Hello, all. I'm a teenager who needs a place to put all her ramblings. So far I only have one story up, after trying and deleting several others. Illusions of Sorrow is a story that's been in my head for several years, but I'm only just now putting to paper (screen). I just published the first chapter and am hoping to get some feedback, though the numbers in that particular crossover community leave me a tad pessimistic (last story with reviews was last updated in 2017, ouch).

I fancy myself a good critic of writing, particularly of fanfiction. I've had quite a few friends come to me with stories they want either edited or just looked at in general. If you want to work with me on anything, shoot me a PM, and I'll look at your stuff. I'm way nicer in PMs than I come across in public statements, in which I can look like a bit of (a lot of) an a*hole. I'll be of help particularly if you're writing a Warriors fanfiction, other things maybe not as much, but I'm always willing to at least be the resident grammar Nazi.

My rules for writing fanfiction. (Feel free to follow- or not, do what you want)

1. Have a plot. Fantasy realms make great diaries. Stories, not so much. Figure out the plot before you publish anything.

2. The first and last chapters uploaded should be between 250 and 1000 words (think prologue and epilogue). All other chapters should be between 1000 and 5000 words. Single-chapter stories should be at least 500 words; there's no upper limit, but if you reach the 5000 mark, you should think about splitting it up.

3. KNOW YOUR CHARACTER. If you're using an OC, you're probably fine. If you're not, make sure you know what you're doing.

4. I once heard the phrase "lavender unicorn syndrome". Don't do it. Pronouns are your friend. Use them.

5. Plagiarism is still possible in fanfiction. Avoid taking direct passages from the work you're writing for.

5.5 Unlike writing *real* stuff, you can assume your reader has some basic knowledge of the original work. Even in crossovers, there's no need to summarize what's already happened in canon. Remember, your readers had to specifically look for that work's fanfiction.

5.75 However, a quick author's note explaining when in canon the story takes place is totally acceptable, especially if you haven't read (or actively despise) the later works.

6. If you ever write the phrase "I suck at summaries", I will not read your story. If you can't write a summary, you can't write a story. If you can write a summary, but you think you can't, that shows me you lack confidence.

7. I understand you want to be famous and have a relationship with your readers, but keep it out of the story. Author's notes should be reserved for the very beginning and very end, and in major emergencies.

8. Write for yourself, not for anyone else.