Review Guide

Here's a brief overview of my likes and dislikes, as well as my review style to give folks some idea of how to compare their tastes to mine.

1) This site is not a critical review site. If I didn't like a story, I won't review it. I see no point in discouraging folks from their creative endeavors. If I plopped down $26.95 for the latest fan fic and found it to be lacking in literary merit, I would feel differently. You can assume that if a story is listed here, then I found it to be a worthwhile read.

2) You won't find many disclaimers as to sex or violence here. If you have a problem with graphic violence or girl-girl relationships, I don't know why you even bother to read this stuff. You'll have to rely on whatever disclaimers each author gives you to avoid giving yourself the literary heebie-jeebies.

3) I don't like PWP stories. I like a good plot and strong characters. And Erotica is a very personal thing.  What works for me might read like an instruction manual to you. I don't have a problem with stories that contain sex scenes, but unless there's something more going on, I usually pass.

4) I have adopted a review style that is similar to Lunacy's. I did this for a couple of reasons: First, I think it works really well. Second, I think most fanfic readers are familiar with the style and understand it.

5) Story length. I try to indicate how long a story is, but this is not an exact science - especially when you take into consideration widely varying font sizes and section page breaks.

6) There is no number 6

7) I only review Finished stories. There are tons of in-progess stories out there that haven't been updated in years. There are many more stories that start off with a bang and end with a whimper. Plus, I need instant gratification. I only read finished stories, so that's all I'll review.

8) Story types. I know most fanfic stories are divided into two categories these days: Classic Xena/Gabrielle and Ubers. I feel there should be a distinction made between a true Uber and what should rightly be called Original Lesbian Fiction. To me, a true Uber should make a direct reference to the idea that the characters are the reincarnations of Xena and Gabrielle. Just because one character is taller with dark hair and blue eyes and the other is shorter with red/blonde/strawberry blonde hair and green eyes, doesn't mean they are based on anything remotely connected to the TV show Xena. However, I know that the term Uber is the accepted description for those stories. So, I have labeled the Classic Xena and Gabrielle stories as X/G and  most so-called Ubers as U/O (Uber/Original). You can assume that a  story with a U listing only  makes an overt reference to Xena and Gabrielle.

9) Copy Edit Alerts. I think I should say something about spelling and grammar. Generally, unless spelling errors are so bad as to be comical, I'm very forgiving. The same goes for minor grammatical errors. I have a harder time dealing with ever-changing verb tense and point of view. If it takes me out of the story or is too confusing to follow, I'll make fast use of the BACK button and move on. If I read a story that I like, but feel that it needs a major copy edit, I'll issue a Copy Edit Alert (CEA) and let you make your own decisions. Below you will find a more detailed description of what I mean.

As I said before, I do not want to criticize anyone's creative endeavors. A CEA is not meant to be a reflection on the content of a story. But sometimes, it can be a distraction. These are the biggest grammar/style/editing mistakes that will merit a CEA (Copy Edit Alert):

"Who Said That?" - Stories that have entire conversations contained in a single paragraph drive me nuts. It's confusing and takes me right out of the story.  This type of error is easy to correct and can dramatically improve the reader's ability to appreciate (and follow) the story.

"Let's Do The Time Warp Again" - Ever-changing verb tense from past to present and back again is a particular pet peeve for me ("Jane goes to the window and closed it. Then she walked over to Mary and kisses her").  I can deal with a slip or two over the course of a longer work, but repeating tense shifts make me tense.

"Sounds Like…" - If their is won thing eye can't bare to reed, its when they're are two many improper homonyms. Its something that could of been avoided with a simple copy edit (actually, my Microsoft Word 2000 just caught every one of those errors).

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