About reviews:
If a leave any type of criticism in a review, keep in mind that I don't expect anything from you. What do I mean by that?
If I leave a review, yes, that means I've read the chapter (unless I specifically mention otherwise in the review). Also, if I leave criticism, then there are things in the story I believe you should to edit, omit, or even change completely. I don't leave criticism to bully and I don't want anyone to stop writing their stories. There is nothing wrong with revising a story, but please don't let people discourage you from writing.
That said, even though I leave criticism and I may strongly believe that you need to make certain changes, I know it's your story and you may not agree with me or want to make any changes. Whatev, it's your story and I'm not going to dislike you for disregarding any or all of my reviews. You don't owe me an explanation. I don't want to hear excuses on things such as why you have your character a certain way or why you felt it necessary to have this information.
You shouldn't feel obligated to send a review reply to explain yourself for any reviewer. If you disagree with the reviewer's opinion on the characterization of your story's protagonist or think that your OC needs to have a tragic past (despite other people telling you to drop it), fine, it's your fic.
Disclaimer: However, the above bit does not include grammar, spelling, or other basic writing mechanics. Improper punctuation, run-ons, mixing up tenses within a sentence, and spelling errors aren't things to be argued over. And, if any reviewer points them out, fix them. It's part of the rules in the writer Guidelines and TOS you agreed to.
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Writing Help
How to Handle Criticism and Get Something Good Out of It
Fiction Factor
Effectively Outlining Your Plot
Seven Common Character Types
Characters and Point Of View
Using Body Language to Create Believable Characters
Developing Character Traits: Mannerisms
Developing Character Traits: Part Two - Physical Attributes
All Characters are 3 Dimensional, Right?
Casting Your Characters
Make 'Em Perfect - Give 'Em Flaws
The Intercultural Sojourn as the Hero's Journey- believe it or not, these stages are the basics you find in all kinds of stories, movies, and TV series. When a hero (ie the main character) goes on a journey, there are basic stages he goes through. They may not be in the exact order and whatnot, but it's present and very important. When a character goes through a journey, he changes, just as anyone changes through time and experiences. Except, usually the experiences are more epic/fantastic than the average Joe's. Really, check out the page and take the information into consideration when you write your story.
Writer's Haven: Tutorials for Writing Improvement- this FF.net forum of Maiafay's offers all kinds of useful information. There are tutorials on building your OC, passive and active voice, how to avoid making your OC a Mary-Sue and/or self-insert, and more.
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Mary-Sue what?
Mary Sue vs OCs:
My explanation of the Original Character and Mary-Sue labels: Mary-Sues vs OCs
Resources on Mary-Sues:
Too Good to be True: 150 Years of Mary Sue by Pat Pflieger is a pretty interesting article about Mary Sues, using various examples through time, explaining why they're Mary Sues, the trends in Mary Sue types, etc. It can be found at: http://www.merrycoz.org/papers/MARYSUE.HTM
Merlin Missy's Mary Sue, Who are You? is an article explaining some of the cliche traits and themes that are common with Bad Mary Sues and the fanfics that they're in. And you can find it at: http://firefox.org/news/articles/6/1/Mary-Sue-Who-Are-You/Page1.html
Another easy way to see if you're in the clear with your character is by taking one of those Mary Sue tests you can find online. For Gil Shalos' BIIIIG List Of LOTR Fanfic Cliches And Mary Sue-Doms: http://www.subreality.com/marysue/gsblolfc.htm
My general list of what to do and what not to do concerning Mary Sue fanfiction: Mary-Sues vs OCs
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The Lord of the Rings resources
So You Want to Write a Tolkien Fanfic? by SickleYield
Encyclopedia of Arda
The Thain's Book
Principles of Tolkien's Magic
More links can by found at LotR online information and more
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日本語
Japanese in your fanfic
京都弁・Kyoto speech
関西弁・Kansai speech
北海道弁・Hokkaido speech
ＧｏＧｏ！北海道弁・GoGo! Hokkaido speech
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Stuff...
Likes
Activities and interests: Free time, festivals, parties, hanami, biking, gym, archery, swimming, karaoke, cooking, summer and spring
Foods: Salad, vegetables, fruit, agedashi dofu, banchan, kimchi, fish, chicken, tofu, yaki ika, yaki tori, misoshiru, tsukemono, nori, umeboshi, tea
Books and Stories: The Lord of the Rings, Family by Ba Jin, Dante's Inferno, Kitchen by Banana Yokshimoto, First They Killed My Father, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Frankenstein, Dracula, Pride and Prejudice, The Little Match Girl, The Litter Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Brave Tin Soldier, The Red Shoes, Prince Lindworm, Hans Christian Andersen fairytales, mukashi banashi, Little Red Riding Hood, fairytales, kaidan, mythology, folklore
Movies: Omocha, The Curse of the Golden Flower, The Orphanage, Pan's Labyrinth, Sakuran, Super Bad, Hot Fuzz, La Vita è bella, Ikiru, The Meaning of Life, Grave of the Fireflies, The Professional, Raise the Red Lantern, Snatch, The Fog of War, Be-Bop High School, Noriko's Dinner Table, The Professional, Battle Royale, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Joint Security Area, 200 Pounds Beauty, Adolescence of Utena, Legend, The Labyrinth, Dark Crystal, The Little Mermaid, Gohatto, Zatoichi, Dolls, Blazing Saddles, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Dracula: Dead and Loving It
Television: Law&Order, House, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Psych, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Kids in the Hall, Heroes, Scrubs, Doctor Who, Masterpiece Theater, Ninja Warrior, Hana Yori Dango (Live action drama), The Soup, Heroes, Gokusen (live action drama), Pride and Prejudice (Masterpiece Theater version), Casanova (Masterpiece Theater version)
Comics and cartoons: Shin Angyo Onshi, Chi's Sweet Home, Mononoke Hime, Mononoke, Earth Girl Arjuna, Brothers, Hot Gimmick, Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaia, Ayashi no Ceres, X, Habaek, Paradise Kiss, Honey and Clover, Venture Brothers, Claymore, The Secret of NIMH, The Family Guy, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, Tenjou Tenge, Hellsing, Blade the Immortal, Brave 10, Historie
Dislikes
Foods: Soda, most juices, cake, nattou, salad dressing, dip, macaroni and cheese, BBQ, potato chips, southern cooking, sweet tea, intestines/innards/entrails, chitterlings
Cartoons, Comics, Movies, Television series, Book series, etc: Plenty of them.
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Supportive (or something) Quotes
"Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things." - Winston Churchill
"Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing" -Aristotle
"The man who is anybody and who does anything is surely going to be criticized, vilified, and misunderstood. This is part of the penalty for greatness, and evey man understands, too, that it is no proof of greatness." -Elbert Hubbard
"A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her." -David Brinkley
"We need very strong ears to hear ourselves judged frankly, and because there are few who can endure frank criticism without being stung by it,
those who venture to criticize us perform a remarkable act of friendship, for to undertake to wound or offend a man for his own good is to have a healthy love for him." -Michel de Montaigne
"If you have no critics you'll likely have no success." -Malcolm X
"Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you. Love me and I may be forced to love you." -William Arthur Ward
"Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamppost what it feels about dogs" -John Osborne
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