support fandom writers on ao3 and twitter. all types of support—comments, kudos, likes, rts, qrts, personal ccs/dms, etc. this is just my opinion it, so other writers may vary, but please see below if you’re interested.

on ao3, when it comes to leaving kudos, i think its just common courtesy to leave kudos on every fic you’ve completed. you’ve reached the end? hit kudos. that simple, that easy. to me, leaving kudos simply means “i’ve read this, thanks”. its the Easiest way to show support imo.

the great thing abt ao3 (not too sure about other writing platforms tbh) is that you can interact with a fic anonymously. that’s what a guest is on that site. there’s is, in my opinion, nothing stopping literally everyone who’s completed a fic from leaving kudos. it takes 1 sec.

imo, the hits to kudos ratio is saddening and disappointing. and i kno its never gonna be 1:1 bc ppl re-read, ppl skim and then leave, etc. but it’s also very clear that the general amount of people who consume fics aren’t nearly the amount that also leave kudos n that’s a shame.

when comes to commenting, i think of it is the extra step to saying thank you. it’s clearly where you’re able to write back to the writer and share your thoughts and:or gratitude. you can ask questions or simply scream. it’s your space. and i think that’s awesome.

very clearly, the majority of writers cherish and look forward to comments from their readers. possibly more than getting many kudos on their fic. so i encourage everyone who has an extra 2 minutes to leave a comment. it can be as simple as “loved this!” anything goes a long way.

it seems many readers overthink(?) what they feel a writer is looking for in a comment. i’m here to assure you anything—and i mean ANYTHING—will do. it can be a keysmash or a simple thank you. we aren’t looking for you to write back 5k. we just wanna know that you liked it.

for this reason, im constantly baffled at how many people... don’t... comment. writers say time n time again that a small comment of “loved this!” makes their day, and still some people choose not to. and i understand that shyness comes into play. luckily ao3 has guest comments!

the way i see it—yes i know i intentionally write and publish these fics for free, but that doesn’t mean i’m doing it for silence. yes, i write for myself first. but i post it for others to also enjoy. all i wanna know is that you’ve enjoyed it. that’s it. that’s really it.

when it comes to bookmarks on ao3, unless you’ve made the bookmark private, please know the writer can SEE what you’ve written. so pls refrain from rating the fic or whatever. it’s super discouraging to look at a bookmark n see someone’s rated your fic 4/10. stop that. shut up.

comments in a bookmark however, dnt substitute for a comment ON the fic. i’ve seen many people write beautiful things about my fics in their bookmarks, but not say a single word of it directly to me. pls comment ON the fic, leave love ON the fic, let the writer feel appreciated.

to me, the point of a comment is to have the thoughts and love from the people who’ve read it stay WITH the fic. it can be a place i scroll through n read if i’m feeling discouraged. so leaving positive comments in the bookmarks or saying it to your friends in dms are kind, yes +

+ but please please PLEASE say those kind things TO the person who wrote it. and again, if you’re shy, leave that lovely comment as a guest. trust me. it goes a long way, and there’s no reason the writer shouldn’t see that someone’s really enjoyed their work!

quote retweets are GREAT for writers and NOT GREAT for artists, keep that in mind. so yes, please, qrt the fics you’ve read and snippets you see and twitter thread fics you’ve read! your comment on the rt serves as a recommendation! it’s helpful! please do it!

the people that follow you will see your reaction to the fic/snippet/twt thread and most likely feel more inclined to check it out. you’re their friend/mutual, they’re going to trust your word and be intrigued by your reaction. it’s helpful for writers. please qrt!

for me personally, i qrt AND rt most of the time. a qrt for my reaction and a rt for exposure for the writer. and i usually qrt AFTER i’ve left kudos and a comment on that persons fic. but that’s jus me, and as a writer, i know the support helps. i encourage u to do this too!

personal dms and cc’s are ofc welcomed. as a writer, i love having positive interactions with you guys. im constantly floored that you guys read the things i write. so if you’re one of those people who leave lovely ccs and dms for writers, thank you! i love you!

all in all, my point is pls show support where the writer can see it. if you’re shy, simply do it as a guest. the writer still deserves to know you’ve liked their writing. please make leaving kudos a habit. a simple “thank u!” as a comment does wonders. please support ur writers!

—this is the end of my rambling. if you’re a reader and now a writer, please consider reading all of this. your support is what keeps your fav writers writing. to all my writers, i love you, please keep going