Woah! I'm writing an issue purely on participating in Penana, guys! This must be serious! It doesn't even have screenshots or anything!
Heh, sorry, you guys, but this was brought to my attention and I thought I should share it. To make it more fun, I could write in a different color? Green? Blue? Ooh, Purple. Purple is always fun. (So...this is your daily dose of rambling. Time to get serious.)
Penana is mostly made up of writers, as I am sure you all have gathered by now. And that's great, because you can get in-depth comments about mechanics or compliments on a really hard scene because people understand how hard it is. Except, those comments are few and far between.825Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ72k6eD2jmQ
Now, I'm not being mean. Promise. And there are people on here who comment every time they read an issue, who squeal at the happy moments and cry at the sad, who will give you analyses and the like, but there aren't as many people doing that as I (and a lot of people) would like there to be.825Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzZ0iV6oSo4
As writers, most of you know, this? This is not most of our day jobs. We're busy being students, and teenagers, and adults, and responsible people of all ages, and irresponsible people of all ages, too. That means we do most/all of what we do on here for free. And we do it for fun, yeah, for ourselves, absolutely. But when we share it, we like to know other people enjoy our story much the same we ourselves do. Now, do likes show that? Yes, of course, and I encourage you to leave likes on works you deem worthy of whatever your standards are, but the most important thing you can do is comment.825Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFwdVXZujvS
Comments say so much. Even just typing "love it!" and clicking post, which takes all of 10 seconds, can spur a writer to continue a story they may have otherwise taken down. You don't need to go in-depth, though you can, and you don't need to gush, which people will love no matter what. You just need to let the author know that you're reading their story, and you like it.825Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqFdk4g4L8
Now, this may sound weird, but go easy on the constructive criticism, unless the author specifically asks for concrit, and then always include positives too. Like I said, this is free, from our hearts to your brains, and we take time out of our day, that can be spent on other things we enjoy just as easily. The reason we write is because we want to share that happiness, and you simply pointing out problems will deter the author from writing more. Authors are finicky creatures. If you yourself are an author, you'll understand that you can take criticism easier if it's gentle.
I guess what I'm really saying here, guys, is...treat other authors and their stories like you want people to treat yours. Comment lots, like if you like it, bookmark it, leave "Keep it up!"s in the Hub when you see an update, generally encourage authors to keep doing what they're doing. Penana is a small community, so you can't rely on others to say what you're thinking. You say it. Participate, make a difference, make friends, or don't and make rivals instead. (You chosen few will know what I'm talking about. ;) ) Just...be active! Leave comments! Don't just sit there passively and expect things to happen, make them happen yourself!825Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarFlTpGR2c
...Okay. Rant over. Don't forget to be active participants, guys, and as always, let me know what you want to see in the comments!825Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhptVOBEhXN
