Every story is worthwhile.

You show great respect for your reader by asking that question.

In order to write fiction effectually you have to simultaneously be in the minds of all your characters AND most importantly, in the minds of your readers.

Many writers on BC are busily crawling around the inside of their own minds trying to accurately transcribe their most titillating TG fantasy. This works when they find the right audience. That audience will shower them with praise for pushing their buttons.

If you really care about your readers the rest is cake.

Caring doesn't come easy in our world. Being TG is all about setting ourselves up as number one. We're just so damned ego-centric. Not necessarily a bad thing, just a fact. That's probably why so much TG writing is so dreary.

The best writers who are on BC now, and in the past, try to write a good story that contains a TG element. The TG element is going to be predictable and driven by personal fetish, so a good story will cover over that blemish.

First, read a lot of what is written in the genre you want to try. Then make your own determination if you have something you want to say in that genre. Boil what you want down to a single phrase. That will be your theme. Often my theme is "People Know More about Your 'Secret' than What You May Realize". Make sure to keep your theme in mind at all times when making story decisions.

(I'm writing a story now in a genre that I've found to be the home of horrible writing. I just want to see if a good story can be written in that genre. I've never seen one.)

The next step would be to outline your story. A good story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Most TG fiction is all middle. My guess would be that at least 75% of what is posted here every day is "middle". All entree . . . no salad and no dessert.

You want to start in a Real World with a protagonist who is likeable. You move your characters into an Alternative World after you've spent about 5 to 10% of your story establishing who they are and what their world is like. You take your protagonist through several adventures in the Alternative World. In the end your bring your character back to the Real World and show how much she has changed.

At least that's one way.

Remember to "show" rather than "tell". Don't say "Jill was nervous." Instead you might show her nervousness. "Jill's fingers refused to cooperate with her eagerness to secure the slick and tiny buttons on her unfamiliar blouse." In fact, one indication that your writing has taken the road to "show" is overuse of "was".

Don't start your story with a huge exposition dump. Start with action and move the story along at a fast pace. Bring your exposition in as part of the story.

After you've written the best story you can, set it aside for several weeks. When you come back to it you will have gained perspective. When you read it your experience will be much more like your reader's. Many BC writers are so eager for acceptance and praise they will put their story through a quick edit and toss it up for consumption. Don't do that. Please don't do that. It shows. Continuity does count. If your character is big with blue eyes in the first chapter he shouldn't be short with brown eyes later on unless your story has explained the change.

While respecting your reader is important, don't place a whole lot of stock in the reaction your story receives. Find three or four readers whose opinion you respect. The comments on BC might be accurate, but in many instances are simply a plea for you to push their buttons. Kudos can also be misleading.

Lastly, write. There are no rules. If writing helps you feel better about who you are, write. If you learn something about yourself by writing, write. All else is secondary.

By the way . . . Heather Marie is a beautiful name.

Jill