I agree, it is disheartening, but know
that chances are, you’re not doing
anything wrong. Most of the time, when authors share something online and put
it out there, it’s because they want people to see and comment on it. Obviously, not everyone’s going to comment, but if
you can’t even bother to at least follow/favourite/kudos/ like, it’s the reader’s
problem, not yours.

Don’t get me wrong either. Authors aren’t
entitled to comments, likes, favourites and whatnot, but if you enjoy reading their
story, you should at the very least be doing one of the above. Authors are very
sensitive (often lonely) people, and are discouraged just as easily. If they’re
being ignored with poor comment/ like ratios, they’re very likely going to
abandon the project.

Problem is, if you just read the story,
authors can’t tell whether you like it or not. Notice the “fan” in fanfiction. To
be a fan of something literally means to support it. Or what about the whole
community function on the website? To be a community, there needs to be
interaction and mutual support.

I think the bigger problem is that newer
readers don’t understand the amount of work that goes into the making of a chapter.
Now that fanfiction is so widespread, it’s taken for granted, and the author’s hard
work is something that is expected rather than appreciated.

Authors don’t have to post their work,
but they do. I’m tired of people saying, “Just be grateful that I’m reading
your story, I don’t have to like or comment.”

Okay, fair enough. Just don’t complain
when I go back to my original work and don’t update. Writing fanfiction is a
hobby, not a job. There’s no obligation on both sides for that matter, but if
you want the content to continue, it’s imperative that you let them know in
some way or another.

Authors do it out of their spare time,
and if they don’t get any enjoyment from it – which for most people, involves
hearing from their readers in some way – then they’re going to move on to other
things.

At the end of the day, we’re all dorks that
share a common interest. How are we able to share that interest if the
consumption of content is one-sided, void of any feedback or show of support?

It’s not fanfic writers who are dead and
inactive; it’s the readers.