A good writer writes believable characters, original or canon.
A bad writer, OTOH, tends not to, and while we can, to an extent, fill in the gaps with the canon characters re: characterization, we can't with their OCs.
For reasons, which involve largely the fact that I read too fast and sleep too little, I'll occasionally wind up at the Pit of Voles.
The OCs there will give you nightmares. Nightmares of characters named Calliope Ravenswood, insert high-level profession here, serving as a love interest for insert object of fannish affection here. I'm not saying those don't serve a purpose, because they do, and more power to 'em, blah blah blah.
But they do trigger both my embarrassment squick and my firm and lasting fourth wall issues, so.
I need motivation to finish the story I'm working on. It's shockingly hard to find.
Consuela, the first page I saw had four stories. I know there are bunches more, so I probably shouldn't try to guess yet. I read those four... one of them had a familiar feel to it, but I don't know if that's because it was really one of yours (it was of characters I don't remember you writing before) or if it is because another author is as good as you are at truly capturing some aspect(s) of the true Narnian spirit.
Yeah, there are 25 stories in total.
Plus any people write for NFE Madness, which is just like Yuletide Madness: people pick up unused prompts and run with them.
I went back and edited that comment because I hadn't really finished my thought.
I have found the most perfect fic summary ever: "That time Tony gave Bucky a therapy llama."
Yes, it's Bucky. With a llama. More precisely, it's the Winter Soldier and a llama, terrifying and baffling everyone as they go through their day.
Tony's very proud.
[link]
Somewhat bizarrely, one of the animals that there exists published research about its use as a therapy animal IS the llama.
I believe said llama is mentioned in the story. Used as justification for presenting one to Bucky.
That story made me happy.
Would it be snotty to write a "summary help" page? One that says -- never denigrate your summary--strangers don't tend to dig avowed losers. Keep them short. Triple/quadruple/quintuple spell check. Especially character names (add these to your dictionary!). Search for the big ones--loose, reigh, taunt/taught, and make sure they're only there if you mean them.
And if worst comes to worst, just put your opening paragraph (or one nearby) and a brief sentence of context.
Because I am tired. Oh, I am tired.
(My current favourite summary is "Dean's fifteen, and his knot doesn't pop."--I'm chapters in and it still chills me. This chick, MooseFeel, has got a way not just with ideas, but with words (in her best fics--her less good ones are awkward, meandering, and strangely coincidental(.
In fact, she wrote the best slavery fic (set post slavery) I've been able to read, but the "big" reveal was (intentionally) obvious and she did no work for it. I didn't want to punch her world building in the 'nads, as with most slave fic I peek at, just her interpersonal plotting.