First and foremost...WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW.

Leave somethings to the readers imaginations. I know I get much more involved in reading a story, when not everything is explained by the author. Particularly in the case of fictitious technology. It is important to let the readers use their imaginations, in some cases.

Whether or not YOU think what you've written is good, DO find some Beta readers. They can steer you in the right directions when you might have strayed. Speaking for myself, I have found them invaluable.

Plot out your work. Have a beginning, a middle and an ending in mind before you even put word one in your WORD (or whatever) program. This is something I haven't done much of, and as a result, I have several stories that have no end in sight. VERY unsatisfying for an author and for readers in general.

Never give up! The audience in this genre is SO wide and varied, that there's room for everyones fantasies/ideas.

WRITE, WRITE, WRITE! The more you write, the better you will get at it. I wish you the very best with your writings. I'll be watching and waiting to see your work.

Hugs 'n love,
Catherine Linda Michel

First, have a story to tell. There's nothing worse than staring at a monitor waiting for inspiration. Beginning a story without having an end in mind is generally worse than useless because it will only lock you into a course that may lead nowhere. Some people say that the act of writing gives them inspiration -- well, all I can say is that it doesn't work for everyone. ;)

Want inspiration? Read a lot, and while you're reading, try to figure out what makes it work.

Attempting to boil down all the discussions of plots and story lines, I think that stories are about creating a certain type of emotional satisfaction. We feel good when the protagonist gains revenge on the person who did him wrong. We enjoy the culmination of a love story, the adventure in an epic swashbuckling tale, the sense of accomplishment after overcoming overwhelming odds, the quiet satisfaction when one grows to be the one she is destined to be, the melancholy sweetness of growing up, and so forth. In that sense, a story is simple, really: Start a story, or quickly advance a story to where the main character(s) has a "situation," build upon that situation, always working towards that ending where you can leave the reader with that sense of maximum satisfaction, then end it.

These are standard, time-honored principles that work anywhere.

The keys are:

Have a good story to tell.
There's no way to rescue a boring story.

Start the story well, grabbing the interest of the reader.
There are any number of ways to do this, but usually it means jumping in at a critical point for the protagonist (or close to it).

Build towards the climax, staying on course.
Staying on course is very important. Characters can lead you all over the place, and sometimes that can contribute to the story, but if they don't keep the story moving in the right direction, than it's best to rein them in. The Jarvis method teaches that the author should have a keyword or two in mind when writing. If it's a revenge story, then it is probably "revenge." Since "revenge" has nothing to do with love or global warming, leading the main character down those roads, no matter how interesting they might be, would be a really bad idea. Another way to look at is to determine what the theme of a story is, what you're trying to "prove," then prove it. If you're trying to "prove" that "love conquers all," for instance, then steer the story towards that end.

Make sure there's real tension. There's nothing more boring than a protagonist who's led by the nose to the conclusion, or a protagonist who never has to make meaningful decisions, who's basically along for the ride. Crying and angst do not necessarily equal tension.

Make sure the story is smooth without annoying bumps that jar the reader. These bumps can range from story defects like characters that don't act logically or consistently, to bad grammar, boring dialog, too much useless information, and pretentiousness or preaching.

Know when to end a story. Get to that point of maximum satisfaction, then terminate on a high note.

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I have to say that while this works fine for all stories, TG stories are a little different. It's usually pretty hard to interest a mainstream audience in the feel of silk against the skin. In the mainstream world, the sight of a guy wearing a dress generally makes one look askance or shrug their shoulders. The vast majority don't want to be a person of the other sex and so can't understand the need for it. Stories that are, let's face it, thinly disguised man-hatred or bimbo worship, wouldn't be too popular on CBS or FOX. MtF transformations are more mainstream than anything else, but allow the protagonist to enjoy it too much and the Nielson ratings tank.

Enter the TG story, where the usual standards don't necessarily apply. While the standard rules of fiction will win a broad audience, and are always a good idea, there are some special interest stories that are darn hard to tell using standard mainstream tension, like CD stories. Fortunately, this is the right place for TG stories, and there's nothing wrong with appealing to a limited, special interest audience. So, use what you can of the basic rules, but don't be a prisoner to them. There are plenty of people here who will enjoy what you write if you put forth an honest effort. :)

Aardvark

"Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony."

Mahatma Gandhi