Hey there, this is ButterflyMouse and here is some stuff I figured you should know about my writing.

Number one, I'm Australian. That means that for quite a number of you there may be some slight language barriers. For example, in Australia the word we usually use for sweater is jumper. I consider a sweater to be a very specific type of jumper. This is of course as opposed to the free online dictionary which considers a jumper to be a sleeveless dress worn over one's sweater. I will try to restrict myself to words without such awkward misunderstandings, but if I slip up please inform me and I'll try to fix it. There is however one exception; I'm sorry but I simply refuse to use the word 'Mom', your just going to have to deal with me typing 'Mum' all the time.

Also, until now I've pretty much kept my writing under lock and key, so aside from pieces written for school I've had very little feed back. As such, I would love any constructive criticism you can provide. Towards the end of high school (which wasn't that long ago) I started giving up on my personal writing, so I'm mainly writing fan fiction to reacquaint myself with the concept of writing for pleasure not grades. So yes, I'm a little rusty but I'm sure I'll get back into the swing eventually.

Also, I edit and I edit and I edit, but I tend to miss things. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it has to be.

Anyway, that's all and I hope you enjoy reading my stories,

ButterflyMouse

My views on how true a story should stick to canon;

I believe that a story should either be completely in tune with the cannon, or completely out. That is, if you're going to make someone OOC, they should be completely OOC, you shouldn't just have Elspeth the way she is ordinarily except with happy-go-lucky behaviour. There should also be explanations given to their different personality. They can't have the same personal history or they would have developed into the character they are in cannon, that's just how it works. Likewise, if you're going to give them a different past, but keep their personality, you need to explain how their personality developed in relation to this past.

Unless your doing an AU fic for something like twilight, you should obey the laws of the universe you are working in to the letter. If you're planning on changing a character's species, or giving them a significance or powers other than what they had in cannon, it should be clear from the start. I don't mind it in some cases, but it really isn't everyone's cup of tea, and its kind of unpleasant to get halfway through a story that you're already really into, only to find out that Hermione is actually a goblin and suddenly you don't feel like reading any more.

These are my own personal views, and the standards which I try to write by. I'm sure that many of you would disagree, and that's cool, you're more than welcome to. I just thought I'd share this with you all.

My Goals: Currently I'm trying to improve my versatility by writing in a range of styles and a for a range of categories.

Reviews: I love reviews, I love getting them and I love writing them. I love getting constructive criticism so don't be afraid to point out the flaws in my work.

Please be warned that when I write reviews, I tend to ramble and I somehow manage to give myself a guilt trip about not providing constructive criticism. When I write a review, my focus is on helping the author. Thus, I might suggest you work on a particular aspect which I myself need to work on (cough, spelling, cough cough). I don't consider this hypocritical, if someone did the same for me I'd be very happy and I must live by my own standards.

Also, when I write reviews, I tend to ramble, so they can end up kind of long. In addition to this, the tone I use tends to be upbeat and chirpy unless I'm really concerned about the way it might be interpreted. Either because it could be interpreted very badly, or I really want it interpreted correctly, either way. A couple of people have mistaken this tone for sarcasm. I'd like to apologize in advance for any such instances which may or may not happen in the future (I've already apologized for the ones that have happened in the past)

If you're not prepared to laugh at yourself, I'll be happy to do it for you.