If you're reading this, you are probably a fan fiction writer who has either received one of my more caustic reviews or who has read one on some other writer's story and wants to avoid getting one of his or her own. Hopefully, in either case, you're here to learn to write better. In the (probably vain) hope of raising the general quality of writing on fanfiction.net to a more readable level, I've thrown together a collection of information that will help you. At least, it will help you if you read it, learn it, and act on it. If you're just going to bawl and whine and be all butthurt because I don't think you're a special snowflake, there's nothing I can do for you. There may be nothing anyone can do for you.
News: I how have a blog to discuss writing, bad writing, and related topics. Go check it out.
One thing you need to know is that the pink erasers you see scattered around these pages are links. The other pages have "Home" erasers which will bring you back here. Also, on some of the longer pages, clicking the pencils I use as section dividers will take you back to the top of the page.
The eraser to the left, conveniently labeled "Basics", will take you to the most important page on this site, the basics of grammar, punctuation, and so on. If I tore your story apart in a review because you demonstrated the approximate literacy level of broccoli, that's where you need to go first. It won't get you through Freshman English (or then again it might), but it will show you the right way to do the things that most of the people whose stories I review do wrong.
I don't claim to be a nice, kind, altruistic person out to teach budding literary geniuses how to develop their special talent. I'm not nice. Or kind. Altruistic, maybe, since I did spend (hopefully not waste) the time to create this website, which might reduce the amount of bad fanfic I can laugh at. But like the poor, badfic will be with us always. It just doesn't have to be yours. The basics of writing a decent story aren't hard. Read and learn.
Speaking of reading, there's a lot of reading here. If this scares you, then you need to find a different hobby. Now. You're not going to make it as a writer if you don't read a lot. When I see FFN profiles that list people's favorite movies, TV shows, bands, colors, and everything else, but make no mention of their favorite authors or books, I know their stories are going to suck. They always do. If you're not a reader, don't try to be a writer. It's not going to happen.
I'm compiling a directory of some useful writing resource sites on the Web. You'll find it here or, of course, by clicking on the eraser labeled "Links". If you know of a good one that I don't have, get in touch and I'll add it if I like it. It now has sections for my other websites, better writing, the nuts and bolts of writing, and online tools for writers. I've never claimed to be an expert. These people are, and what they have to say is worth reading. There are also a few good links on my blog which aren't here.
The "F.A.Q." eraser will take you to a Q&A page with all sorts of things you might or might not want to know about the Wandering Critic. The only one that is really a frequently asked question is "Why are you so mean?" (usually phrased "y r u so meen?") but the rest might be informative, too.
I how have a blog to discuss writing, bad writing, and related topics. It's also a convenient place to yell at me, if you so desire. Unlike this website, my FFN profile, or my LiveJournal, it gets updated on a fairly regular basis. Go check it out.