First of all, no sympathy or pity from me to someone who will falter at a few words that aren't even intended to pierce the heart like a sword.
So what if your fanfic got banners and custom sprites that go with the story? True that a few pictures can be interesting and make your story more unique among the others, but does that mean that a story is automatically praise-worthy because of their existance? If that is the case, why do I write? Let's get a painter, and paint a brilliant picture to go with a "ink on paper" story... so now am I the best writer online?
A good fanfic isn't defined by the pretty fonts or the colorful pictures. Or should I say... just any piece of writing, and not just a fanfic? A good piece of writing can free our souls to reach a new realm, perhaps even beyond the restrictions of reality. It can move our hearts to behave a certain way while we read the text, or perhaps it is even powerful enough to enlighten us about what is life itself? A writer reveals to the world what he or she believes as "life" in a writing. Be it about Pokemon, or Digimon, Yugioh or whatever the topic is, a good writing can shine light on what the author believes in.
How can a piece of writing do such wonders? Through every single element in the story itself! The way characters react to the plot may show different aspects of the human nature itself. Setting comes it to assist in our understanding on the plot. Tone and diction can move our mind to think in a certain way. Authors can manipulate tone and diction in order to lead the readers into where the author is trying to take them. Metaphors, smilie and other writing elements further helps our learning. At the same time, all of this contributes to a sense of "reality," telling us that the world that we're reading about is actually our own. What must we realize according to the author? What can we learn from the author's hidden message in the story underneath the characters, setting, plot and all?
A writer writes to tell the world what he or she believes in. A reader reads in order to find out what other people in the world believes in.
It is a difficult task to accomplish such a grand task. How can writers do all of this at once? That is why we have reviewers, on a relative scale, more experienced writers/readers (or both of these roles) who can assist the writers in conveying their ideas. Reviewers tell them how somethings should be done in order for the writers to convey their ideas in a more clear manner.
*That* should be why we write; why we read and why we review/comment on fanfics. If your motif is to score the 80+, I'm sorry but you'll *never* reach that goal. Only if you do have your heart set on this goal can you ever truly reach a "good mark." If you are upset about where your writing level is at right now, then by all means try your best to outdo yourself next time! Ask people for help on where to improve. Ask fellow writers on ways to improve yourself. Read other people's work to see what is in their writing that is missing in your own. Perhaps you'll even want to be partners with someone else, so you can proofread one another's work! There is all kinds of ways to learn togehter on how to write, and even how to read. Focus on your own learning, and the marks will follow along with it.
Did I mention how our Emotional Quotas make up 83% of our success and our abilities, while IQ only makes up 7% of it? Proves that our attitude and behavior are certainly a lot more important than out gifts and talents.
Long post from Frosty... but then writing long long stuff that sounds technical yet makes no sense is part of my tone =p
EDIT: and while we're at it...
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-new Complete Fanfic Analysis is coming to our way... We have an analysis on oneshot writing featuring the most beloved Lily's oneshot fanfic. This time, let's get another style of writing and talk about how to write a successful chaptered fanfic...
-Coming Soon!~
