12.7.2011 -- Irresistible Ego is COMPLETE! Better late than never, right? *nervous laughter*

0o0o0o0o0o0

*FAN ART*

Several awesome artists have created FAN ART for some of my stories! YAY!!!

1. Click HERE to see lilineko's cover art for SAVING SHARD. It really heightens the reading experience. Now we can SEE what Shard looks like, tee hee! I find him saxxy.

2. Click HERE to see a *SPOILER* scene from SAVING SHARD by The-Legendaerie-LT. It's very cool! xD

If you have ever drawn fan art for one of my fics, please send me the link. I would LOVE to share your art with my readers! THANK YOU!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Eternal Special thanks to: Alex Warlorn, Midnight Mist, Ori, and Reviewer 131 for getting my rear in gear and bringing WYB back to life! Don't thank me, thank them.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Updated 12.19.2010 -- MY PROFILE: Hello! My name is Maia's Pen. I have greatly enjoyed reading all of the fantastic stories on ff.net for many years now. I think that I discovered this site in 2001. I finally became a member in 2003.

I love to read (obviously) and I have had fun writing my own stories as well . . . even if they only entertain me! Most of my fics spotlight the Pokemon character Gary Oak. I feel the need to write this character. It does not matter how he is depicted, I just need to write him. He might be the soave romantic, the arrogant jerk, the angsty loner, or maybe even the hero – I just never know until I start writing. Despite the roles he plays I always strive to keep Gary, well, Gary. Generally, you’ll see him paired up with Miss Misty Waterflower. That’s called Egoshipping. GAML. Gary and Misty. Gary and Misty involved in a romance. Together. That, my friend, is called my second obsession next to Gary Oak himself. I LOVE Egoshipping. If you don’t like Egoshipping then that’s fine. I’m not going to try and convert you. I don’t care. I love to write what I write. It makes ME happy. I respect other shippers because we need them all. This place would be pretty dull if everyone shipped the same thing. In fact, I’ve written both Palletshipping (Ash X Gary) and Pokeshipping (Ash X Misty). I’ve written them, but, I do not prefer them. I wrote them as challenges to myself, because I wanted to at least try, and because I have cyber friends here who like them (I often write fics in dedication to other fan fiction writers). So, what I’m getting at is: please don’t be a hater. Don’t come screaming at me in a review because my opinion is different than yours. If you know that you hate Egoshipping then just don’t put yourself through the mental anguish and read it. Just be mature and skip to the next Pokeshipping fic on the page -- that will be easy because every other fic is one. OR you can be open minded and give my story a shot. You don’t have to like the pairing to like the writing, got it? wink

0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Maia’s Reviewer Etiquette 101:

Let’s talk type-o’s

If someone has a type-o or a weird issue in their fic then please, by all means, tell them. I love it if someone does this for me – I will thank them for it. But if you are going to leave a review saying “you spelled ‘critical’ wrong” then please also provide the sentence from where this type-o emerged. Let’s say that a chapter is 16 pages long I, personally, would have no idea where that word is. So copy and paste the sentence into the review. For example:

-“In this sentence you spelled ‘critical’ incorrectly. – Gary lanced Ash with a critial stare, but said nothing-” –

See how helpful that is? I LOVE my reviewers who do that for me!

Next, let’s talk about Constructive Criticism VERSES Flames.

Constructive criticism is great! That is when you point out mistakes in a helpful way. For example, let’s say that someone wrote a sentence like this:

“Misty’s beautifully radiant and sparkling cherry-red dress swayed gently down to her petite ankles”

Okay, clearly we have a problem here. THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AROUND HERE. The sentence is way overcrowded with words. Too many adjectives. It’s over-kill. A good constructive criticism would be to say:

“It sounds like Misty is wearing a lovely dress, but you might want to consider some editing. The sentence is difficult to read because there are so many descriptive words. I would suggest emitting the word ‘beautifully' for starters. We don’t need to know that the dress is ‘beautiful;’ that is a given, try removing some words and playing around with the sentence. For example 'Misty's dress was radiant - the fabric sparkled cherry-red and swayed down to her ankles'.

