I know I usually don't do this, but I want to comment on something a reviewer said to me. I already sent a reply, and this fleshed out version of my that message is fairly long. But, I think that this is an important topic to discuss. To paraphrase, the comment was that most authors don't bother responding to reviewers.
Now, on AO3, that's not as much of a problem. We're almost all authors and we sometimes get into decent – or at least entertaining – conversations in our comments sections. When a story gets twenty or thirty comments, we understand the author picking and choosing. After all, we all get to see the responses and don't want to look at the fruits of 20+ cut-n-paste sprees, either. The same goes for TtH.
On FFN, though, this disregard for reviewers is sadly common. Even worse, some authors respond in ways that make you feel like you're bothering them instead of complementing them!
The reason I write back and try to personalize each response (as best I can) is that you – my readers and reviewers – give me a great gift. It's one that can't be matched by anything else: your time and attention. You could be a thousand other things. Instead, you consciously take the time to read what I write.
Then, you go further. You take the time to send a review. It doesn't have to be a detailed analysis of symbolism or phrasing. It doesn't even have to have more than two words in it. “Good work,” or the answer to a question is more than enough. Simply put, you made an effort to reach out. You spent time on something I wrote. It would be rude to ignore that.
It's almost as bad as walking away from someone speaking to you when they're mid-sentence.
So, yes, unless I have a good reason, I will try to respond. For those that have more interesting points, I may sometimes wind up in conversation. I've met some great people that way and expanded my horizons further. (Another good reason to reply!) Some give me ideas or make requests that I try to accommodate if they can feasibly fit.
If I have missed responding to anyone, I apologize. I am frequently exhausted due to the other things in my life. That can lead to accidentally skipping a few reviews, especially when there are a lot of them.
So, for those I may have missed, you have both my hearty thanks and apologies.
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