Don't Underestimate the Power of Canon Characters

Chao- If we are writing a fan fic within an A.U., an alternative universe, sometimes it's easier to just throw in OCs even if they have the littlest of parts. It gives us a chance to use a name we have come across or perhaps to just use the littles amount of imagination as possible. So why should we take up using canon characters even for the smallest of parts?

Ideas to Consider:

• They give readers familiar faces.
• Depending with how they are used, they can allow readers to see such characters in a new light.
• Some authors may not use them as they are completely different from them, so this will give authors a chance to write with someone who thinks differently from them.

Chao- So how do we work with these canon characters even if we only need them for a minor role? The same way you have worked with other canon characters who play the large roles. Get to know them. See how they function in the original universe. Although, sometimes it seems the only people who know how to work minor characters are the authors themselves. But who knows? Maybe a minor character today will be a main character tomorrow.

Relax! Ignoring Microsoft Word Can Work!

Chao- Chao can imagine that nearly everyone uses Microsoft Word for one story or another. It's actually a great program even if many of us use it for homework. We have red underlines for misspelled words, green for grammatical usage, and blue for misused words. They have included programs like Comments and Track Changes for proofreading and editing. We can also see what our work will look like in web format or full screen reading by switching the layout. But what about when we write something and the program says it's incorrect?

Things to consider:

• If you have a reason to place a comma where it does not need to be place, keep it.
• Same for fragments. If you believe a fragment will do a better job in your story then making it into a sentence, keep it.
• Placing aside a paragraph, analyze an individual sentence and see if it can mechanically stand on its own.
• Right click the underline section. Read the information that had been given. If you understand why a mistake was made, you can fix it rather than just ignore it and possibly have someone call you out on it.

Chao- There are also some websites that you can look at regarding these features.

Spelling and Grammar Quick Check (About.com)

Chao- Even though not every program runs perfectly, chances are, Word is correct in their corrections. But it was design by people, and people are prone to mistakes.

Don't Feed the Trolls

"sO liek this is totally a KAWAII adventure! :) plz readz it lolz!!!111!!" ^_^_^_^_^

Chao- Pretty sure we've all run into something like this. We see a story with this type of summary. Perhaps some of us are curious to know if this was written by a novice author. We see that some people have already left reviews. We click onto the story to see what's in store. Wait, it gets better: The story is written exactly like the summary. These authors are not exactly novice; they are actually something else: Trolls.

"One who posts a deliberately provocative message to a newsgroup or message board with the intention of causing maximum disruption and argument." --Urban Dictionary

Chao- For some reason, there are people who like to cause trouble on the web. There has been a time where guest users would use a screen name of a FF.net user and write a mean review using that person's screen name. And some users are taking time to write out a story and posting them online. Can you report them? Guess it's up to the staff if they need to remove it or not. But you can have stronger reasons for reporting such a story if these "authors" break the website's rules.

Image from Wikipedia

Chao- Most of us probably ignore these types of stories and people. Yet some of us feel this urge to leave reviews asking if the author is a novice or a troll. But why waste time? All and all: Don't feed the trolls.

Updates for March

Chao- Tis going to be a hectic month! Got a lot going on in the real world! On the bright side, spring break is this month! Not going to have a lotta time for writing or reading fan fics, but entries for this blog will be updated routinely. Can't believe Chao has broken 1000 views! Hope to see you soon! .... If Chao survives...