The Ten Commandments of Writing Fiction

1. Thou shalt obey the grammar and spelling rules of thy language
2. Thou shalt edit
3. Thou shalt make ALL of thy characters well-rounded and flawed
4. Thou shalt not use purple prose
5. Thou shalt not make the ending a foregone conclusion
6. Thou shalt not leave plot holes
7. Thou shalt do research
8. Thou shalt not use cliches
9. Thou shalt not plagiarize
10. Thou shalt find a publisher to market thy work

-Courtesy of http:// (She has a bunch of helpful hints for writers, including how to avoid a Mary Sue)

9 Tips to Writing a Solid Fanfiction (or any story for that matter)

1. Your story needs to be grammatically correct.

2. The dialogue needs to be punctuated correctly (if you don’t know how to do this, ask or use google!).

3. Your protagonist needs to undergo a change. This does not - and perhaps should not be - a massive change. The change can be the beginning of a change. But there must be a recognizable change - otherwise there is no story.

4. The story must have a plot. Something must happen .Again, it doesn’t have to be a big, complicated plot with explosions and warfare. It can be very simple. But it must have a plot. The story must go somewhere.

5. Your characters should be flawed. And bad things should happen to them. Don’t protect your characters. Nobody wants to read Mary Sues.

(but just as a side note, flawed does not mean victimized. Victimized means things happen to them, and it’s sad and all, but they have played no role and hold no fault in the outcome of their problems.)

6. Your story should have a clear, consistent POV.

7. Your story should have a consistent verb tense, preferably simple past. Present tense is fine, but it’s tough to do.

8. If you include graphic subject matter, it must be organic to the story. If you write violent scenes just to be writing them, or for shock value and they don’t advance the plot or characterization, then the scenes don’t belong there. (Unless you’re writing PWP, then go on with your bad self)

9. Have fun. Writing should be fun. Write from your heart and your gut. Write what makes you uncomfortable and uneasy. Take risks. Remember what it was like when you were a kid and someone said “Once Upon A Time…” Write what you know. Write what you don’t know. Entertain us, move us, scare us. Do something to us. Change us.

Write something that matters.

-Courtesy of http://

Harry Potter taught me that some things are worth dying for.
Ron Weasley taught me that believing in yourself is a hundred times more powerful than luck.
Hermione Granger taught me that an education is a girl’s best asset, even if it doesn’t make you many friends.
Severus Snape taught me to never, ever, ever judge someone.
Rubeus Hagrid taught me that anything can be cute with the right perspective.
Ginny Weasley taught me that bold is beautiful.
Lily Potter taught me that a mother’s love is the strongest force on earth.
Remus Lupin taught me that fear is the only thing I should be afraid of.
Dolores Umbridge taught me that education with a political agenda is a terrible, terrible thing.
Sirius Black taught me that the ones we love never truly leave us.
Albus Dumbledore taught me that good people are not always good.
Draco Malfoy taught me that bad people are not always bad.
Neville Longbottom taught me that courage is standing up for what’s right, even when you’re scared out of your mind.
Luna Lovegood taught me that weird is wonderful.
Dobby taught me that freedom is a gift.
Lucius Malfoy taught me that no amount of money, pomp, or circumstance will buy you true friends.
Fred & George Weasley taught me that sometimes all you need is a good laugh.
The Dursleys taught me that a world without imagination is a dull and dreary place.
Arthur Weasley taught me that a good sense of curiosity and a bit of obsession can be healthy.
Fleur Delacour taught me that true love is not based on appearance.
Molly Weasley taught me that a happy family is not measured in gold.
Bellatrix Lestrange taught me that hatred and prejudice rot your mind and can turn even the most beautiful person into a monster.
Kreacher taught me that if you want to get to know a man, look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.
Cho Chang taught me that rebound relationships almost never work.
Nymphadora Tonks taught me to love myself, no matter what I look like.
Percy Weasley taught me that, in the end, no career is worth sacrificing your family.
Sybill Trelawney taught me that you cannot change the past, only the future.
Lavender Brown taught me that physical relationships only last for so long.
Peter Pettigrew taught me that rats do not make good friends.
Nicholas Flamel taught me that to the well-prepared mind, death is but the next great adventure.
Minerva McGonagall taught me that a good cause is worth fighting for at any age.
Hedwig taught me that the love we have for our pets is very real.
Lord Voldemort taught me that a life without love is barely living.
J. K. Rowling taught me that the stories we love will always be with us.