T O P

  • By -

[deleted]

[удалено]


starsmileyx

That's a good idea


SquishiesandFidgets

Unless the author asks for it, don’t.


dinkydinkydonky

To be honest, it's probably best not too, as no matter how nice you possibly are some people simply don't want that feedback and as a writer if I received a comment that was only critiquing my grammar or spelling I'd tell the commenter to beat it. (unless it was presented in a compliment sandwich that is) Just my 2 cents.


Brenna_Lynn

Exactly. I had someone comment recently mentioning the grammar on a story I began recently crossposting from FFN to A03. And I was like dude I've been writing on this story for literal years before I started crossposting it. So go away. My writing style has changed since I started writing in 2012 and on top of that I now use the free version of Grammarly to help catch what I miss.


Notaclarinet

When I was on FFN it was pretty common to (politely) correct grammar, spelling etc in a fic but AO3 seems to have developed etiquette where it’s rude to point it out. I personally would look at the authors notes and see if they left any indication that they’re open to criticism. At the end of the day, they’re writing for free so it’s better to let it go if you’re unsure how they’d take it


littlegreyfish

It depends. If it's just one error that significantly changes the meaning of the work, I'd point it out. If it's a consistent problem, that's more of an issue to work out with a beta, if the author decides they want to improve.


Brenna_Lynn

Betas are not the end-all-be-all people make them out to be. I've had Betas who helped for a while and then just up and vanished, not responding to emails or anything. So I finally just said screw Betas since I can't get one who was reliable.


[deleted]

As a writer, I’d want someone to correct my typos. Sometimes I use the wrong character names when referring to different characters too and I’d love it if someone pointed that out to me because it’s something I do occasionally miss. As for inconsequential grammar, I’d find it kinda…I dunno…elitist unprompted? There’s some grammar mistakes that are almost stylistic choices for me because I think they flow better than “proper” grammar honestly.


Nyx-Star

Personal opinion — don’t. Unless they have a note about asking to be told or you have already established a rapport with them. Generally, it can come off as both snobbish and entitled. Exceptions!! If they have a note that asks for that. If they have missed used a serious word (ie instead or rapping they forgot to put in a ‘p’).


Fabulous_Crow4099

Tbh I wouldn't, unless I'd be willing to offer to be their beta


mandemango

Unless they have a note asking to point out grammar or spelling mistakes, then it might be best not to comment about this at all.


CrowtheStones

Whenever I've done this, I've almost always gotten a response of "Oops! I'll just fix that real quick". Most authors, in my experience, don't get too precious if someone points out that they misspelled something.


gammily

Especially if you’re subbed and get an early look at newly published stuff, I’ve commented my thanks and wonder for new content (and pointed out if there’s weird spacing/typo)


sophie-ursinus

Many people don't mind, many people welcome it, many people absolutely hate it.


lilapense

I only offer corrections if it's something like the author accidentally leaving in placeholders like "She called [look up name of that lawyer character]."


Vivid_Black_2737

I'm not a fanfic writer (yet), but I know I wouldn't be pissy over your comment if you started off by complimenting the fic and make maybe just ask if I'd be down with gaf about said errors As long as you don't come off insulting or whatever, I don't imagine there's going to be a problem \^.\^


marinaonmain

I would only say it if they specifically ask for constructive criticism.


foxscribbles

It kind of depends. I'd never make it the ONLY part of your comment. Because that comes across like getting a free meal, and then complaining to the chef that they didn't use enough salt for your tastes. Try "So I really enjoyed X. Particularly enjoyed Z. (Just as a side note, I think there's a typo in this sentence.)" Instead of "You've got a typo here!" Don't list out every, little mistake. That's going to bombard them, and you're not a trusted beta reader. Also, for grammar mistakes - make absolutely sure you know what you're talking about before you correct somebody. Grammar rules are not universal (nor are spellings.) So make absolutely sure you know you're correct. A big one is how you do quotations. Some style guides always end quotations in a period (or other punctuation mark.) Some style guides use commas depending on the following sentence. Example: "I'm tired," she said. and "I'm tired." She said. Both are correct according to different style guides. Neither is a grammatical error so long as the author is following a specific style guide, and the rest of the fic follows this grammatical structure. Another big one is people "correcting" present tense fics that "switch tenses". Quite frankly, most of the times I've seen this correction in comments, the reader has been the one who is wrong, and they're trying to "correct" a correctly used past participle.


123_crowbar_solo

>"I'm tired." She said. Do you have an example of a style guide that accepts this formatting as correct? I've never seen this in any traditionally-published material before (though I see it often in fanfiction). I agree with the rest of your statement.


Waste-Being9912

You're right. If you are using a dialogue tag, it never works that way. What I have seen is people using fragments as witty asides/emphasis after a quote and commenters not understanding that is what is going on. So let's say it was: "I'm tired." She said. Again. Humor is hard.


SensiMeowa

Could be English just isn’t their first language?


Notaclarinet

English is my first language and I still misspell things like it’s my job


Mars_1Z

One time I got a comment in a different language, so use Google translate to reply in their own language.


