Quote of the Decade, by Strwbrrygrl77:

Fanfiction (the true definition): a fictitious world where the fans correct the colossal mistakes made by the writers of their favorite TV shows.

*10 July 2012* Yes, I will finish my WIPs, but have been taking a break in writing these many months due to an increasingly hectic and sometimes draining personal and professional life. However, I promise to finish the stories. If you would like an update status, send me a PM.

For the record, I hate these things. You're supposed to be witty and intriguing enough to draw in your fellow authors/readers/literary addicts, so they will desire to learn more. I'm afraid my witticism account has been depleted as of late. Perhaps it may be that there is a strong positive correlation between it and my banking account. It seems good humour is often tied to good finance.

Footnotes of my life read as follows:

I'm university-educated several times over, thus I have no money (student loans, you see). Do we see my humour wavering? I've a background in business, music, cats, martial arts, horses, writing... never mind. Were I to hit only the highlights, I'd still have too much to write. Jack of all trades, Master of none. Or would that be 'Jane' and 'Mistress'?

Though initially drug kicking and proverbially screaming (not the kicking - that was quite literal), my dear friend Pamela introduced me to the world of Harry Potter, and since then I've become a marrow-infested fanatic (read: bone-deep). Did I mention I've a dry sense of humour? Such as it is, it goes well with my love of LOTR. I'm a patron of the adventurous arts. And the romances. Ah, bittersweet, dark romances...

And, well, Marshal Marshall Mann has proven to me there is such a thing as the Perfect Man.

I've a particular fondness and appreciation for the talents and personalities of certain professional artists: actors Gary Oldman, Gerard Butler, Christian Kane, and, of course, Fred Weller; guitarists/vocalists/songwriters Richie Sambora and Espen Lind. Recently I've taken an appreciation for Irish actor/musician Jonathon Rhys Meyers; his work in August Rush is quite lovely.

If you've really a further interest in my most eclectic yet ever-so-humble life, PM or e-mail me. Otherwise, I'll bore you no more.

Without further ado or adieu,

On with the show...

And Reviewers... you are wonderful, and if you sign in or at least leave an e-mail address, I will respond to your comments. As always, if you've questions about the stories, feel free to contact me. I enjoy such queries. Cheers!

-o-

The List

Okay, so I've read enough fanfic out there to have established an ever-growing (I'm sure) list of literary irritations that crawl under my skin, fester, and often simply make me unable to read said author's writing any further, regardless if they have the most spectacular plotline ever. For sanity's sake (just call it my therapy, eh?), I shall post it here in purge fashion:

1.) Grammar. Use it. Correctly. Breaking the rules is only allowed if you know the rules already. [If you do not, there are many a beta available in your fandom, willing and able.] In the very least, get your dialogue punctuation/capitalization together! Failing to do so makes the fic unreadable and, thus, unread. E.G.:

"Of what purpose could that possibly serve?" she asked, disdain dripping in rare form.

"Why," he began carefully, presenting logic first, "you'll attract all the attention. Not to mention..." A pause. Sly smile. "My brother."

2.) Narrative. It's your friend. Use it. Half a page straight of dialogue is - with few exceptions used to create a "moment" - dull, annoying, confusing at times, empty of atmosphere and shortchanging your characters. And your readers.

3.) Use the correct word. Learn the difference between certain words: if you don't know, please, ask someone! People are willing to help you. The worst offenders: too/to; then/than; they're/their; affect/effect.

Sometimes words will be altered for the purposes of dialect. This is all right if done knowingly and with purpose, such as to give pattern of speech. One of my favorites to use is (much to one reader's dismay) the bastardization of 'at all' in the form of a'tall. Yes, I know they are two words, but the variation is intentional for the purpose of dialect, the flow of verbiage, even in narrative. Similar to using: don'tcha, dunno, s'pose, kinda (proper is 'kind of'), coulda (it is "could've" from "could have," NOT "could of"), gimme, et cetera.*

4.) Semi-colons, colons, commas... wisely put to use, these lovely mites of punctuation set the flow of your narration. Use them properly, however.

If it were true, she was in trouble; however, if he was merely making it up, a deal could be had. After all, she possessed the one unerring piece of leverage available: his identity.

Think of punctuation as the tempo of your story; it's the delivery of your dialogue and of narrative being read aloud. They tell you how to express a line or phrase. Just like sheet music and its accidentals, staccato, piano/forte, rests. Those commas, semi-colons, colons, ellipses... they are all different in their pauses, in their tone and insinuation.

5.) It is 'okay,' NOT 'OK.' The latter is a state, a check box marking or shorthand - it is NOT appropriate for use in narrative, no matter how many times you see it in a CNN or newspaper article (poor, lazy editing on someone's part). Also, it is "all right," not "alright" (unless you use UK English, which for some reason they're accepting). Don't confuse it with 'already.'

6.) If you choose to shorten it, the word is 'til. NOT "till." Till is a cash register/money machine or a verb referring to breaking up the ground. The shortened form of until is 'til with an apostrophe and one 'l', as you are leaving out "un" in the word.

7.) IPS fandom: Stop overusing 'Bobby D.' Mary occasionally refers to him as such. She may be the only one (I don't recall off hand if Marshall does). Do NOT use 'Bobby D' in narrative reference. He is primarily referred to by either first or last name only, or even Detective Dershowitz.

