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kriadydragon) wrote2012-03-28 10:24 pm
kriadydragon) wrote2012-03-28 10:24 pm
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Fanfiction: A Beginner's Guide
My next offering for the ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
month_of_meta.
First off, a disclaimer. I do not consider myself some sort of expert on fanfiction and fandom. The following meta is based more on observation than actual research, and the definitions are in my own words. The advice section is based on those complaints I've noticed crop up the most in a fandom.
Fanfiction: A Beginner's Guide
You've discovered fanfiction and you love it. You love reading it, you love writing it, you love talking about it. And, yet, the more you seek out your favorite fiction based on your favorite show or book or movie, or the more you write for said favorite medium, the more you discover that fanfiction encompasses so much more than the occasional story. It's practically a world unto itself, and you soon find yourself wondering what this thing called slash is? What does “ship” have to do with romance? Why does no one seem to like stories that have an original character at the forefront? What is this “crack!fic” or “mpreg” or “BDSM” people speak of? How in the world do I find a beta? And what the heck is a beta! And so on.
You'll find that there's a lot to learn and understand. But don't fret. You figure it all out eventually. But to help speed things along and aid you in navigating the wide, wide world that is fanfiction, I present to you a simple guide.
First off, what is fanfiction? Obviously it's fiction based off of an already existing source; a TV show, a movie, a book, comic book, heck, even your favorite band.
Second, what is a “fandom?” Well, think of fandom like a community – or better yet a village, or town, or city – built around a particular show, or movie, or book, or comic and so on. The more you seek out stories and write stories, the more you discover various archive sites, journals, communities, mailing lists, forums and so on dedicated to a particular fandom. You'll find places where you can archive your stories, places that issue challenges that get people to write more stories in that fandom. Places to post fan art for that fandom. Places to socialize with fellow fans and on and on. The more you look, the more you find, and the more you participate the more you find yourself less a singular entity whipping up the occasional story and more a citizen of a place called Fandom.
And while being part of fandom, you come to learn that anything pretty much goes when it comes to fanfiction. Which now leads us to basic definitions. You're going to come across a lot of interesting and even confusing terms. So here's a list of terms you will likely encounter the most and their definitions.
Canon – canon is the term you will most often use when referring to something that is made genuine by the show/book/movie etc. For example, to say that a certain pairing on a certain TV show is “canon” means that character A and character B are a couple on the show, that the pairing is a fact according to the show. If it happens on the show, then it is considered canon. If it hasn't happened on the show, then it's not considered canon.
Fanon – fanon is the term used when something is fan created and not necessarily canon or not canon at all. For example, and using a trope you may find to be very popular in fanfiction – character A from a certain TV show absolutely hates hospitals and is forever trying to escape them. Except we have yet to see character A show any actual disdain toward hospitals, let alone escape one, and yet it's written about all the time in fanfic as though it were canon. This would be considered fanon.
Original Characters – also known as an OC. A non-canon character created by the fanfiction author.
Canon characters – The characters presented in the show/book/movie, etc.
Mary Sue/Marty Stu – definitions of a MS tend to vary, from a self-insert original character (a character based on yourself meant to represent yourself or what you feel is a better version of yourself) to impossibly perfect characters who seem to take over the canon verse. Mary Sues/Marty Stus have a bad habit of being heavily disliked for various reasons – they're too perfect to the point of being impossible, they've taken over the canon verse, if they are created to be paired with a particular character then because they threaten an existing pairing or favorite pairing and so on.
OOC – Out of Character. To put it simply, when a canon character is acting unlike themselves for no reason, or is doing something, or did something, they would never do on the show. Determining whether a character is OOC is tricky, since what may be OOC to one isn't OOC to another.
Character bashing – actively and publicly hating a character, whether in a story, in feedback, in forums, etc.
Ship – or “shipping.” Pairing up two characters as a couple, whether canon pairings, fanon pairings or Canon character paired with an OC.
Slash – A male character coupled with a male character. Also labeled as M/M or male character A/Male character B.
Femslash – female character paired with a female character. Also known as F/F or female character A/Female Character B.
Het – Or heterosexual pairing. A male character paired with a female character. F/M or M/F or Male character/female character
Gen – Or general. You'll find that the definition of gen varies, from stories with no pairings to stories with pairings but no sex. Generally, however, those seeking gen stories are those seeking stories with either no pairings or stories that are not focused on a pairing (i.e. the story acknowledges canon pairings but doesn't focus on them).
