Dear Fanfic Authors,

I have a request. It's a simple request: Please stop apologizing when you post a chapter.

I understand the impulse to apologize when you do something that you think is later than it should have been or when the ginger snaps you make aren't as snappy as they should be or the fire in the woodstove heats the house too well. (Yes, these are all my experiences.) It's an impulse (habit?) that I've been working on for several years.

I also understand that the apologies hit differently when a fic is read as the chapters are posting.

But it's annoying when the fic is complete(ish) and every other chapter has an apology attached to it. It's cool with me you acknowledging that the chapter is later than you'd hoped, but there's no need to apologize. Your fic is a gift that you are giving to all of us. We are not paying you for it. Fanfiction is not (and should never) be transactional. You do not owe us the chapter. People should be thanking you every damn time you post a chapter.

Please remember, your fic will be around for a long time. (Unless you get filled with a stupid, craziness and erase everything.) More people will, hopefully, read and enjoy your fic after you are done with it. If there's no reason to apologize to the people reading as you post, there's even less of a reason to apologize to those of us reading it later.

I enjoy your fic. I'm glad to have read it. I want you to enjoy writing the fic and I want you to know that it is appreciated.

Be well.