While these rules were compiled by Jane, they are a culmination of feedback and complaints we have received from you guys throughout the duration of this site. These are the things that seem to most often bug people, and they bug us, too. If you have a rule to suggest, feel free to let us know.

The Use-Restraint Rule
If it works, use it sparingly. A good phrase or technique becomes a bad phrase or technique when you use it too often.

The Leave-Them-Wanting-More Rule
When the story is finished, put it to bed. If you feel it's finished, don't fall for it when people ask you to continue.

The Intentional-Series Rule
If the story is going to be a series, make it a series because it can be broken into logical parts, not because you're too lazy to write it all in one sitting.

The ESL Rule
If English is your second language, get a beta reader, preferrably an honest one who knows her grammar. Supplementary: If you slept through English class, or feel you don't have a good grasp of commas, colons, etc., the same rule applies.

The Be-A-Bitch Rule
Do not offer to be a beta reader if all you're going to say is "good story." Be a beta reader only if you have the guts to make corrections and suggestions.

The One-Person-Paragraph Rule
One person speaks per paragraph. If another character has something to say, start a new paragraph.

The Gestation-Period Rule
Don't post a story the second you've finished it. Let it sit for an hour. Get up from your chair and go do something else. Then come back to it and read it over, preferrably out loud. For optimal results, wait another hour and come back to it again. Repeat as desired, then post at will.

The Interchangeable-Character Rule
If you can remove a character's name and replace it with his friend's and have the story still make sense, your characterization is weak.

The Gracious-Recipient Rule
If you put in your story header that you want feedback, don't get pissy if someone sends you constructive criticism. You're asking for comments. Don't get upset if you feel they aren't the right kind.

The Non-Action Rule
If you can't pick out a point in the story where a problem is resolved or a character is changed as a result of the action, you don't have a plot. Fiction in all its forms consists of conflict and resolution, even if that conflict is a character being in lust with another character and the resolution is sex (otherwise known as PWP). If the characters don't have a problem to resolve, you don't have a story.

The Lack-of-Variety Rule
If your conflict and resolution is the same in most of your stories, you're writing the same thing over and over again. Come up with a new conflict and resolution to explore.

The Younger-Man Rule
Do not use description like "the older man," "the younger man," "the blond" or "the brunette" unless their age or hair color has something to do with the story. This also goes for describing people by their job or position, like "the detective" or "the lead vocalist." If their job or position isn't imperative to the story, why use it? The people reading the story already know this information and it just looks like a fancy way to avoid saying "he" or the easy way out of reworking a paragraph so it's clear who's doing what.

The Spell-Check Rule
Don't even think about posting a story that hasn't been spell checked.

The Unbelievable-Dialogue Rule
When you've finished your story, read the dialogue out loud. If it doesn't sound like the way people really talk, or the way your characters would really talk, rework it.

The Necessary-Exclamation-Point Rule
Use exclamation points only when you really need them. And for the love of God, only use one at a time.