This is a thread I had started over at 731 N. St. Louis - The Outsiders Fan Fiction Writing Board.

It might be a good resource for writers who don't know what's cliche and what's not, or what's overused and what's not. Of course there are always exceptions to these "rules." One or two of these elements might not kill a story, but more than 5 might sink it faster than the Titanic. A strong writer may be able to use many of these ideas and craft a decent story despite the cliches, but a beginning or weak writer will likely not be able to craft a believable story with them. Skill comes from practice and a willingness to get better.

I've also included links to threads at the board that help with that particular issue - but you'll have to join the board in order to read many of them.

( You Know Your Fic Is In Trouble When ...  )

Hopefully this will help those that want to get more reviews. Stories that are good get more reviews. Stories that are good also get reviewed by good fic authors. If you have been reviewed by any of the authors that have a story in the Good Outsiders Fic Community, then be VERY grateful, especially if they give you tips on improving or praise for your work. If those authors tell you your story needs work, listen to them - they are the best in the fandom. If you get a lot of anonymous reviews, a lot of "OMG, ThiS IS so Good! update now!!" type reviews, or reviews from writers who have been reviewed by the people listed below, take them with a grain of salt. The better your story is, the higher quality the reviews will be. This doesn't mean the reviews won't give negative critique - it just means you'll get more information from each review.

Conversely if you've been reviewed by the following people, your fic needs major work:

Blazing Appraisals - Overall crit and sometimes flames
BSST - Critiques bad slash fics
Caspar Rainbow - Overall crit
DallasWinston - the utmost authority on bad Dally fics. If you see a review griping about your fic, he's right. Don't bother arguing. Whoever is behind this username writes Dally better than you.
Don't Piss Me Off Again - Badfic
Flag - Usually critiques overall bad fics.
NOADS - Leaves crit on everything from characterization to grammar.
OutsidersReviewer - Overall badfic crit
Scoreboard - Overall badfic cri
Scorpionic - Critiques overall bad fics, but leaves many corrections for spelling and grammar etc

Just because some of those reviewers don't have stories posted doesn't mean they don't know what they're talking about. You don't have to be a writer to critique writing. Also, some of them may actually be writers using another account, or may write original fiction and not fan fiction.

Don't bitch when you get critiqued. Take a good, hard look at what you've written and see if any of what they say applies. Don't get defensive and upset - we all want to read good fan fiction, and the only way it gets better is if everyone tries harder.

Tags: bad fic, how to write a good fic, writing, writing tips
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For all the writers out there that aren't quite sure what a Mary Sue is or why she's annoying, I have a nice example for you.

( Watch an episode of CSI: Miami and pay attention to Horatio Caine. )

Mary Sue Litmus Test
Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test

Tags: bad fic, mary sue, writing tips
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NOADS is one of my favourite reviewers of Outsiders bad fic. Made of harsh criticism and wielding an attitude as sharp as a sword's edge, NOADS aims to inform Outsiders fan fiction authors when they are writing bad fic. What is bad fic, you ask? Well, take a look at most of ff.net. Bad fic bastardizes the canon characters, is rampant with Mary Sue's and makes serious writers and readers pull their hair out - as well as doing a disservice to the lovely S.E. Hinton, who I'm sure reads fanfiction.net with a bottle of Maalox in one hand and Gravol in the other.

NOADS is no holds barred. S/he/it leaves harsh reviews - but with real tips for improving - that usually cause the authors to take their fic down. Which, hey, if it's a bad fic, I'm not complaining. If it returns as a decent fic? Even better.

We here at my journal (and by we, I mean me) have received word that NOADS has accepted the invitation to become Fic Sporker In Residence at the new fan fic writing board (http://z3.invisionfree.com/outsidersfic/index.php?) which you get access to when you post a lot there. What's a spork you ask? A spork is a spoon/fork. But it's also what you do to a bad fic (stab it with a spork until it dies). Check out the marysues community here at LJ where people spork Mary Sue fics from all fandoms. It is love and win. Here is a direct link to the Outsiders sporks - http://community.livejournal.com/marysues/tag/the+outsiders

Also, check out noad_society for some hilarious articles about bad fic.

Tags: bad fic, ff.net, mary sue, noads
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