Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. If I did, a whole lot of crazy shit would happen.

Author's Note: As the title implies, this is about the "proper" way to write fan fiction (there really isn't a proper way.). It's in my opinion that some people need some help so if you're reading this and don't think you need it, continue. You probably do need the help.

This chapter will focus on Characters and Character Development, maybe even the hero's journey.

Let's start with the basics.

Mary Sue- A female character that is perfect in seemingly every way possible.

Gary Stew- A male character that is perfect in seemingly every way possible.

You never EVER want to write or be the author of either of these. Seriously. No. Don't even. People will flame you so bad it won't even be funny. Although it may be fun to write them, you shouldn't do it. People like character s that are RELATEABLE. Making someone who is perfect can, and ultimately, will annoy people, and therefore cause them to flame you. Because let's face it, no one is perfect. No one wants to read about a perfect person who automatically saves the day and has a bankai and defeats Aizen in one strike.

How do I know all of this wonderful knowledge? I wrote one. I admit it. Seriously, you can check my profile about it if you don't believe me. I didn't do it bad enough apparently, because some people actually liked the crap I posted.

Anyway, here are some tips on how to avoid doing this.

There are some websites that have wonderful quizzes that can be extremely useful; I have the link to one at the bottom of my profile page. I've found it extremely helpful.

Ask yourself the hard question, Am I writing a Mary sue/Gary stew? Answer honestly. Look at your character very in depth.

Ask yourself another question, is this character the dream version of you? Do you get offended when people insult your character? Do you ask people to call you your oc's name? This is a sign that you are getting too attached. There is a fine line between enjoying writing about your oc and obsessing over them.

Now, to the bleach aspect of this. Let's say you are writing a canon related fan fiction, during the hueco mundo arc while Ichigo and co are rescuing Orihime. Your oc goes along with Rukia because they have similar powers, abilities, strength, or a mixture of all three. They face Kaien, but your oc, out of fucking NOWHERE suddenly pulls out a bankai from their ass and owns him.

The paragraph above is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. It may save Rukia from harm, but it's important that she's the one who defeats Kaien if it's canon. This makes them a Mary Sue or Gary Stew, one because it doesn't follow canon, and two they suddenly getting a bankai and without even showing a training session.

Personally if I read this I'd be pretty pissed for a few reasons. One it's one of the few canon fights that Rukia is in, because we all know she doesn't fight much with Ichigo being you know, Ichigo. Two Overpowering ocs kind of annoy me. Three we wouldn't get to see Rukia being all badass.

I guess in order to properly explain character development, I should explain The hero's journey.

Have this wonderful definition.

Hero's Journey- The journey that a hero takes in order to solve the conflict of the story. The steps are, in a basic form, The ordinary world, the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting the mentor (Who convinces them to take up the journey), crossing the threshold (into the new world), facing tests and gaining allies and enemies, inmost cave, ordeal (the most action of the story, i.e. facing Aizen at fake karakura town (he he spoilers!).), reward, road back, return back to (hopefully changed) ordinary world.

In general, characters in most books (with the exception of nonfiction and a few other things.) follow these steps, sometimes not in this order. Bleach is no different honestly. Think about it. Ichigo's normal world is just being a regular high school student who can see ghosts. The call to adventure is Ichigo first seeing Rukia. The refusal of the call is he literally refusing to Rukia to be a substitute shinigami. The mentor, for a little while is Rukia, and then it becomes Urahaura, or maybe even Zangetsu at some points. Crossing the threshold is when Ichigo and co go through the senkaimon to go save Rukia from death.

So as you can see, character development and Hero's Journey are inter- related in many stories, including bleach. I could go more in depth with it, but it's probably not necessary.

So how then can you use this to help out your stories? Here are some tips.

First, follow these steps. It doesn't matter what order. Seriously, you can start out at the ordeal if you go back and explain the parts before.

Second, and this is very opinion based personally, I would love to read a story that uses these steps, no matter the order. By using these steps it makes you look really smart and makes your story seem well thought out, even if it isn't.

Third, if you follow these steps, and have a well thought out character and plot (with many of plot twists), I can guarantee to you that your story will get reviews. (Seriously. Tell me about your story somehow (like a private message or review. I don't mind either way) and I'll definitely check you out, and I'll review it.)

So what have you learned to day? Let's recap.

You learned about Mary Sues and Gary Stews, and tips on how to not write them.

You learned about the Hero's Journey and how it can be useful, and with a well thought out plot and character you can, and will get reviews.

Thanks for reading! No idea what the next chapter will be about!