Ten things I've got to say to new writers here: · 11:18pm Apr 23rd, 2015
1) Get an editor and a pre-reader. They do different things, but will help you ALOT a lot.
2) Followers are awesome as you earn them, but a high follower count doesn't mean you're the best, or that gaining followers should be your only objective.
3) Learn to differentiate constructive criticism, from people being dicks. It's a fine line sometimes, but just because you're angry at the idiot that said horrible things...
4) DO NOT. I repeat. DO NOT delete comments. This will only cause you a lot more grief than you are ready for.
5) Meeester can be your friend. In a platonic, not-incredibly-friendly-but-polite-way. If he, or another moderator/pre-reader fails your story, take heed of the reasons for it and fix them. If you need clarification, be polite and ask for clarification, read the reply carefully and more importantly, FIX IT. You want your story published, right?
6) If you have a problem with the site staff, don't go bitch in a blog to your followers, nor entice them to be assholes on your behalf. Contact another moderator for help if you have issues dealing with one. There's a bunch of us.
7) Get an editor and a pre-reader. They do different things, but will help you ALOT a lot. And will help you from things like useless repetition, and also make note of when it works.
8) Be honest with your stories. Don't flood them with what you can for impact, and concentrate on writing the story you want. People will be negative sometimes, but a really big part of being an author, professional or otherwise, is to develop a thick skin. Your work should always be your worst and best at the same time.
9) Don't go around downvoting other stories in the vain hope that it will give your own story a higher chance of being in the Feature Box, or simply because you don't have anything good to say about anyone. A) It's petty as hell. B) We (mods) will find out and C) people will dislike you for good reason.
10) The Feature Box is NOT all that. Seriously. Write a good story, and if you don't get there, keep working on it and once it becomes popular through good quality and effort, it will at least make it to the updated section of it. And if it was a one-shot, write the next one as best as you can. Whether your first story got there or not, it's the quality of your work that is important and will draw people to you, not whether you're at the top of questionably quality.
10.5) Learn from 
and 
. They're here to help.
I also advise getting and editor and pre-reader.
I have to admit, even with all the time I've spent on this site, I'm still fuzzy on the difference between a pre-reader and an editor.
11) Don't use "alot".
(On a personal and slightly related note, people who use "could of" instead of "could have" drive me up the fkkin wall.)
I remember when you were the nice mod and Poultron was to be feared. Now you're trying to make poor Meester into the villain. Also while I do agree with it you mentioned getting editors and pre-readers twice. That is ALOT a lot
As an author and sometimes editor (when I'm not tired) let me add something to this
11) G-docs is your friend. Trust me, it's worth the price (it's free)
Somebody actually DOES #9? O_o;;
You forgot to mention the need for editors and prereaders.
3011013
Uh, not sure if sarcastic.
Now, that's a false accusation. You should see the stuff he has to deal with.
3011027 I agree with you entirely on that point. A good editor will be your best friend and mortal enemy at the same time... I was however also teasing you a little.
I don't want to see what he deals with. My days of wanting to help out the website with pre-reading and moderating are behind me.
Do people really do that? If so that is a serious dick move.
3011021 3011092 Yes. And I take great pleasure in raining my wrath on their sorry asses.
3011007 I'm not entirely sure myself, but I think pre-readers look for the mistakes and then the editors fix them.
The best advice I can give is to read your story out loud. It allows you to see when something you wrote is all kinds of awkward in a way you do not catch just reading a story.
3011007
3011112 A prereader goes through and points out mistakes for you, as well as offering general tips and advice. An editor edits your story for you. As in, you send them the GDocs link, they actually go through and fix all your mistakes.
3011007 An editor is someone that, once you finish a rough draft of a story, goes through and fixes all the spelling and grammar mistakes to the best of their ability. A pre-reader, or as I like calling them, proofreader, reads through the edited document with a fine-toothed comb to make sure there's nothing that the editor missed out on.
Some people specialize in different areas. Someone might point out paragraphs that can do to be expanded on for more detail or if the prose is too flowery, others can be grammar nazis (which is a good thing), and someone can point out if you need some more commas or if that colon could be replaced with a semi-colon or an em-dash. It comes down to a few things: consistency, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and prose. It's often a good idea to befriend people whom point out mistakes in your story and ask them if they could help make it better. That is the easiest and fastest way to make friends and gain the assistance of one of many proofreaders to put under your belt, and if you play your cards right, might be able to have high-profile people (that have an excess of one to two thousand followers) edit your stuff if they're kind enough to.
I would probably give my left arm to have a one of the mods edit/proofread my material haha.
3011021
Not only that, people have been known vehemently down-vote every story someone has. I've had that done to me before, but meh, whatever. If I pissed them off that much it must mean I did something right
11. Don't expect that flagship fic you've spent long hours, blood and tears on to outrank that one clopfic you wrote with zero effort in the space of a hour, yes, we know it SHOULD have more likes/favorites but that's just kinda life on Fimfiction =/
That made me giggle.
3011282 Why?
Regarding this line:
And will help you from things like useless repetition
You did that on purpose, didn't you?
Long ago, I proof-read a few stories in another fandom. It was a learning experience; I learned to stop being a proof-reader.
3011361 Evreything is intentional.
Step 11: Don't get sucked into believing your hot shit because at the end of the day you will still be sitting in your sweaty old chair hammering your fat fingers on a cheeto dust encrusted keyboard in your mom's basement. No matter how popular you get here you are lord of nothing.
Number One is so scary though...
3011112
3011007
As I understand it, prereaders point out spelling or grammar mistakes and inconsistencies with the story, but that's about it. An editor comments on things like how there wasn't any build up to the reveal that Celestia is actually evil or other aspects of the actual story and suggests ways to fix them.
3011007 A pre reader is someone who will read though your story find the flaws make note of them tell you and buzz off.
an Editor is someone who will read through your story find the flaws make note of them tell you and buzz off.
I'M FUNNY LAUGH DAMN YOU
no but seriously they essentially do the same job i don't get it either. except pre readers come first for some reason.
EDIT: my comments need an editor.
3011012
Says you! I'm gonna write an alot-in-Equestria story and there's nothing you can do to stop me!
Ah, if only...
Just one question Wanderer...
Why didn't you post this here?
AIP§
3014417 I'm not part of the group.
Feel free to link it if you want, tho.