Before emailing me your questions, please have a look at my FAQ's.

Frequently Asked Questions

. May I use the characters you've created in my fanfic?
. May I use part of a plot you've created?
. I've used your character/plot, how do I cite you?
. I'm having writer's block, can you help me?
. How do you start writing?
. Do you have suggestions for writing dialogue?
. I've written myself into a corner, what should I do?
. What're your pet peeves as a beta reader?
. What's a 'Mary Sue'?
. I think I've created a Mary Sue, what should I do?
. What's 'author intrusion' and how do I avoid it?
. What courses should I take in school?
. If not Creative Writing, then what should I take?
. They said I suck at writing, is it true?
. Do you have any advice for young writers?
. 'Write what you know,' you know?
. Where do you get your inspiration?

May I use a character you've created in my fanfic?
Feel free to do a spin-off referring to or using some of the characters I've created so long as you give me credit and let me know where it's posted so I can read it. Once you finish it, I'd probably want to host it on my site.

May I use part of a plot you've created?
If you wanted to go the route of merely borrowing the idea of a character I've created by giving your original character the same sort of background as say Lauriana's aunt teaching her about sexuality, I have no problem with you doing this. If you quote directly from my text, please cite it.

Now that I've used your character/plot, how do I cite you?
You can use MLA citation and include something similar in an author's note.

* Author's name -Cariel
* Title of document, in quotation marks -"So I Married a Death Eater"
* Title of complete work (if relevant), in italics or underlined-The Death Eater Trilogy
* Date of publication or last revision-- July 6, 2004
* URL, in angle brackets--<http://comp-licated.org/cariel/simade/03.html>
* Date of access, in parentheses-(June 12, 2027)

1. Cariel, "So I Married a Death Eater," Chapter 3, 6 July 2004, <http://comp-licated.org/cariel/simade/03/html> (12 June 2027).

Or a simply put something like: The character of Lauriana Malfoy is the creation of Cariel (cariel{AT}dramatic-personae{DOT}net) in your author's note. Toss me an email if you base your work or a character/plot after mine. I'd love to read it. =)

I'm having writer's block, can you help me?
As much as I'd love to be able to dedicate time to helping you with your stories, I just don't have the free time to do so. Sorry!

How do you start writing?
First I come up with original characters, giving them a full, fleshed-out background and personal history, mannerisms, and appearance. Then I come up with some sort of plot that would pit the characters against each other. I put myself in the shoes of each of the characters and dialogue comes to me. Sometimes I'll mix the characters around to see which ones interact better with each other. The key is just to write, no matter how awful it is because you can always go back and fix it later. Even if you think it's terrible because you can always change it later.

The dirty details: Usually my best writing is with a five-subject spiral-bound notebook and a pen. I know it's completely old school, but for some reason, my thoughts flow more freely from pen to paper than fingers to keyboard. This isn't the case with school essays though for some odd reason. ::shrugs:: Once I've written in my horrendous handwriting the gist of where I want a scene to go or for characters to say, I type the whole dastardly thing in Word and set about 'making it pretty.'

I just don't know what the characters should say to one another.
Try to imagine yourself as each of the characters separately. Firstly, think about what they would do and then think about what you would say as the character. When I write, I become each and every one of the characters. If you're truly stuck, step away from that piece and work on something else.

I've written myself into a corner, what should I do?
Get a sledgehammer! No, really! I wrote six pages of Weather With You then deleted them because they sucked. I realized I had written myself into a corner. I found the corner to be smelly so I took a sledgehammer to the corner and rewrote the scene from a different character's perspective. It worked much better that way. Using a sledgehammer on your corners is really freeing! I encourage the use of sledgehammers on corners, metaphorically of course unless you really wanted a hole in the wall, which would be all right if you were going to be doing some renovating, but even in that case, you'd just need to make sure you were attacking the right spot...

What're your pet peeves as a beta reader?
My pet peeves are Mary Sues and Author Intrusion.

What's a 'Mary Sue'?
Mary Sue is any original or deeply altered character who represents a creator's own ego; s/he is treasured by his/her creator, but only rarely by anyone else. More negatively, a Mary Sue is a badly written primadonna who saps life and realism out of every other character around them, taking over the plot and bending canon to serve his/her purposes.