UST – Unresolved sexual tension.
Pre-slash/pre-het – in which the couple isn't paired but the story hints at a future pairing. Depending on the level of het/slash involvement some pre-slash/pre-het stories can also be read as friendship stories.
Slash/Het goggles – the term used when expressing how you read a story. For example, reading a gen story with slash goggles on means reading an M/M pre-pairing instead of friendship.
BDSM – term used for erotic stories that include consensual bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism, etc.
Non-Con – non-consensual. Stories containing rape or alluding to rape.
Mpreg – Male pregnancy.
AMTDI – Aliens Made Them Do It.
Whump – the injuring of a character, physically and/or mentally.
H/C – also known as hurt/comfort. Stories in which a character or characters is hurt either physically or mentally, followed by healing and comfort of that character.
Squick – when something sickens you or bothers you badly. So when a story says “may squick” it means that it contains content that may upset some readers.
Death fic – in which a character, normally a canon character, dies.
Kid!fic – stories where the canon characters are children, either reverted to children by unusual means or focused on their childhood. Sometimes includes stories where canon characters have children or must deal with children in some way.
Crack!fic – crazy stories. For example, a story in which every canon character has been turned into talking kittens and so must live life as talking kittens.
AU – Alternate universe. Stories that take the characters outside the canon setting and place them in a new setting (Ex. making them pirates, making them wizards, aliens, etc) or stories that deviate from canon or alter canon events (also sometimes known as alternate endings, reboots, etc).
RPF – Real people fiction. Fiction about actual people rather than fictional characters.
Beta – someone who will look over your story and make corrections. In other words, another term for proofreader/editor.
Author's Note – also known as A/N. A note from the author either at the beginning or end of the story or chapter.
There are plenty more terms out there that you will get to know but the above are the ones you will encounter the most and even come to use yourself the most.
Now we come to the advice portion of this guide. The part you could take or leave but is there to help make your foray into fanfiction a little smoother.
We'll start off with some writing advice.
1. So you've just discovered fanfiction for your favorite show and you're dying to write some fanfic yourself. But whether it's something you know well or a something you've only just started watching, my advice is to get to know the source as much as possible – the way the characters talk, the way they look, the correct spelling of their names, etc. This should be pretty easy with a book or comic, but where shows or movies are concerned a little research may be required. Don't stress it, because you have everything you need right in front of you. Just type the show or movie into the search engine and you'll have plenty of sites to choose from to get to know your show or movie a little better. Sometimes it doesn't take much to chase a reader from your story, whether it's the incorrect spelling of a name, having an American character say “lift” instead of “elevator” or a British character say “dude” instead of “mate.” So the more you know, the more receptive readers will be to your stories.
2.Which leads me to my next piece of advice. Clean up your stories. Don't just run it through the spell checker and post ASAP. Read through the thing - I would say at least twice - because Spell Check is only your friend when a word is actually misspelled. If it's not the word you wanted to use but is still an existing word then Spell Check isn't going to catch it. For example, the dread there, their and they're. If you're intent was there and you spell it their, then Spell Check isn't going to catch it.
3.Better yet, if you can, get yourself someone to look your story over – also known as a beta. I know finding a beta seems intimidating, but ask and you shall receive because there are plenty willing to help make your story better. By helping you make your story better it makes the story easier to read, and therefore easier to enjoy. You can either announce the need for a beta in an author's note or ask someone directly – say someone whose stories you admire and feel are well written.
4.I would highly, highly advise you to never ask people for constructive criticism. It's awesome that you're trying to better your skills. Problem is, there are too many reviewers out there anxious to either rip your story apart in the nastiest way possible or give you the kind of advice or corrections you're not looking for. In others words, what you'll get is a lot of headaches: people telling you your story sucks (called flamers), people telling you that you have spelling mistakes without pointing them out, people telling you how to spell words you already know how to spell, and people who make absolutely no sense. They are headache you don't want, trust me on that. If you want constructive feedback of the kind that helps you better your work, again I say seek out a beta or even a writing group - someone who you feel would look at your story beyond spelling mistakes and someone who will be honest with you while also being kind about it.
