My feedback is very rarely constructive unless I'm beta-reading. I simply tell the author that I enjoyed the story. (Speaking of which, how expansive I am in my detailing my enjoyment is 95% due to my mood, available time and laziness factor at that moment, not how good the fic is! Just in case anybody wondered why Lisa sometimes gives a one-liner and sometimes writes a novella.
) If I
didn't enjoy it, then I don't leave FDK at all - not that I properly could anyway, because if I wasn't enjoying it, I probably didn't finish it.
There are a few reasons I don't give concrit.
First, usually by the time an author gets to the point of posting their story, it's done. I know that mine are beat to death by that point, and I've put in every drop of blood, sweat, tears, opinion, love and whatever that I can generate, and I don't care to revisit it. I just want to hear that my readers liked it and why. I tend to assume other authors feel the same.
Second, in order for me to give constructive feedback, I have to really get down into a fic and wallow in it: read it two or three times, go back and reread previous chapters, if any, let it sit in my brain and marinate for a while, and then go back read it a final time. I don't have the time and mental energy to do that very often.
Third, I suffer from "what if I offend him/her" syndrome. I doubt my ability to state a negative or weakness in a way that is friendly and helpful.
Fourth, and this is probably the biggest one - Unless I'm beta-reading, I approach fanfic strictly from the standpoint of reading enjoyment. It's escapism. I don't go into the story thinking, how can I help this person strengthen their writing skills or this particular story? My mind isn't even in the right place to formulate concrit. It's limited to waffy squees and horrified omg-Lois-is-in-peril gasps. These are gratifying to many authors, but not exactly helpful!
