Welcome aboard!

When writing fanfiction, I agree with Lily Winterwood that the canon is important - but also bear in mind avoiding technical errors, because that goes for ANY writing.

Also, have a glass of enchanted water. Just tell it which drink you would like and it will become it! (Single use only.)

Welcome to the Board! Have some of my hydrophobic water to commemorate the event. Consumption will allow you to compute ln(0)*!

The most important thing to keep in mind while writing fanfic? I'd say that you should have a firm grasp of characterization and the canon world.






*Doing so voids the warranty on your sanity. Be careful.

As has been said by others, the most important thing to remember in fanfiction is Canon.

In recognition of your joining us, I present you with a bag of pebbles and a Random Shiny Object. :D

Hi, have some fudge!

What are your preferred fandoms?

Welcome! I'm sure I have something, somewhere... Ah! Here! Frozen grapes. Yummy. Enjoy!

Hello there, welcome to the PPC. I don't seem to possess super-magical pockets of awesome that allow me to pull out incredibly awesome, albeit fictional, objects that will bring enlightenment to you and allow for greater understanding of the universe. However, I do possess something slightly less awesome sounding, but still rather useful.

Here, have my everlasting friendship. All you have to do is sign this contract I'm holding with my wings.

Anyway, the most important thing to me when writing fiction would be to make your characters three-dimensional. No matter how decent the mechanics of your writing are, no matter how gripping the plot may be, they are worth nothing if you do not have good characters for the audience to root for, or hate, or even just sympathise with.

Without good characters, your world is nothing.

And to avoid creating an OC Mary Sue? Don't do anything to the character that makes it ridiculously unique compared to the main cast, don't give it all the attention, and make sure everything about it is reasonable according to the laws of the fictional universe you are writing in.

By the way, here's a pen for signing the contract.

Let's see, pulling random gifts out of my pockets seems to be my thing, so you get a piece of wire, two blank CD's, and a fistful of gel pens. Have fun with your newbie gifts!

I haven't written fanficiton in a long time, but I'd say that when creating an OC, you have to be careful that they don't steal the spotlight from the canon characters.

Ooh look, a shiny newbie! -tosses graduated cylinder-

As for your questions, hm. I think one of the most important things to remember when writing fanfiction is the Canon. Always remember the characterisations, the general plotline, even, perhaps, the style of the author if it's literary. Try to stay true to it, even when you're writing something extremely AU or cracked up. And for fiction, I'd say find your own voice and stay true to that.

And with Mary Sues? The surefire sign of a Suvian is when the plot ceases to be about overcoming conflict and centres instead on the problems of one particular character - and those problems are usually petty or something that gets overcome very easily through Authorial Fiat. The form of the character never determines their Suvian status (unless it's something extremely implausible for the canon they're in, like anime hair in BBC Sherlock and stuff); the function does.

If you haven't done so already, read the Constitution (link on top of the page). You can introduce yourself to the people in the IRC channel as well (again, link on the op of the page, beneath the links to the Constitution and the Wiki).
Two last things: one, what are your fandoms? And second, last but not least: a newbie gift, consisting of a cup of delicious green tea. Just don't let the carnivorous leaves eat you.

... but I reckon have several characters and spread your focus between them. That way none of them get all the spotlight and relevant stuff (literal and metaphorical). However, don't overburden yourself with characters as you end up ignoring most of them and making one or two slightly Sueish.
Anyway, newbie gift ... hmmmm? Ah, yes, I brewed my first batch of CAFfine today, so have a couple of flasks of that. Guarenteed to contain only the cutest of Cute Animal Friends.

Hello! You have little to say about yourself, yes? ^^

I would say the most important thing when writing fanfiction is to attempt to to write a piece that will display your love for the fandom and glorify rather than mangle the canon - so stay true to the characters and attempt to create stories and original characters that are not detrimental to the integrity of the characters and stories that already exist.

As for fiction, remain true to your vision, but try to have a fair amount of logic (or whatever would pass for logic in that world) and write with the knowledge that most things in your story should have some reason for happening - be it character development, story advancement, or a show of what is at stake/has been lost/has been gained because of the plot thus far. Some randomness is okay, but even that should have some purpose, however small or "insignificant."

I would say the best way to avoid writing a Mary Sue (or Gary Stu) is to remember that no one is perfect and most people have an about-equal mix of good and bad qualities - so instead of a gorgeous, omni-adored, good-with-all-weapons-and-animals character who trips on her own feet at odd times, write a character who some might consider pretty, possesses enemies and reasonable acquaintances, might be reasonable with taking care of cats and handling a smallish knife, and who trips when she's excited, is socially awkward, and sometimes says things she should keep to herself. And try not to make a karma-Houdini - if the character goofs in a way that would be reacted to in the Real World, have the other characters react reasonably (if she breaks something, they shouldn't necessarily flog her, but they should be upset if it was important.)

It's also useful to remember that writing nobles, royalty, and those with ties to the aforementioned upper classes might be fun, but those in the middle- and lower classes are just as capable of having wonderful adventures of their own - just as long as those adventures are reasonably within the boundaries of a canon's reality.

Also, as a shiny newbie, I present thee with a wooden arrowhead I carved with my shoes. Don't ask how - the story would give you nightmares.