5.Do not put your author's note within the story itself. That is just ridiculous. Interrupting your story like that will throw your readers right out of the story and ensure that they never return.
6.Get your facts straight. For example, medical facts. No one expects you to memorize any medical journals but they do expect you to know the difference between CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation. If you don't know something, Google it. Google is your friend. So are your readers and fellow writers, so don't be afraid to ask.
7.Feedback is a wonderful thing but can also be a pain if readers feel obligated to nit-pick. It's sometimes hard to know if there's an actual issue with the story or if it's just a matter of people who think they're being helpful. My advice, if you find that more than (I would say) two people are making the same complaints, then you may want to listen to what they have to say.
8.Do not beg or threaten to not write any more of the story in order to get feedback. No one likes to be threatened and no one likes to see an author beg, and it runs the risk of driving some of your readers away. Saying that feedback is appreciated or loved, however, is fine.
9.Don't start posting a chapter story unless you intend to finish it. In fact, I would go so far as to say to not start posting until you are either done with the story or close to done. Not only do your readers not have to worry about you dropping the story, they won't have to wait as long for you to update. But if you just can not wait to post (because we've all been there) then at least have an idea of what you want to happen in the story in order to keep going. If you have multiple stories going on, try to tackle them one at a time to avoid slow updates. The longer you take to update, the more likely your readers will start drifting away. To read a story that has everything you've ever wanted to read and for that story to take forever to update, or to up and stop and never be updated again, can be torture for a reader. Real life stuff happens, we all know and understand this, but if it can be helped, finish what you start. Think of the readers. Won't someone think of the readers!
10.Don't string your readers along. Twist endings are spiffy when you know how to work them, but messing with your readers' heads simply for the sake of a twist or a little suspense can, instead, throw your reader out of the story or make them hesitate to continue.
11.Warnings and labeling. Whether you warn or label is up to you. Some people warn knowing that their story contains material that may trigger in their readers unpleasant emotions (rape fic, for example), some people don't as they feel it gives too much of the story away (death fic, for example). Some people label and some people don't. But when it comes to labeling, I always think of it as less a warning and more an advertisement. To label your story as het or M/F, or slash or M/M doesn't just warn non-fans away, it lets fans of those tropes know that this may be a story they want try. Just something to think about when labeling.
12.To write an original character or not, that is the question. My reply, don't be afraid of the need to write an OC. But how do I avoid my OC turning into this so called Mary Sue/Marty Stu, you ask? Good question, and one that I can't really answer, because when you have a need to write a particular kind of character you have a need. My only advice would be to remember that the majority of fandom reads for the canon characters. That said, if you want to play it safe, keep that in mind. Don't undermine or bash canon characters thinking it will make your character more likable. Don't make your OC so much better than the canon characters. It won't make them endearing, it will make readers dislike them.
13.Use exclamation points and italics sparingly. Use capslock ten times as sparingly. Contractions – Don't, won't, can't, etc – are your friends, don't fear them. Spell numbers out. Two instead of 2. One instead of 1. The exception is big numbers – 2,684 – and dates – 1994. And for heaven sake don't use the number 2 if what you mean is too or to. Seriously, what would possibly possess anyone to do that is beyond me. If people are talking, indicate it with quotations - “” - not italics or bold or asterisks.
14.When participating in any kind of a challenge, a community, a new archive site - read the rules. Not skim, not glance, but read. It makes life easier not only for those running the challenge, community or archive but for yourself as well. There's nothing that sucks the fun out of your day like being called out by the moderator on a violated rule you should have been aware of.
15.Do not undermine your own summary with “summary sucks, sorry.” Or “summary sucks but read, anyways.” It doesn't matter if your summary sucks. What matters is going into whatever you write with confidence. Readers are less receptive of self deprecating writers, because if it looks like you can barely handle a summary then they're not going to trust you to handle a story.
Now on to advice for the reader portion.
1.Feedback for an author is, indeed, love. Think of it as emotional currency, deposited to the account that is the writer's motivation. The more that a writer knows that their work is not only being read but enjoyed, the more they will want to write. So leave a little something for them, even if it's as simple as “I really enjoyed this.” Really, the only excuse not to leave feedback is because the story wasn't something you enjoyed.
2.And if the story isn't something you're enjoying, the back button is your friend. Insulting the author and being rude to them isn't. Insulting comments are what is known as flames, and are mostly ignored or deleted.