8.) IPS fandom: "Marshall Mann is an Inspector Marshal with the U.S. Marshals Service. Mind your 'l's and 's's." In other words, learn how to spell these very important words/names for this fandom.

9.) IPS fandom: A Glock is not a type of gun (EG: pistol, shotgun, rifle...); it is a brand of gun, and thus is capitalized.

I'm sure I'll add at a later date. Errors are one thing; we all make them. I definitely drop the ball occasionally. But learn from these pitfalls of other writers. Consistent poor use of any of the above will prevent many a reader from continuing.

-o-

Guide to My Stories

1.) How Can I Get to You? - Harry Potter - a one-shot answer to RainyNDawn's song-fic challenge. Hermione Granger / Sirius Black dark romance, not DH compatible. [Complete]

2.) The Valiant Never - Harry Potter - epic-length romance of adult Hermione Granger / Sirius Black. Not DH compatible, but HBP compatible. Involves complex plot with drama, mystery, suspense. Style can be difficult to read at times. [Complete]

3.) The Voice of All the Gods - Harry Potter - full-length romance of Regulus Black, beginning with his 6th year at Hogwarts. Due to circumstances brought to light in The Valiant Never, this is best read after TVN, as you will have better exposure to my personalisation of Regulus' character. However, that said, it is possible to read VAG without having read TVN. I just think you'll get more out of it if you have. Obviously AU starting from Regulus' 6th year. [In-Progress]

4.) Neither Dream Noir Reality - In Plain Sight - a snapshot piece of a vision I simply couldn't get out of my head. In Plain Sight's Mary and Marshall share a partnership and friendship special and enduring. But with the feelings of one having passed that point long ago, it's a dangerous line to cross between what dreams long for, and what reality will allow. Short one-shot, can be difficult to read in its abstraction. Single point of view. [Complete]

5.) My Three Sins - In Plain Sight - companion piece to Neither Dream Noir Reality, citing Marshall's point of view of the episode. Marshall's feelings are pure and honest and oh-so-deep, but he's an honorable man with a good heart, and cannot bear to lose it or break it in the chance of reaching some level of his desire. He's cerebral; one of them has to think things through. [Complete]

6.) Seven Year Hitch - In Plain Sight - full-length plotted story of Marshall Mann and Mary Shannon. A romance, it is filled with angst, heartbreak, introspection, and on occasion, action and WitSec adventure. A non-personal event triggers an emotional break for Marshall, who feels the time has come to give up dreams he has no hope of ever realizing. Unfortunately, his heart refuses to be controlled by logic, and the pain of loving your partner after seven years of friendship leaves invisible scars too deep to heal. Spoilers through but not including the last ten minutes of Season 3. [In-Progress]

* Note: Floor Plans for Marshall's loft in this story are located here: http:///rj_lupins_kat/pic/0004746k

7.) Tabu - In Plain Sight - one-shot pressie fic for Bujyo. Mary has finally pushed Marshall to the edge, yet she cannot let him go, allow him space to lick his wounds and compose himself, for she faces her ultimate fear: that he will leave her. And for all her caustic attitude and punishment of him, she cannot allow that. At any cost. A tabu subject for her brought to realization in a place taboo to the method. Darker, angsty. [Complete]

8.) A Smile Is Worth a Thousand Words - In Plain Sight - one-shot challenge fic for the Live Journal Community Mary_Marshall Comment Fic party. Marshall's lost his smile, and Mary seeks to find what a thousand words cannot accomplish: the one gift that will bring it back. [Complete] Requests for a follow-up have been considered; this will happen at some point.

9.) Forbidden Fruit(cake) - In Plain Sight - one-shot gift fic for Kathiann for the Secret Snowflake game with the Live Journal Community Mary_Marshall. Request was for the pairing of Brandi/Marshall. In order to keep in character, that is only sort of the case. It's a look into Brandi's notice of Marshall, and Marshall's momentary joy of believing himself noticed by the older sister, instead. Don't worry, M/M fans; he's all Mary's. Even here. [Complete]

10.) Lofty Expectations - In Plain Sight - one-shot collusion of vignettes chronicling Mary and Marshall's relationship through the point of view of each room of his Loft from Seven Year Hitch (see above for link to the floor plans). Created for the Live Journal Community Mary_Marshall and its Month of Mayhem celebration.

--Update, 11 June 2011--The following still yet applies:

(still plugging away) Yes, dear readers, I truly am still writing VAG. Let us add to the mix of tempting the Muses by quarantining them from those for my current original novel, which is warring over hero personalities with those in VAG. Ah, men... even in fiction they can be fickle, spoilt and not a little jealous. But your PMs of questions and encouragement are quite welcome - thank you!

There may be a delay in that I am also closing in on the completion of another fandom's fic - IPS's "Seven Year Hitch" and it has become difficult to switch characters between the two stories when writing. Keep in mind, it is not only a switch of fandom worlds and character psyches, but also very different cultures, countries, dialects, and time periods. Whew! I may finish one story before returning to finish the other.

Also for VAG: we're entering the final 5-6 or so chapters, and gathering all the loose ends together to venture forth on the final path is proving to be a lesson in patience. Muses petulant, time scattered, it all mixes to form a barrier to each chapter. I've reached a crossroads, and it's taking time to figure how to approach this next chapter. But I'm trying. Honest.