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I am a mom of three who enjoys writing. I've actually been tinking around with Fan Fiction for years simply for my own pleasure. It wasn't until just recently I realized it could be shared (concern for copyrights and all that), and that there was a place I could actually do it. What a delight. Now maybe I will actually get a few of them finished, but I'm not holding my breath - two of the three kids are 6 and under.

I would also like to share this about myself. My faith is important to me and usually finds it's way into my stories in the form of a character, quotes, concepts or something of the sort. Don't expect the characters, however, to be examples of perfection. We are all under construction, and so are they with flaws and faults and imperfect faith. If these kind of things offend you, you may not enjoy my work, but you are still welcome to read it and see what you think.

Lastly, reviews are always welcome (even bad ones, although I do appreciate friendly wording and specifics are especially helpful ;-). I have hopes of publishing a book someday (like so many), so any advice that might help me refine my writing style would be appreciated.

God bless.

SOME INTERESTING ARTICLES ON WRITING
(Do me a favor, if you ever try one on the links below and it doesn't work, SEND me a MESSAGE and let me know.)

●● LEARN ABOUT YOUR WRITING SKILLS WITH THESE INTERACTIVE TESTS

Guide to Grammar & Writing

The Blue Book Interactive Grammar Quizzes

●● IMPROVE YOUR CRAFT
Now that you taken the tests and know where you're lacking, check out some articles to help you improve:

●●NEW!●● Top 10 Writing Mistakes to Avoid in High School ●●NEW!●●
(Written with a High School term paper in mind, these ten points can be applied to writing stories as well)

Top 10 Tips for Writing Dialogue
(And over to the left, under TOPICS, you'll find a plethoa of other writing articles - I'm still exploring them!)

How to Write Almost Readable Fan Fiction
(Ms. Nitpicker seeks to educate writers on grammar, punctuation, dialogue, vocabulary and more using real fan fic examples)

●● SLANG CAN REALLY DATE YOUR WORK, BUT IF YOU WANT TO USE IT - SEE WHAT IT MEANS (at the moment):
The definitions of slang shift and change. What is "cool" one day, is "sick" the next, and will be something else tommorow, but if you want to use it, here's a good resource to check out how words are currently being used. WARNING: The site is user updated so the definitions of some words can contain adult language and topics.

The Urban Dictionary

●● MARY SUE AND YOU
A "Mary Sue" (or Gary Sue or something similar) is an unbelievable character that is more often than not the instrument of an amateur writer’s fantasy, but not always -- and not always intentional. Is your character a “Mary Sue?” Well, your readers are the ultimate judge, but here are a couple of fun interactive tests that may give you a hint:

The Original Fiction Mary-Sue Litmus Test

The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

There are also “category specific” tests out there on the internet for particular TV series, movies, ect (example: Stargate, Star Trek, Buffy, Miracles). Use your search engine, type in your category and “Mary Sue test.” Maybe you’ll get lucky.

OoO
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●● Regarding stories I've authored:
My Riddick stories (all currently in progress) seek to create filler for some of the blank spaces in the Riddick's life and fall in the following order: Saved By Grace, Be Still: Chances, Turn About, and Nigh Unto Christmas. I've taken the liberty of noting them in The History of Riddick so you can see exactly where I squeezed them into the official canon of the character

Turn About takes place in a temperate rainforest. If you'd like some visuals to set the story in, I invite you to follow these links where you can see: the tall palm tree like silver ferns, tree branches with moss & club moss, tall moss covered trees, more moss covered trees and my favorite, a BEAUTIFUL wide angle scene by Ern Mainka.

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Regarding my favorites stories:
I wish I had more time to read. I know there's so many stories out there that I haven't had time to find yet. Unfortunatly there's also a good number I've gotten hooked on that haven't been updated for months, or even years. Grrr! I hate cliff hangers so as a general policy I'd decided I won't put anything into my favorites unless they are one-shots, or completed.

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