3.But how do you determine which fic to try and which to avoid? Well, mostly by clicking on that story and hoping for the best, seeing how many reviews or kudos it has, see if your favorite author or a trusted friend has a list of favorite stories, or seek our recommendation archives. You could also (if you don't mind being spoiled for the story) give the feedback a look. You can't trust reviews to give you a precise picture on whether or not the story is something to avoid. Most feedback is going to be nothing but praise, even if the story is utter blech. But some people will leave detailed reviews, and those detailed reviews can give you a vague idea of what to expect. But be warned that sometimes reading feedback can be just as annoying as reading bad fic.
4.Even if an author asks for constructive criticism I wouldn't give it to them unless absolutely necessary. Some people ask for helpful feedback without realizing what it entails, and so sometimes won't listen to what you have to say. I would say that it might be a necessity when the spelling or grammar is so bad the story is difficult to read, or to correct simple and basic facts the writer keeps getting wrong (again I go back to CPR vs mouth to mouth as an example, which I did come across more than once in more than one story by the same author, and no one corrected them).
Finally, some general advice. Be honest with yourself. Recognize when you favor a character above all other characters, and when you dislike a character. Recognize if you have a particular pairing you love, or if there's a pairing you can't stand. Above all, remember that there are people out there that don't share your views - at all. In fact, you will come across those who may despise your favorite character, or your favorite pairing, or prefer this genre to your favorite genre. And that's fine. When this happens, just remember these four simple words...
To each their own.
Repeat it in your head.
To each their own.
Because when you come across this negativity your immediate desire will to be negative right back. When this happens, simply remind yourself how much it stinks to have your favorite character or pairing or ideas shredded. Because you will have favorites, and you will be protective of that favorite, but harshing on other people's favorites does nothing but increase the negativity. If you don't like it, ignore it, simple as that. Find those who share what you like and enjoy it with them, while respecting other people's rights to enjoy what they like even if you don't like it. If you need to complain (and you will need to) that's what private journals and like-minded friends are for. The more respect you have for others, the less drama you'll have to put up with yourself, and fanfiction will remain an enjoyable past time.
I hope you found this guide helpful, and feel free to comment with any questions or additions you may have.
month_of_meta.First off, a disclaimer. I do not consider myself some sort of expert on fanfiction and fandom. The following meta is based more on observation than actual research, and the definitions are in my own words. The advice section is based on those complaints I've noticed crop up the most in a fandom.
You've discovered fanfiction and you love it. You love reading it, you love writing it, you love talking about it. And, yet, the more you seek out your favorite fiction based on your favorite show or book or movie, or the more you write for said favorite medium, the more you discover that fanfiction encompasses so much more than the occasional story. It's practically a world unto itself, and you soon find yourself wondering what this thing called slash is? What does “ship” have to do with romance? Why does no one seem to like stories that have an original character at the forefront? What is this “crack!fic” or “mpreg” or “BDSM” people speak of? How in the world do I find a beta? And what the heck is a beta! And so on.
You'll find that there's a lot to learn and understand. But don't fret. You figure it all out eventually. But to help speed things along and aid you in navigating the wide, wide world that is fanfiction, I present to you a simple guide.
First off, what is fanfiction? Obviously it's fiction based off of an already existing source; a TV show, a movie, a book, comic book, heck, even your favorite band.
Second, what is a “fandom?” Well, think of fandom like a community – or better yet a village, or town, or city – built around a particular show, or movie, or book, or comic and so on. The more you seek out stories and write stories, the more you discover various archive sites, journals, communities, mailing lists, forums and so on dedicated to a particular fandom. You'll find places where you can archive your stories, places that issue challenges that get people to write more stories in that fandom. Places to post fan art for that fandom. Places to socialize with fellow fans and on and on. The more you look, the more you find, and the more you participate the more you find yourself less a singular entity whipping up the occasional story and more a citizen of a place called Fandom.
And while being part of fandom, you come to learn that anything pretty much goes when it comes to fanfiction. Which now leads us to basic definitions. You're going to come across a lot of interesting and even confusing terms. So here's a list of terms you will likely encounter the most and their definitions.
