So, this is a problem that's plagued me for a while, I wanted to get some advice. So i'm the kind of guy who if he reads a story, he likes to leave comment that has at least some detail; I like to say what I liked about it and why so they the author knows where they did well and they can improve. If nothing else I least feel I should leave SOME kind of comment.

But, sometimes I come across a story and I can't write anything. Sometimes it's becuase I like a story, but have nothing to really say beyond liking it; I find simply saying 'I like it' is redundant, and what can you say if you enjoyed something, but have no strong feelings towards it? Sometimes its becuase a story's bad, and the last thing someone needs to hear is some guy telling them it's such; especially if I have no real advice on how to improve it.

So usually I just vote up or down and move on; and this makes me feel slightly guilty.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, 'Is there a betetr way of going about this?'. Should I simply leave one sentence comments when I have nought to say? Do I just keep doing what I'm doing? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

4232019 No one should feel like they have to leave a comment, but it certainly is nice to receive them as an author, especially if you are giving the story a downvote. No one likes to be downvoted, but it certainly feels better when the reader at least lets me know why they didn't enjoy what I've written.

But from an author perspective, it's fun and exciting to log in and see a few notifications. Reading comments on my stuff is one of the few ways that I get "paid" at this site. I work for many, many hours to basically upload the best stories I can here for free, so it's nice when readers give a little back.

If you didn't like the story, then those comments are really, really valuable. Then I can learn what I'm doing wrong, or we can have a discussion about it. Maybe there was something you didn't pick up on that I can explain. Perhaps I inadvertently left out a key point that changes everything. There could be any number of paths to walk, but we can't start down them until that conversation begins.

Comment away is my advice. Even "I really liked this. Thanks for writing it" or "I'm sorry, but I didn't enjoy this at all. The characters feel off and the plot is moving way too quickly" is very much appreciated.

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Pretty much like xjnx said.

I, too, try to comment on every story I read, particularly once every chapter. Sometimes, though, I find it hard to say anything, and that can be a bit of a pain.

I stopped downloading fics to my reader because it was troublesome to remember what I wanted to comment on. I've read a lot of stories on it, but I felt bad that I didn't tell the authors how I felt about the work.

As a reader, I can attest that sometimes I forget that this isn't something people are getting paid to do, but (usually) a labor of love. Much more so if the story is well done. It's like watching a good episode of S3,4,5... MLP and then thanking Lauren Faust for it, even though she didn't have a hand in creating that one particular episode (though she did lay much of the groundwork). The people directly responsible for that one work go unthanked.

Sometimes though, as an author (I'm a relatively new one here on this site), the lack of comments has me getting anxious over whether or not my story is actually making an impact on the reader or not.

I think we all kind of struggle with this problem.

4232019 I can only speak for myself, but I love getting feedback. Obviously I'd prefer you to tell me that my fic is the greatest thing in the history of time and space, but even something like "This was okay, but it dragged a bit" can be very helpful. Unless you're a big-name author (or you write a lot of clop or trollfics) you don't tend to get a whole lot of notifications. I know I don't. So it's always pleasing to see. At the very worst, it means someone's taken the time to give your story a shot, and just knowing that is worth a lot for an author.

You can also look at this from a more self-interested perspective, though this will be more relevant if/when you publish a fic of your own. If you're not "in with the in crowd", it can be hard to get name recognition on a site as big as Fimf. But if people see your name in lots of comments sections, giving polite, friendly and helpful advice, then a few of them may start to think, "Hmm, this guy seems interesting; maybe I'll see if their own stories are, too." That approach has definitely brought me some extra views -- and even a few extra followers -- over the years.

Put it this way: have you heard of The Descendant? If not, well, you probably will sooner or later. If so, then why? Yes, he writes excellent ponyfic, but he also goes out of his way to acknowledge his readers. I certainly appreciate that, and it makes me more likely to read more of his stories in the future.

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If you like it, rate it up.
If you don't like it, but can't articulate why, just leave.
I usually only ever vote down a story if I can back up why I did it.
More often than not I will just think, "...eh, that was kinda terrible. Not my cup'a tea." and move on.
At the end of the day, a negative vote can be a big deal to someone. Especially a weaker-skilled, newer/inexperienced writer.

To summarise, I've always appreciated the age old adage of: "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." And, "How would I feel if someone said this to me?"

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Thank you all for the feedback!

It was nice to hear that - at least to some people - a comment can go a long way for them. Like I said, I felt saying I simply liked something was redundant; I honestly thought authors got sick of hearing thhe same one sentence over and over. But hearing that it can be a be nice suprise for some people has made me rethink this; heck, I'd probably be happy too if I got alot of comments; big or small!

I'm going to apply your guys advice and keep this thread close when I think to comment; just to remind me of how little things - positive or negative - can go along way. Thanks again all of you; your all fantasticlly, great people!