Pairing Do's and Don'ts
Disclaimer: Avatar is not mine!
A/N: For sometime, I've been skimming through the Avatar stories and I've noticed a lot of pairing stories that have potential, but are either rushed or not thought out or have an overused plot or all of them. Don't take this personally or say that I'm critiszing your fanfic, I'm not. I swear to you, but I've been looking on Avatar discussion boards and here's what I've picked up about fanfics. There will be one for almost every pairing I can think of. Try and read this before you start making your own to see what fans are looking for and what sometimes turns them off.
Pairing Do's (applies to all)
I, ParaibaOcean (shortened to Para), am seen handing out copies to a set of seemingly bored students.
"Welcome, students. The reason we kidnapped--I mean brought you here is to educate you in pairing fanfic writing. Now, for each pairing there will be, the main focuses on the two main pairings of Zutara and Kataang, the two characters who are in fact paired educating you on what NOT to do. The list I have just passed out is what you should do." I tell them, seeing a few scan the paper.
"1) Walk before you can run, or rather, have sparks before a bonfire of love.
2) Come up with an original storyline and plot twists.
3) If you are going to say a couple is in love, elaborate on time spent together.
4) Say 'yes' to orginal characters. Just make sure you don't make a multi-bender and convey a constant personality, not a tempermental character.
5) Say 'no' to pre-marital sex or any type if they're still teenagers.
6) Read and think about how you've conveyed the character.
7) Use a dictionary!
8) Don't be afraid to ask other fans about what they want to see or ask for help on a chapter or have someone proofread it, not just for spelling mistakes, but to ask if the character are too OOC.
9) Keep the characters in-synch with the ones the creators have made.
10) Use proper grammar and punctuation, and space out your paragraphs." I read aloud.
"Number 1, it only makes sense to like them as more than a friend, care for them very much, then love them. Do it in this order. Love is last, it may grow deeper, but it's final. Number 2, fans love original storylines and plot twists. Don't just use the sameone that's been used millions of times. Think it through and look around to skim and see if it's been used." I continued.
"Para, do you mean like 'Zuko kidnaps Katara as bait for Aang and they fall in love'?" A person raised their hand.
"That'll be covered in the Zutara course, but more or less, yes. Number 3, elaborate on the time spent together. Sokka doesn't just wake up and love Suki. Give specifics and tell about time spent together. Make him think about her and miss her. Number 4, say 'yes' to OCs. OCs can be great for a plotline, but don't create one for Katara, Sokka, Zuko, Aang, Toph, Azula, Mai, Ty Lee, so on and so forth. We don't like Mary Sues or Gary Stus either. More on that in your pairing classes with OCs." I replied. Sokka seemed shifty at the mention of him loving Suki and a few groans came out.
"What about this one I created? Aysu's grandparents come from each of the four nations. She can bend ice and water and fire and steam and volcano ash and plants and sand and--" The same student interrupted.
"Just stop. Maybe you should be in a 'How To Stop Creating Mary Sues' class..." I stopped them before I gagged on my own tonsils. "Number 5, I want everyone to read this sentence ten times. Alright? Pre-marital sex is stupid and takes away from the story. No matter how much you want it, Sokka and Ty Lee are not going to get drunk of sake and go create some little Ty Lokka babies. And Katara is not going to be pregnant with Aang/Zuko/Jet/Haru/OC's baby at the age of 15. Get over it. And spirits forbid you go into detail. It's a story, don't make it linger on about what exactly they're doing. WE DON'T WANT TO KNOW!" My voice ended in a scream at the end. "Ahem...rule number 6; think about how you are conveying your characters. Toph isn't going to go get drunk if she's locked in a wine cellar with Zuko, who is drinking as well. In fact, just say no to drunk people. Number 7, use a dictionary for crying out loud. If you're not sure how to spell something, go on and attempt to spell it, and the site will come up with possible solutions if it's spelled wrong. Number 8, ask for help and for opinions. Fans have good ideas, they just don't know how to elaborate, so take it and create something wonderful from it." I continued.
"But..." The same student...I was really getting tired of this.
"Shut up...I don't give a flying leap. Also, keep the characters in-synch of what the wonderful creators have done. We like Katara, Toph, Azula, Ozai, Iroh, Master Pakku, Yue, Zuko, Sokka, Aang, Suki, Meng, Aunt Wu, Bumi, Haru, Jet, Ursa, Ty Lee, Mai, and any of the other characters the way they are. DON'T SCREW 'EM UP!" My face turned into a scowl, then a friendly smile. "Finally, use proper grammar and punctuation, spacing out your paragraphs. It often becomes tedious if a whole dialouge is cramped into one paragraph and it make the chapter/story more irritating to read. If Katara and Sokka are having a conversation, start a new line whenever Katara talks and whenever Sokka talks. Don't use abbreviations unless it's the authors note and don't put in your fanfic; 'Aang? R u all rite? Ur being meen.' If we are taking time out of our day to read your glorious fanfic, please, make it legible and don't use netspeak. We want to make sense. Also, make a note that there are such things as periods, commas, semi-colons, exclamation points, and question marks. THOSE END SENTENCES! USE THEM! Finally, use the frigging SHIFT key. It's there for a reason; remember, each name, title (Prince/Princess), city, race, a new sentence starts with a capital letter. REMEMBER THIS! That's it for now. Be off!" I said, excitedly and then intruscted them to their first class.
Me: Hope you liked it...and please don't take this as a personal attack. I'm not singling out people.
