I am really unsure on what I should say about myself.
I am an artist who wants to reconnect with writing. I used to write often when I was younger, but have fallen out of it in favor of drawing and painting. I decided to try writing again after rereading the Four Swords manga. So, for my first fanfiction I decided to write a story very, very loosely based on it. I'm not fully sure where the idea of my story came from - a very character-centered story that focuses on OCs and features a unique setting. It's supposed to be my spin on the cliché of being transported to another world. It's a risky place to start in the realm of fanfiction, I know! I had this idea for a while and I wanted to see where it will wind up. The story is about a college student who gets whisked away to an unknown land. Then she and the survivors on the airplane have to figure out how to survive and make connections with the natives of the new world. The main themes I intend to explore in this are: communication, survival, discovery, and power and abuse. I hope that you enjoy it!
I'm no expert on writing, but, regardless, let me share a couple of tips.
1) Check your spelling and grammar!
This will at the very least make it easier to read your story.
2) Be sure to edit and don't forget to proofread!
You can always improve your work! And don't neglect to proofread! It's the last chance to check for spelling errors or any other mistakes. Sometimes I read something online that's supposed to be professional, I see a spelling error and it drives me nuts. (On a side note, once I witnessed the local news discussing a story on medical marijuana, and the tagline was typed as "medicla marijuana"!)
3) Don't be afraid to ask for someone to look over your work!
Having a second set of eyes looking over your work can be hugely helpful since they may notice things that you didn't. They may also have a unique perspective when dealing with storytelling problems. Also if you are worried about the issue of "yes men" coming up, then look into beta editors. Having someone you don't know personally can be good because there is no personal bias on either side.
4) Handle constructive critique and criticism gracefully.
In other words, don't take critique personally. When someone critiques your work, even harshly, it's because they're just trying to help you improve. Likewise, if you are critiquing someone's work, don't attack them personally. If you see a problem in their work, say what it is, explain why you take issue with that particular part, and give suggestions on how to fix it or improve.
(Trust me on this one, I'm an artist! I have to deal with this.)
5) Let your characters develop organically.
Have a backstory, a balanced set of virtues and vices, a moral code, some quirks, some likes and dislikes, then send them on their way.
6) Don't forget to break up your paragraphs.
It's easy to get lost in a giant paragraph. Also, when a new character starts speaking - start a new paragraph!
7) Avoid clichés.
Find new ways of describing the thing in question. Or put a spin on the cliché.
8) Always do your research!
It will improve the quality of your writing. Plus you and your readers may learn a thing or two! You can also put some links to the sources referenced in the author's notes.
9) Don't have your character's names have the same first initials - have a variety of names.
This is especially the case with your main cast! I picked this up in a writing reference book, if your main characters names appear too similar or have the same first letter the reader may get confused as to who's who. (Like, don't have the best friends in your story be named Mary and Maria.) To avoid this, have several different names under your belt. This is a great opportunity to expand your horizons on names! Be sure to pick a name that fits with your character in some way. If you are still having trouble, try a random name generator.
10) When introducing a foreign language, italicize it.
It helps to differentiate it from the native language. Moreover, if you choose to do this be sure it makes sense in the context of the story. (For example: It wouldn't be logical for an alien race to be speaking Spanish, unless if there was a Spanish space colony in the near vicinity of them and the aliens picked it up from them.)
So, that's all I have to say about myself for now.