See? The point will be taken by the writer without this person feeling crushed. Instead, this person will be challenged to correct this issue AND will then be more mindful in the future with the use of adjectives. The writer doesn't have to use your exact suggestions, but they may help he or she to understand what you are trying to convey.

A FLAME. Now that is different. A Flamer is a Hater. Someone who just hates and rips on fics. A Flamer would look at the above sentence and immaturely bash the writer personally “You are a bad writer” or “your writing stinks” and they generally do not even point out what parts they don’t like. They are generally poor writers themselves and try to hurt the feelings of others to make themselves feel better. Sad, isn’t it? A Cyber Bully! If you are ever the victim of a Flamer – I know it can be hurtful – but take a deep breath and just remind yourself that this person lacks the skills to even properly construct a review. They are NOT worth your agony. You worked hard on your story and, yes, it may have errors but it’s probably pretty darn-tootin’ good. Often enough, when I look at the stories written by a Flamer they are REALLY poorly done. Just ignore these people. The world is full of them. They are not worth your time. Constructive criticizers, however, ARE. They can help you improve by leaps and bounds.

Finally, let me touch on the difference between a weak review and a strong one.

I love ALL of the reviews that I get. No matter how short or how long. But there is a BIG difference in quality sometimes. A long review doesn’t necessarily mean it is the best, however, how can you possibly convey WHY you liked a story in less than a sentence? I’ll offer an example of a review:

“That was a good story, continue.”

Okay, well, great. Congrats, someone likes your fic. . . only, now you are wondering: Why? What did they like? Why did they decide to read MY fic over all the others on the main page? Now, those who know me know that I am notorious for my long reviews -- I pick out a lot of things to talk about, but, many people do not want to spent more than a second to bang out a review, right? After all, people are busy, right? WRONG. If you spend 5,10, 60 mins. Reading someone’s story then at least spend the time to point out something that you liked. Let them know something specific that you enjoyed. It means the world to a writer – you all know this, you are all writers! We are in this together and this doesn’t mean writing Maia’s Pen-mondo-ridiculous sized reviews, it means simpy this:

“That was a good story. I really like how you made Ash interact with Pikachu. When Pikachu licked that Ketchup off of Ash’s nose I almost giggled out loud. Continue!”

Okay, now how long did it take me to type that? I’ll tell you: about 5 seconds. Can you see the difference in the QUALITY if this review Vs. the first one? Both are short, but one is volumes more helpful and encouraging.

Got it? ~_ ^ These tips are helpful -- not only for me-- but for everyone around here. You will become a more respected reviewer. You will be someone who the writer looks forward to receiving a review from. You can do it! Just always think of how long it takes to write these stories. Think back to your favorite review that YOU have received. Those are the kind that you want to give. The kind that just put a smile on your face to receive. Good luck.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0 0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Random info about Maia’s Pen:

She wrote Gary Oak a cheer . ..

"Gary, Gary! See him grin! Lookin’ that cute outta be a sin!
Gary, Gary! He thinks so fast! Take him on and you’ll end up last!
Not a Gary cheerleader? Now that’s a crime. Cheering for anyone else is a waste of time!"

. . . I'm . . . not . . . obsessed . . . much . . . - _ - ;

She is a fan of many fictional pretty-boys. . . such as . . .

Gary Oak
Balthier
Gary Oak
Gambit
Gary Oak
Ronon Dex
Gary Oak
Link
Gary Oak
Snow Villiers
Gary Oak . . . Zell . . . Gary Oak . . . Zevran . . .

Gary Oak also by the way. . .

. . . do we see a pattern here? (Better, Midnight Mist? ;0)

As far as my own fics go: if anyone reads them, I hope they are enjoyed. My proudest accomplishment is Watch Your Back. I truly enjoyed writing it & am sad to have had to end it.

Gary love to all, Maia’s Pen