#guppies please read

I’d just like to share some helpful tips I’ve been taught over the years, if it’s alright…

1. Make sure you proofread your work a couple times before posting- not only for spelling errors, but for punctuation and grammar. It makes a difference!

2. Check your spacing and paragraphs. If it’s a new thought, it gets a new line. A new person speaking? It’s a new line. For example -

Dean stood at the edge of the road looking down at the loosened dirt at his feet. He felt something shift in the air and spun around to face the threat.

The black eyes of the crossroads demon blinked as she grinned, watching him closely.

“Well, hello handsome…” her voice purred.

“Stow it bitch,” Dean snapped, not in the mood for any games.

3. Try not to use the same words or sentences over and over. Repetitiveness is dull.

4. If you can, have a beta reader. It’s worth it to have fresh eyes on your side!

5. Don’t write something if you don’t feel it. You are better off waiting for inspiration or saying no if it’s not your thing than trying to force a mood.

6. Enjoy your own story! It’s your art! Nobody can tell you where it has to go. If you want flying pizzas falling at your feet, then write it, dammit. Nobody can tell you it has to make sense to them, it is yours, not theirs. Think, Jabberwocky.

7. Writing is an art. You paint pictures for the readers with words. You (hopefully) make them feel things. That’s not for nothing. In fact, it’s pretty fucking awesome.

8. Everyone started somewhere. Everyone was a guppy at one time. If you have questions, ask. Learn. It is so incredibly awesome that other writers like those here on @spnfanficpond are offering to help. Use them!

9. Re-blog others works. Share. Give the credit and the kudos you would want from others. Always give proper credit to others ideas. It’s important. You wouldn’t want someone else taking credit for something you’d worked hard on. Be kind.

10. The only failure is not trying. Keep swimming.

11. Ask for constructive criticism. (Don’t take shit from trolls though. They don’t count.)

12. Accept offers of help. Understand most fellow writers want to help you succeed.

13. Don’t panic if some one doesn’t like your art… Think of it this way- do you like every picture, poem or song out there? No. You don’t… and not everyone will like your sky pizza story. But that is okay! It’s not meant for everyone to like.

14. Stand up for yourself. If someone tries to push you around, telling you they don’t like your stories or troll you then please re-read number 13, block them, and don’t let them silence you. Don’t let them win. If it makes you happy- that is all that matters.

15. Write many different things, many different ways, for your own joy. Paint your colors for the world you see, not the one you think people want to see. You’ll be so surprised to find there are others out there who get it. (Hang on to these people when you do find them. They are your tribe…)

I hope something I’ve said may possibly help a fellow writer. Sending love out to you all! 

Please feel free to share, reblog or follow me here, @xdreamxloverx@ladybecky-spnimagineshares or on my #CriminalMinds accounts @scarlett-series@ladybecky-imagineshares2 or at FFN and AO3 @ladybjkd

*Smooches* ~Becky

Thank you so much for this wonderful submission Becky! These are all amazing points and extremely good advice. 

Hey there all you fish swimmin’ around in the pond. If we could have your attention please. 

Kayleigh and I have been talking and as proud as we are of all the wonderful work y’all have done and continue to do, we’d like to encourage a little more interaction and public feedback by bringing you our monthly Big Fish Awards.

There are so many members of this pond and so many new writers putting out their work so what better way to highlight and support them than to honor their work by showcasing it for all to see? 

Each month our wonderful big fish will select a guppie fic or series that’s stood out to them over the course of the month. We’ll also be asking our big fish to reblog the guppie story of their choosing, tag us (@spnfanficpond), and lead by example by leaving some feedback in the form of a short 2-3 sentence “review” explaining what worked well and their favorite parts of the story. From there we’ll take down their picks and create a master post that’ll be posted on the last of each month with all of the guppie fics and the corresponding reviews for all to see.

Kayleigh and I would like to remind everyone that these monthly “awards” are not prizes or a means for competition or jealousy. This is simply a way for us to offer a little more exposure, public feedback, and interaction between guppies and our big fish.

Thank you and if you have any questions, as always, feel free to message the blog or one of us personally. 

Thank you all for being so amazing! Have fun in the water and happy writing. 

-Kale and Mana