Canon – canon is the term you will most often use when referring to something that is made genuine by the show/book/movie etc. For example, to say that a certain pairing on a certain TV show is “canon” means that character A and character B are a couple on the show, that the pairing is a fact according to the show. If it happens on the show, then it is considered canon. If it hasn't happened on the show, then it's not considered canon.
Fanon – fanon is the term used when something is fan created and not necessarily canon or not canon at all. For example, and using a trope you may find to be very popular in fanfiction – character A from a certain TV show absolutely hates hospitals and is forever trying to escape them. Except we have yet to see character A show any actual disdain toward hospitals, let alone escape one, and yet it's written about all the time in fanfic as though it were canon. This would be considered fanon.
Original Characters – also known as an OC. A non-canon character created by the fanfiction author.
Canon characters – The characters presented in the show/book/movie, etc.
Mary Sue/Marty Stu – definitions of a MS tend to vary, from a self-insert original character (a character based on yourself meant to represent yourself or what you feel is a better version of yourself) to impossibly perfect characters who seem to take over the canon verse. Mary Sues/Marty Stus have a bad habit of being heavily disliked for various reasons – they're too perfect to the point of being impossible, they've taken over the canon verse, if they are created to be paired with a particular character then because they threaten an existing pairing or favorite pairing and so on.
OOC – Out of Character. To put it simply, when a canon character is acting unlike themselves for no reason, or is doing something, or did something, they would never do on the show. Determining whether a character is OOC is tricky, since what may be OOC to one isn't OOC to another.
Character bashing – actively and publicly hating a character, whether in a story, in feedback, in forums, etc.
Ship – or “shipping.” Pairing up two characters as a couple, whether canon pairings, fanon pairings or Canon character paired with an OC.
Slash – A male character coupled with a male character. Also labeled as M/M or male character A/Male character B.
Femslash – female character paired with a female character. Also known as F/F or female character A/Female Character B.
Het – Or heterosexual pairing. A male character paired with a female character. F/M or M/F or Male character/female character
Gen – Or general. You'll find that the definition of gen varies, from stories with no pairings to stories with pairings but no sex. Generally, however, those seeking gen stories are those seeking stories with either no pairings or stories that are not focused on a pairing (i.e. the story acknowledges canon pairings but doesn't focus on them).
UST – Unresolved sexual tension.
Pre-slash/pre-het – in which the couple isn't paired but the story hints at a future pairing. Depending on the level of het/slash involvement some pre-slash/pre-het stories can also be read as friendship stories.
Slash/Het goggles – the term used when expressing how you read a story. For example, reading a gen story with slash goggles on means reading an M/M pre-pairing instead of friendship.
BDSM – term used for erotic stories that include consensual bondage, discipline, dominance, submission, sadism, masochism, etc.
Non-Con – non-consensual. Stories containing rape or alluding to rape.
Mpreg – Male pregnancy.
AMTDI – Aliens Made Them Do It.
Whump – the injuring of a character, physically and/or mentally.
H/C – also known as hurt/comfort. Stories in which a character or characters is hurt either physically or mentally, followed by healing and comfort of that character.
Squick – when something sickens you or bothers you badly. So when a story says “may squick” it means that it contains content that may upset some readers.
Death fic – in which a character, normally a canon character, dies.
Kid!fic – stories where the canon characters are children, either reverted to children by unusual means or focused on their childhood. Sometimes includes stories where canon characters have children or must deal with children in some way.
Crack!fic – crazy stories. For example, a story in which every canon character has been turned into talking kittens and so must live life as talking kittens.
AU – Alternate universe. Stories that take the characters outside the canon setting and place them in a new setting (Ex. making them pirates, making them wizards, aliens, etc) or stories that deviate from canon or alter canon events (also sometimes known as alternate endings, reboots, etc).
RPF – Real people fiction. Fiction about actual people rather than fictional characters.
Beta – someone who will look over your story and make corrections. In other words, another term for proofreader/editor.
Author's Note – also known as A/N. A note from the author either at the beginning or end of the story or chapter.
There are plenty more terms out there that you will get to know but the above are the ones you will encounter the most and even come to use yourself the most.
Now we come to the advice portion of this guide. The part you could take or leave but is there to help make your foray into fanfiction a little smoother.
We'll start off with some writing advice.
