Some pointers for posting stories:

Some think fiction is nothing to rant over, not worth your best effort, or something that can be written in thirty minutes and slopped on site...

I beg to differ.

Your writing is a reflection of your skills...what you have learned and retained from school and everyday dealings. View your writing as clothing. When you are going to a party, club, social gathering, or somewhere formal...don't you want to look your best? Do you wear clothes that are dirty, have holes, or ragged looking? No, I would hope you don't. You have no idea who will be at this social gathering...you would want to make a good first impression right?

Same applies to your writing. Do it with intentions of looking your best. That means: proper spelling, punctuation, grammar, limited to no typos, polished, and presented in a clear format to read. This is not hard. I'm unclear why authors here have an issue with this. Why is proofreading so difficult? Have some pride in your work folks...it's a reflection on you. If you can't make sure your story is decently presented and your best effort, then why should anyone bother taking time to read it?

Some pointers off the top of my head:

1. Stop telling us no Mary Sue in your summary. That only reiterates that you DO have a Mary Sue.

2. Stop screaming NO FLAMES AHHH!!!11!! Flamers will come in droves when they see that.

3. Incoherent summaries, and summaries saying you can't write summaries. If you can't sum up your story in so many words...then you need to work on your plot so you can.

4. Labeling: Telling us what your labels for "thoughts" are and what "dialogue" tags are, and what "flashbacks" are labeled is downright annoying. Pick up a book anywhere and they follow the same pattern. You should NOT have to tell the reader a secret code for reading your story. If you find you have to, then you need to rethink the way you're writing the story. Italics have multiple uses folks...they are thoughts, flashbacks, emphasized words. Bolding is redundant and looks amateur...I've never seen a published book with bold inside unless it's chapter titles.

5. Begging for reviews, hold stories hostage until you get # of reviews. First off, you need to grow up. Writing is not all about how many reviews you can get...it's about the story and the joy of the craft itself. You should write for YOU, not us...meaning, even if you never get a single review...you should still feel as if you have accomplished something when you finish a story. Yes, it's nice to get reviews...but that shouldn't be your sole purpose for writing. If it is...then you're doing us all a disservice.

6. Long author notes, or notes in the middle of the fic. NEVER make a note in the middle of your story! You want the reader to forget they are reading a story, not remind them! Long ANs should be kept to a minimum or stuck at the end of the story. Not that we don't think you're interesting...but needless information (ex. you have finals this week and your best friend is standing over your shoulder while you upload) is exactly that...needless.

How to deal with Flames and Constructive Reviews:

All you can do is try and improve and DO NOT take what they say personally. In fact, don’t take what anyone says to you personally. We do not know you (in most cases)…we have no idea what goes on inside your head, we do not see you in school, work, home, etc. We have no idea how hard it was for you to write what you did; we don’t know how easy it was to write what you did. We don’t know that you are only 12, 15, 19 years old unless you put it in your profile to alter our crits accordingly. I won’t harshly criticize an 8 year old or a 12 year old as much as I would someone who’s 19 or older. However, most of the time I can tell by the writing how old an author usually is.

The case and point dears…is that getting defensive and riled up will only make you look worse in the flamers eyes. A mature author takes what they need from a crit (even a flame) and applies it to their writing. You’re posting your work for the world to see--expect not-so-great-feedback. All you can do is try and improve.

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What about me?

Thirty years old, an artist foremost and hobbyist writer (though the latter of the two I wish to change). I freelance professionally, and you may view my work on Deviant Art. Go ahead and friend me if you want, or leave a comment on my main page at how you like/dislike my work.

All unedited versions of my fanfic are on AFF. I tend to write darker horror/fantasy stories, centering on Resident Evil, and Silent Hill. I’m sure more fandoms will capture my interest eventually--but for now, those two categories are the sandboxes I’m stomping in.

I aspire for publication in writing, and fan fiction is my stepping stone for honing my skills. I like to run original ideas and characters through a test audience before applying them to any 'original' tales…which leads to many OC’s either as the main character within the canonverse, or as side characters. I like the challenge of having them interact with the canon cast...and keeping everyone IC while I'm doing it.

Preferences in general: (Like you care--but this is about me and therefore, I will pretend you desperately wish to know these things).

I like and write slash, but believable slash...meaning...

I like my men, men and women, women--meaning, I dislike characterizations that feminize males and butch females. Strong women are awesome, but keep them women.

I enjoy non-con, plot-driven stories, kink, coherent dialogue, and the occasional PWP. I like anything to do with vampires, wizards (the supernatural in general), good emotional and passionate sex scenes and unusual pairings.

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Deviant Art page:

http://bloom797.deviantart.com

Adult Fanfiction Profile:

http://games.adultfanfiction.net/authors.php?no=1296766863

My LJ:

Note! My live journal is spoiler heaven for friends! I post previews of chapters long before they are completed and give hints to upcoming events. Friends of my journal have this privilage only.

http://maiafay.livejournal.com

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Revisions

I'm currently revising Between Darkness and Chaos (major overhaul!), but may take it off here altogether. I plan on submitting this story to publishers...so, having it online would not be beneficial unless it were for critiques only.

email: maiafay376@comcast.net