Surely, I'm being too pessimistic. Sorry, it's my nature. There are good fan-fiction writers out there. I have to believe that. It's just that their stories are difficult to locate among all the, well, crap.

Fan-fiction writers of old wouldn't have dared release their work into the vastness of internet space without first proofreading and reading for story consistency. You also didn't get stories piecemeal. What you found was complete. That was why it was published � because it was finished, proofread, polished!

Good writers write for themselves, first and foremost. They write the kinds of stories they want to read. And for those writers who are truly in tune, what they want to read is quite likely what others want to read, too.

Inspiration, passion, talent, and ability � that's what it's about.

I pity the writers who have written that it is the reviews that have kept them going, or kept them updating until a story was finished. Makes me wish people would stop reviewing them. I have no respect for a writer who writes solely for the praise.

And they are out there. Oh, yes, they are.

What it seems to be about now is stats. An "author" spits out what reads like rough drafts of chapters of unfinished stories because the quicker you post something, the quicker you get to see your hit counter climb.

Ooo, what a rush!

And reviews! Gotta see that review number climb, too. How boring it would be to get 25 reviews for a work posted complete, when you can get 100 by posting chapters. Of course, most of those reviews say nothing more than "Good work. Can't wait for the next chapter." But that doesn't matter, now, does it? Not with your very sense of self-worth being based on those numbers.

Believe me, people can wait. They aren't on the edge of their seats for your error-filled rough draft. Please, feel free to edit, and edit again.

Good fan-fiction writers also know the importance of sticking to canon characters and situations. It a no-brainer. Fans want new episodic stories about the characters they've grown to love. If your story takes the basic setting, but introduces a whole completely different cast of characters . . . Well, guess what's not getting read. You might as well save it and build your own original fiction out of it. If you've acquired a level of confidence (arrogance?) that allows you to basically rewrite a show and present it to its fans, then it's time to make that leap into original fiction. Good riddance, and good luck. Don't deface an established series. Respect the fandom.

Finding good quality, completed fan-fiction is a frustrating and tiring undertaking these days. There was a time when seeing that there were hundreds of fan-fictions for your favorite show, book, or game was like finding a treasure trove. Now, seeing such a large number is very discouraging. You dread the time it's about to take to find the jewels in the rough. You know you're about to have to wade through uncompleted stories, dreaded drabbles, melodramatic song-fics, senseless poems, slash/smut/"pwp", spoofs/parodies (unless that's actually what you're looking for), and crossovers. The worthwhile stories are often overlooked because of their neighbors on the list.

Welcome to the world of fan-fiction.

Now, get writing!

Words of Advice, Tips, Etc.:

>Slept through English class? Buy a grammar and punctuation guide. Educate yourself. Read! Pay attention to how published authors (or their editors) make use of punctuation for clarity and effect.

>Never took a creative writing class? Again, educate yourself. There are loads of books out there on how to craft a story. Story structure, character building, setting, conflict, suspense, description, and viewpoint can all be learned by a willing mind in the comfort of your home.

>Can't spell? I don't want to hear it, especially not in a preface to your story. If I know beforehand that your spelling is atrocious, then I have little faith in other aspects of your work. Use spellcheck, use a dictionary, ask a friend to proofread, or even use one of those Franklin electronic handheld spellers. There is no excuse.

>Read! Become familiar with what a good story sounds and feels like, how it flows, how the balance between action and suspense is achieved, and more.

>Good suspense is not made by adding exclamation points to the narration, nor is it made by annoying repetition: He had to press the button. He just had to press that button! He couldn't resist! He was going to press it. He knew he was going to press it! He had to press the button!!

>Be wary of wordiness. If you have to explain an act or concept, there is likely a single word to replace the explanation. Search for it.
(example: He ran quickly through the expansive building where all the boxes were stacked, looking for a space where the people who were chasing him would not find him.
He raced through the warehouse, searching for a place to hide from his pursuers.)

>Give contact information for any communication a reader might wish to convey.

>If someone contacts you with a question about your story, simply answer it. Be clear and concise, and thank the person for their interest. You can even write it that plainly � "Thank you for your interest." Don't start explaining other things beyond answering the question. Don't gush about the attention. Don't write "I just love talking about my own stories! Thanks so much for asking!" Consider how that makes you sound. And try, try hard, not to ask questions back. Don't make the person regret they contacted you.

>Don't beg for reviews, or write anything like the following:

If I don't get at least 10 reviews, I'm not writing any more chapters.
Good. Glad to hear it.

Please R&R, ppl. Show me the love!
Who are you?

Leave a review and let me know what you want to happen next.
I want you to go away. Any chance of that happening?

I know no one's gonna review this. I expect a big 0 for reviews because no one will probably take the time to read this.
Aww. I hope you get everything you expect.

>Don't write any of these, or anything like them, as your summary:

I suck at summaries, just read my story.
If you can't even write a summary of your own story. Do I really want to waste my time?

Jack's angry. If you want to know more, read the story.
You're lazy. I'll go elsewhere.

LOL! I wrote this while high! Need I say more!
Yes, much more. Later. Make that, never.

My friends and I wrote this at 3 in the morning eating ho-hos and ding-dongs. So excuse the shoddy writing.
No, I won't.

Details inside.
Next.

>Don't review someone's work just because that person reviewed you. That kind of obvious reciprocation rarely has merit or sincerity. The writer will know that you wouldn't have reviewed without their review of you. Simply put, it's a bad reason to review someone.

>Don't throw out quick, meaningless reviews to loads of people (when you probably never even read their stories) just for the chance that they'll review you back. Do you really want that kind of attention? Can you really feel satisfied playing off some people's sense of like-for-like obligation?

>Once a chapter (or the whole story) is written, don't look at it for a few days. When you come back, pretend you're a fan who just discovered your story. You'll find any mistakes better that way.