Despite what you (and I sigh) may want to believe, in a year there will be five people who still remember the story we post today. Three of them may remember the names of all the characters. Therefore, despite all the time and effort you have just put into your masterwork, unless it's a net.classic in the making, nobody's going to care a year from now. Also, unless you're at the top percent of the top percent, and lucky to boot, no one is going to read your fanfic and offer you a book deal. Sorry, but this is reality. Don't despair, though. Think of it as a freeing experience. You can write as much as you want of whatever you want, and unless the Supreme Court decides the First Amendment is for weenies no one can stop you. Use the Net as a means of honing your writing skills. This can be accomplished easily, assuming you pay some attention to the above suggestions, and take the following one to heart: the Delete key is our friend.

Allow me to demonstrate. At the beginning of 1996, I took it upon myself to write a story combining two of my great loves: Trek and Gargoyles.

Mainly, it was because somebody wanted to read a DS9 story, and I hadn't written one yet. I figured I could have it out by Valentine's Day, and considering my chosen subject, it was appropriate. I worked on the story, and sure enough, by the time V-Day rolled around, I had it ready. It was posted. It sucked. I knew when I posted the story that I wasn't happy with it, and as time went on, I was less and less happy. Eventually, I pulled it from the archives, dumped an entire chapter, and rewrote most of the rest. The new version went out on April Fool's Day. Appropriate again, considering my foolishness. But I'm happier with it now.

The point to the above anecdote is that nothing you or I write is sacred text. Although our own words may be the most beautiful we have ever read, there are many times when they should be deleted for the sake of the story. It hurts the first few times you delete an entire page. It hurts worse when a three-page scene has to go, or a chapter, or even the entire damned story because you forgot one little detail from first season ... sigh again However, if you can bear to cut your own words, and rewrite as necessary, you have what it takes to write a really good story.