A younger (but still an adult) Jiraiya!

Disclaimer: I suppose since these are required, I must say, "I do not own anything of this fic but the idea!"

xiv — beta

"No good, no good," tutted Kagome, readjusting her reading glasses with a single finger. "Sentence fragments littering every other paragraph; the characterization of your leading male is way too overdone and unbelievable; there's a lot of noticeable repetition in your word usage, and—and your sex scenes are just plain cheesy…"

With every word she spoke, it felt as though a searing bolt of lightning shot down from the heavens to strike Jiraiya directly in the heart.

"…I'm pretty sure there's a specific term for characters like these. Gary-sue-kun and Mary-sue-chan, I think it were."

Yowch!

"Your style of using certain punctuations is really messed up, too."

Eek!

"The entire story moves way too fast; you need to slow down and at least let the reader apprehend what's going on. You're hopping all over the place."

Goodbye, cruel existence!

Kagome sighed and set down the unedited manuscript before her on the desk. She entwined her fingers and placed them below her chin, spectating as the white-haired male jerked about on her office floor like a dying fish.

"You've got the main concept down, Jiraiya-kun, but you have to be able to execute it better," she offered sympathetically. "Because at this rate, your work may never get published."

Jiraiya drew himself up halfway with difficulty, peeking at the woman over the line of her desk. "Is there any hope left for me, Higurashi-san…?" he inquired mournfully.

Almost like she had been waiting for him to ask, Kagome's lips quirked in an encouraging smile.

"Well, you are paying me to be your editor, so I'll have to try my best to help."

.

.

.

Five months later, Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise was out on the market and in the nationwide Top 10 Bestseller's List.

A writer is a person for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.

—Thomas Mann

Author's Note: I particularly love the ending quote in this chapter. I'm sure many authors can relate to it just as well as I do.