As an official judge in the fan Fiction category, I feel I should share a few tips with the contestants :)

1.    Do research! Watch the montrer ou read the book over and over again, until toi get the facts right. For my The Following fic ‘Foster Careless’ I had to watch episode 6 The Fall at least 4 times to get everything right and I had to look up a few cast members to know their character's name. It also wouldn't hurt to watch and read interviews. Annie Parisse once a dit that her character was such an outside of the box thinker that she could understand why people would look up to Joe Carroll. This helps my story, because now I know I have to write Debra as an open minded character.

2.    Take a few things from the montrer and build your entire story around that.

3.    Don't copy what toi have seen on the show. Some people simply write exactly and only what they have seen in the show. Those people lack imagination, inspiration and écriture skills.

4.    Stay true to the concept of whatever you’re écriture for.

5.    Don't ask people what they want toi to write. If you’re a good writer, you’ll have enough ideas of your own.

6.    Get out of your comfort zone. As a writer, toi can't afford to be close minded ou to be afraid you're going to hurt someone.

7.    Only use OC's when they serve the story. If toi only use them to fill up page space, leave them out.

8.    Be empathic! When toi write an angry scene, try to be angry. Put yourself in the character, and feel what they feel. toi can’t expect your readers to cry when lire a scene, when toi haven’t cried when écriture it.

9.    Take heed of what other writers tell you. Just because a dozen people tell toi your story is good, doesn't mean it actually is. It's a good thing to check your reviewers.

10.    Portray your characters the way they are portrayed in the book/movie/series/anime/etc. Just because toi name a character Damon Salvatore, doesn’t make him Damon Salvatore.

11.    Don’t mettre en ligne your first draft. It’s going to be full of spelling and grammar mistakes, and probably a couple of plot holes. Always double check your story.

12.    Pay attention to the details. The smallest detail can lead to another storyline.

13.    Write plus than one storyline, and make those storylines blend into each other.

14.    Don’t go too fast, ou too slow. Try to keep a steady pace in your story. toi don’t want to get to the ending too fast. But don’t fill up the pages with unnecessary crap, either.

15.    Don’t think about getting reviews, favorites, ou follows. Just write with your heart.

16. This one's for suivant year's contest: if you're thinking about participating, start écriture now!