Hey, so I guess we're just here to help anyone in the fanfic world who is confused or has a question or two. I know I did when I first started to write.

I live by a few basic ideas on the site:

1. Don't let the negative hate stop you from writing!
Not everyone is going to like your work! Some people may vocalize that they don't enjoy your story, some people may praise it. If you receive a negative comment, simply reply with something along the lines of "Thank you for reading, I'm sorry my story doesn't interest you." Don't try and defend your work, don't be rude back! Just kill everyone with kindness! It's what I do, no matter the feedback I get. If you love your story enough to post it then forget what anyone says! You keep writing!


2. Some people will try to steal your work.
I had a girl copy one of my stories without asking me and she was the rudest person ever. She told me my writing was "rubbish" and soooo many people asked her to change it. Yet, despite that and the fact that I asked her to take down my work from her story, she still is keeping it. I know it's mine and my loyal readers know it's mine. She's still trying to argue with me saying because she has more chapters than I do she could lie and tell everyone I'm stealing her work. Little does she think, she's sent me the messages saying she took my work. I wish it didn't have to come down to people acting so immature, but sometimes it does.

If someone tries to steal your story, deal with it privately first. Send the person a message asking to stop using your story, or to remove the parts that belong to you. If they are being rude or refuse, comment on their story saying something like "I'd appreciate it if you'd stop using my story as your own" so other people know they are copying. If that doesn't work, post a chapter on your own story stating that you're aware of the issue and if other readers come across it, they know the writer hasn't asked permission.

Encourage the other person to continue writing though. Never be rude back. In my situation, I was very encouraging for the other writer to continue writing the story from where her own ideas started to come into play. Don't stoop to their level.


3. Don't be that person who steals the work.
If you love a story so much you just have to have part of it, ask the owner! Shoot them a message and be like "I love your story so much, I was wondering if I could use this part to this part" and then make sure you credit them! If the real writer gives you permission to use their work, don't copy and paste it. Change it a bit! But remember, give them credit no matter how little or much you change. Just don't plagiarize. It is not cool.


4. Whether you have a way to copyright your work or not, it all belongs to you regardless of a copyright status.
Intellectual property is a real thing. Intellectual property simply is the "rights are the legally exclusive rights to creations of the mind". That means no matter copyright status, if you've thought of it and you've created the situation in your own mind, YOU OWN IT. Merely writing your story gives you, the author, ownership of ideas presented as well as ownership of the words written verbatim. Don't let anyone tell you, you don't have a copyright so they can take it. You do have a copyright, it's called intellectual property.


5. EDIT! EDIT! EDIT!
This is one that I'm personally horrible at. I hit spell check on Word and that's how I edit. Don't be me! Actually go back through and catch all the mistakes you've made. If you aren't good at catching your errors, have someone else edit for you. Ask a fellow reader on here, family members, friends, or even a teacher from your school! Reading a story with proper grammar and punctuation makes it way better! Spell check won't catch all the errors! Do it manually!


6. This is your place to shine! BE CREATIVE!
Don't be embarrassed of your work! Embrace it! No one ever has to know who you are! You can be as weird or dark as you want. This is a supposed to be a judge free zone. Write what makes you happy. Everyone isn't going to like it! But you'd be surprised at how many do! If you care about your work, even if it's a bit weird, post it! Someone will feel the same way. You might even help someone without knowing it.


7. Don't worry about subscribers and votes.
Okay, let me clear this up. Yes, the more you get of each the more people will see your story on the popular pages. However, don't stop writing even if you aren't getting what you want! Write because you love too! At first, I didn't get many of either, I still don't have many but I keep posting! Don't worry about it. There's more to fanfics than a 10.0 rating.


8. If you like someone elses work, tell them!
Don't be afraid to comment on someone's story. Tell them you like it. You like to hear people like your work, so do others! Be encouraging and supportive! Tell them what exactly you like. If they ask questions in authors notes then answer them! They've asked for a reason so answer! Give good rates to stories you like, and subscribe so you don't miss an update! When you are a great reader, other people will return the favor! Stay positive though, if you don't like it, just move on.

8. This one is simple: HAVE FUN!
Express yourself and stay creative. Don't let the hate get you down if you receive any. Stay positive and enjoy this site. Have a good time writing your stories! You love to write, that's why you're here! Be happy.


9. Use authors notes to your advantage.
This gives you a chance to connect with your readers. Let them know what's going on so they are in the know. Ask them questions about your story and tell them what you feel! If you aren't going to be able to update for awhile, tell your readers so they know. I've read a few stories where I'm like "why aren't they updating? Have they abandoned the story?" If the writer would have said, "hey I'm going out of town or I have a busy week ahead of me", I wouldn't have freaked out! If you are going to stop writing, also tell the readers!


That's basically everything I live by on this site. It's simple. Have fun, stay positive and be creative. Don't steal though. I love fanfiction so much, it's my outlet to my creativity.

If you have any thoughts or questions, or anything specific you'd like to know, just ask!

We're a friendly pair of friends over here!

I hope this helped one way or another.

Don't worry, be happy :)

- i_heart_1D

Notes

Posting in my author note section because I told you guys too.

:)