More info on Mary Sue: http://www.ottawa.net/aldowdall/ld/marysue.html and http://www.geocities.com/snapefiction/marysue.html

And for comic relief, some fun Mary Sue links

I think I've created a Mary Sue, what should I do?
KILL IT DEAD! I'd suggest taking the Mary Suew Litmus test

What's 'author intrusion' and how do I avoid it?
Example of Author intrusion:

Mary saw the sun was shining brightly through the window, making her feel bored and depressed that she had to sit at her desk another afternoon. The homework placed on the desk earlier by her professor seemed to stare at her, making her feel even guiltier. She thought, "Just once, I wish I had the nerve to skive off."

How that passage should go:

The sun was shining brightly outside, casting playful shadows over Mary's desk. Another Friday afternoon spent slaving away for her professor. Mary cast another guilty look at the pile of homework her professor had thrust at her before he had left for the long weekend. Once, just once, she wished she had the nerve to skive off.

Another kind of author intrusion is explanations or statements that go beyond a rendering of the situation to make an interpretive comment about it. The author seems to address the reader directly, abandoning the illusion of his tale in order to deliberate an opinion. This takes the reader away from the world of the story which is the last thing an author should do!

What courses should I take in school?
Don't take a writing class unless you're someone who can't properly format an essay. Creative Writing classes and the like are a waste of time for someone who innately has the talent of writing poetry and prose. If you're someone like me who carries a notebook around with them to every class (and outside of school) to write your original stories in, you DO NOT need to take a class that will 'teach' you to write. Ask any professor or professional writer and they'll tell you the same thing: No one can teach you how to write. You either have the gift or you don't.

Creative writing classes, even in university, are a waste of time. They usually strictly format the way/how's of writing, dictating how that particular teacher or professor thinks is "the way" to write. I'm not exactly sure if a high school level Screenwriting class is the best idea. Definitely take it at college level with professors who know people in the business or who have real life experience. I hesitate to recommend a high school teacher for screenwriting because why aren't they making a living writing then? They're teaching high school? (Nothing against them or anything.... I'm sure it'd be a fun class. If you don't take it seriously or their regiment as "the way and only way" to write for TV/movies, then go for it; it might be a blast).

If not Creative Writing, then what should I take?
My suggestion is to stick with literature classes. Learn the classics, read a lot, and then read some more. That's the foundation of creating new literature. Once you've studied all the underlying meanings, the metaphors, the historical, socio-political, and anthropological essences within a piece of fiction, that's when you start to get really good ideas for your own works. That, and keep writing! Write everything you observe everything around you, at high school, in college, the stupidity and hilarity going on all around you.

They said I suck at writing, is it true?
Yep. Sorry. I'm just kidding. First off, who said that you suck? Is that really what they said or were they simply giving you constructive criticism? Constructive criticism is different than flat-out telling you your writing is awful. If a mentor, friend, family member, or professor gives you feedback about grammar, punctuation, characterisation, plot twists, etc, take that feedback into consideration when you rewrite. Helpful feedback, the kind that rips your work to shreds, is the best kind, so don't waste it!

If you take a class in which a professor hates your work and tells you it's awful, take it with a grain of salt. Now matter what they said or how they said it, don't be discouraged! That's only one person's opinion.

'Write what you know,' you know?
People always say to "write what you know" and for many years, I rejected that as bullshit. While not entirely bullshit, it's not my cup of tea to write about my boring life in present day. Instead, I take the idiosyncrasies and potential character qualities/flaws of people I know, twist them around, and mould them into fiction a.k.a. my magical world. This makes your fictional characters, situations, and dialogues more interesting and genuine to the reader.

Where do you get your inspiration?
Most of my inspiration comes from things going on in my own life, classic literature, song lyrics, television, and film. People-watching is a favourite past time of mine. I like to sit in a cafe and observe the people that walk around, making up stories about their life. But most of all, my inspiration comes from reading books. Inspiration is all around you.

Do you have any advice for young writers?
Once you've written something, step away from it for a day or up to a week, then come back and you'll see all sorts of problems! Don't be discouraged by the problems you've found, but correct them and make the piece better. Then, get a beta reader. http://perfectimagination.co.uk is a great source for beta readers of Harry Potter fanfiction.

-Don't be discouraged by bad reviews or rejection letters.

-Your story is your own creation and it'll begin, develop, and end the way you want it to.

-Don't waste your time struggling to finish something that sucks. Move on.

-If it's worthy, finish what you've started. No one wants to read an unfinished piece unless your famous and dead.

-Go with your gut instincts.

-Write from your heart.

Find something I haven't answered here? Toss an email my way.