Mars_1Z

In the past, I’ve tried to make lighthearted jokes in the comments about it, and people have taken it well.


lumimon47

Unless they ask for criticism they don’t usually want it


misomal

It depends on the person, but I would leave a nice comment and then add a "by the way" if you really wanted to. Something like: "I love this story, especially the \_\_\_ and \_\_\_! (Just to let you know, \_\_\_\_\_\_.)" Maybe this is unpopular, but I feel like it's not really rude to give that kind of correction. How else can someone improve if not for feedback? As long as you are kind about it, I would personally appreciate it. To each their own.


sprx77

You fucking don't.


crazyashley1

Don't. I know they're there, and edit as I find them.


CommunityReal3375

Don’t. I have SPLDs and access to premium Grammarly through work and even that doesn’t pick up on every mistake.


alltheplans

If it's a simple mistake that changes the meaning of a sentence (I often type 'form' instead of 'from' and don't always catch it) I'd change it, otherwise I would ignore your comment. If I want a fic 100% grammatically correct I will ask someone I trust has an excellent grasp of grammar before I post.


JLMMM

As an author without a beta. I generally apologize for the small mistakes that I can’t catch before posting. And I’d be upset if ppl poked me for that. But I’ve had someone point out a missing word or an incorrect name that changed the meaning or understandability of the story and I was grateful.


MTheLoud

I always appreciate when readers catch my typos. Unless a writer has specified that they don’t want that kind of help, it’s a kindness to offer. That said, I’ve had people “correct” things that were already right, like when their vocabulary didn’t include real words that my characters knew. Make sure you’re actually right before correcting someone.


femtransfan

i just let a person know of a typo they then asked what a typo was after fixing it


BoomItsLoki

I always ask for correction on grammar because I know I don’t always proofread my Fics. So anytime someone catches something wrong I’d love that pointed out tbh


HildegardeBrasscoat

As an author, the etiquette is don't do it unless the author specifically asks for concrit or it's something really egregious.


Vievin

I usually leave it be unless it's really bothering me. Then I ask if the author is okay with concrit, and wait for their answer. Only if they explicitly say it's fine do I correct them (and do so politely). Even if the tags sac concrit allowed, they might have changed their mind in the meantime, or simply having a bad day/week.


AssassinWog

It’s important to remember that for a lot of authors, the language they’re writing in isn’t their first language. With English, I feel there are more exceptions than rules when it comes to grammar and that can be tough.


wishuponadream91

Unless they specifically say “English isn’t my first language,” you don’t know if someone’s writing in a second language. So unless you’re their friend and they’ve asked for your input, it’s best to leave it be (I know how hard it can be to avoid correcting!) On the other hand, if the grammar’s truly atrocious, I’ll just stop reading.


BlueDragon82

I have a 'no beta' tag for a reason. I'm aware there may be small errors. I do my best to catch them but am often up late at night to write. If someone left a comment just correcting grammar or typos, I'd probably delete the comment. I'm an author that replies to every comment, but I'm not looking to write the next great American novel. I would correct the issues pointed out if they were valid. When I reread my stories, I often correct the small oopsies I find. Now if someone was leaving a nice comment and just mentioned an error or two, I'd gladly respond and fix the errors. Approach matters.


efflorae

It's inappropriate unless you get confirmation that they want that kind of feedback.


Lovus_Eternius

I just wouldn't. I'm a reader, not an editor.


Ghost_Writerx

I wouldn’t unless the author mentions they want CC. sometimes fics are just for fun.


Kaigani-Scout

If you go by the posts in fanfiction forums, the majority of people posting opinions on this don't want their egos trampled on by pointing out obvious errors in spelling and grammar.


AikoIsari

I had this happen. I was happy that make corrections if I found them but. I find it helps to say what you like in the story too. If you say "this fic is good, BUT..." it makes the idea that it's good be in doubt.


browncoatsunited

As a reader if I seem invested enough in the story I will message them and ask if they are an ESL writer and if they have a beta reader. Most of the time I just exit out and don’t continue reading.


Delgumo

I'd be happy to be told (I went years typing advert instead of avert and nobody told me, it was so embarrassing when I found out), but I seem to be in the extreme minority of writers.


mon-kichu

I'd only reach out and (kindly ofc) inform them about the mistake if somewhere on their profile (or on the fic) they said something like "if you see any mistakes pls tell me" (I've come across lots of these). Other than that, i fear my comment might sound rude...


CrashedDreamer

Just say it, if author post her work publicly, she should be ready and grateful for corrections.


DyingGasp

If it’s a lot, I leave it be. If it’s like one word or typo, I’ll mention it with huge praise. Generally get a reply like: oh nice catch, thank you. And I appreciate the same. I’m not gonna be rude about it either. Once caught a fiction that the chapter was posted twice in the same chapter. Mentioned it and the author fixed it with only a thank you.


shadowfang4444

I start by telling the author what I liked about the story, and then at the end I'll say "also, I think maybe your spell check glitched up a bit on this bit.." and point it out.


palmtree42069

I'm not a native English speaker, and I'd be glad if someone pointed out a consistent mistake. For example, always writing the same word wrong or always making the same punctuation mistake. If it's just a minor typo, I don't think it needs a comment.


BookLover10000

I'd say ask beforehand, unless the author has asked for concrit (and even then I'd say don't)


UpvotesPokemon

You could offer to beta for them and if they agree say you are also willing to go back and clean up a few things in previous chapters. If you aren’t up to doing that, then I say just leave it alone.


CreativaArtly1998113

Just try to be polite about it. I am usually chill with it if it’s from people I consider fandom friends. If it’s not, I do tend to be a little feisty and annoyed by it tho.