1. So you've just discovered fanfiction for your favorite show and you're dying to write some fanfic yourself. But whether it's something you know well or a something you've only just started watching, my advice is to get to know the source as much as possible – the way the characters talk, the way they look, the correct spelling of their names, etc. This should be pretty easy with a book or comic, but where shows or movies are concerned a little research may be required. Don't stress it, because you have everything you need right in front of you. Just type the show or movie into the search engine and you'll have plenty of sites to choose from to get to know your show or movie a little better. Sometimes it doesn't take much to chase a reader from your story, whether it's the incorrect spelling of a name, having an American character say “lift” instead of “elevator” or a British character say “dude” instead of “mate.” So the more you know, the more receptive readers will be to your stories.
2.Which leads me to my next piece of advice. Clean up your stories. Don't just run it through the spell checker and post ASAP. Read through the thing - I would say at least twice - because Spell Check is only your friend when a word is actually misspelled. If it's not the word you wanted to use but is still an existing word then Spell Check isn't going to catch it. For example, the dread there, their and they're. If you're intent was there and you spell it their, then Spell Check isn't going to catch it.
3.Better yet, if you can, get yourself someone to look your story over – also known as a beta. I know finding a beta seems intimidating, but ask and you shall receive because there are plenty willing to help make your story better. By helping you make your story better it makes the story easier to read, and therefore easier to enjoy. You can either announce the need for a beta in an author's note or ask someone directly – say someone whose stories you admire and feel are well written.
4.I would highly, highly advise you to never ask people for constructive criticism. It's awesome that you're trying to better your skills. Problem is, there are too many reviewers out there anxious to either rip your story apart in the nastiest way possible or give you the kind of advice or corrections you're not looking for. In others words, what you'll get is a lot of headaches: people telling you your story sucks (called flamers), people telling you that you have spelling mistakes without pointing them out, people telling you how to spell words you already know how to spell, and people who make absolutely no sense. They are headache you don't want, trust me on that. If you want constructive feedback of the kind that helps you better your work, again I say seek out a beta or even a writing group - someone who you feel would look at your story beyond spelling mistakes and someone who will be honest with you while also being kind about it.
5.Do not put your author's note within the story itself. That is just ridiculous. Interrupting your story like that will throw your readers right out of the story and ensure that they never return.
6.Get your facts straight. For example, medical facts. No one expects you to memorize any medical journals but they do expect you to know the difference between CPR and mouth to mouth resuscitation. If you don't know something, Google it. Google is your friend. So are your readers and fellow writers, so don't be afraid to ask.
7.Feedback is a wonderful thing but can also be a pain if readers feel obligated to nit-pick. It's sometimes hard to know if there's an actual issue with the story or if it's just a matter of people who think they're being helpful. My advice, if you find that more than (I would say) two people are making the same complaints, then you may want to listen to what they have to say.
8.Do not beg or threaten to not write any more of the story in order to get feedback. No one likes to be threatened and no one likes to see an author beg, and it runs the risk of driving some of your readers away. Saying that feedback is appreciated or loved, however, is fine.
9.Don't start posting a chapter story unless you intend to finish it. In fact, I would go so far as to say to not start posting until you are either done with the story or close to done. Not only do your readers not have to worry about you dropping the story, they won't have to wait as long for you to update. But if you just can not wait to post (because we've all been there) then at least have an idea of what you want to happen in the story in order to keep going. If you have multiple stories going on, try to tackle them one at a time to avoid slow updates. The longer you take to update, the more likely your readers will start drifting away. To read a story that has everything you've ever wanted to read and for that story to take forever to update, or to up and stop and never be updated again, can be torture for a reader. Real life stuff happens, we all know and understand this, but if it can be helped, finish what you start. Think of the readers. Won't someone think of the readers!
10.Don't string your readers along. Twist endings are spiffy when you know how to work them, but messing with your readers' heads simply for the sake of a twist or a little suspense can, instead, throw your reader out of the story or make them hesitate to continue.
11.Warnings and labeling. Whether you warn or label is up to you. Some people warn knowing that their story contains material that may trigger in their readers unpleasant emotions (rape fic, for example), some people don't as they feel it gives too much of the story away (death fic, for example). Some people label and some people don't. But when it comes to labeling, I always think of it as less a warning and more an advertisement. To label your story as het or M/F, or slash or M/M doesn't just warn non-fans away, it lets fans of those tropes know that this may be a story they want try. Just something to think about when labeling.
12.To write an original character or not, that is the question. My reply, don't be afraid of the need to write an OC. But how do I avoid my OC turning into this so called Mary Sue/Marty Stu, you ask? Good question, and one that I can't really answer, because when you have a need to write a particular kind of character you have a need. My only advice would be to remember that the majority of fandom reads for the canon characters. That said, if you want to play it safe, keep that in mind. Don't undermine or bash canon characters thinking it will make your character more likable. Don't make your OC so much better than the canon characters. It won't make them endearing, it will make readers dislike them.
13.Use exclamation points and italics sparingly. Use capslock ten times as sparingly. Contractions – Don't, won't, can't, etc – are your friends, don't fear them. Spell numbers out. Two instead of 2. One instead of 1. The exception is big numbers – 2,684 – and dates – 1994. And for heaven sake don't use the number 2 if what you mean is too or to. Seriously, what would possibly possess anyone to do that is beyond me. If people are talking, indicate it with quotations - “” - not italics or bold or asterisks.
14.When participating in any kind of a challenge, a community, a new archive site - read the rules. Not skim, not glance, but read. It makes life easier not only for those running the challenge, community or archive but for yourself as well. There's nothing that sucks the fun out of your day like being called out by the moderator on a violated rule you should have been aware of.
15.Do not undermine your own summary with “summary sucks, sorry.” Or “summary sucks but read, anyways.” It doesn't matter if your summary sucks. What matters is going into whatever you write with confidence. Readers are less receptive of self deprecating writers, because if it looks like you can barely handle a summary then they're not going to trust you to handle a story.
Now on to advice for the reader portion.
1.Feedback for an author is, indeed, love. Think of it as emotional currency, deposited to the account that is the writer's motivation. The more that a writer knows that their work is not only being read but enjoyed, the more they will want to write. So leave a little something for them, even if it's as simple as “I really enjoyed this.” Really, the only excuse not to leave feedback is because the story wasn't something you enjoyed.
2.And if the story isn't something you're enjoying, the back button is your friend. Insulting the author and being rude to them isn't. Insulting comments are what is known as flames, and are mostly ignored or deleted.
3.But how do you determine which fic to try and which to avoid? Well, mostly by clicking on that story and hoping for the best, seeing how many reviews or kudos it has, see if your favorite author or a trusted friend has a list of favorite stories, or seek our recommendation archives. You could also (if you don't mind being spoiled for the story) give the feedback a look. You can't trust reviews to give you a precise picture on whether or not the story is something to avoid. Most feedback is going to be nothing but praise, even if the story is utter blech. But some people will leave detailed reviews, and those detailed reviews can give you a vague idea of what to expect. But be warned that sometimes reading feedback can be just as annoying as reading bad fic.
4.Even if an author asks for constructive criticism I wouldn't give it to them unless absolutely necessary. Some people ask for helpful feedback without realizing what it entails, and so sometimes won't listen to what you have to say. I would say that it might be a necessity when the spelling or grammar is so bad the story is difficult to read, or to correct simple and basic facts the writer keeps getting wrong (again I go back to CPR vs mouth to mouth as an example, which I did come across more than once in more than one story by the same author, and no one corrected them).
Finally, some general advice. Be honest with yourself. Recognize when you favor a character above all other characters, and when you dislike a character. Recognize if you have a particular pairing you love, or if there's a pairing you can't stand. Above all, remember that there are people out there that don't share your views - at all. In fact, you will come across those who may despise your favorite character, or your favorite pairing, or prefer this genre to your favorite genre. And that's fine. When this happens, just remember these four simple words...
To each their own.
Repeat it in your head.
To each their own.
Because when you come across this negativity your immediate desire will to be negative right back. When this happens, simply remind yourself how much it stinks to have your favorite character or pairing or ideas shredded. Because you will have favorites, and you will be protective of that favorite, but harshing on other people's favorites does nothing but increase the negativity. If you don't like it, ignore it, simple as that. Find those who share what you like and enjoy it with them, while respecting other people's rights to enjoy what they like even if you don't like it. If you need to complain (and you will need to) that's what private journals and like-minded friends are for. The more respect you have for others, the less drama you'll have to put up with yourself, and fanfiction will remain an enjoyable past time.
I hope you found this guide helpful, and feel free to comment with any questions or additions you may have.