I came upon this article by modji-33 on DeviantArt and wanted to share it. It is incredibly important for anybody who writes fanfiction. As a beta reader, I’m especially fond of Number 3. I can’t stress enough how important it is for a writer to proofread his or her work! I hope you enjoy the article, and that you take something valuable away from it.
http://modji-33.deviantart.com/art/5-SIGNS-YOUR-FAN-FICTION-IS-AWFUL-532371587
Shh, Whisper... 
Honestly? I found that mean and completely unhelpful. As someone who writes really terrible fan fiction, articles like that are nothing but discouraging. The comment about ESL writers was especially cruel, because ESL writers who choose to write in English often do so because their fandoms are mostly English-speaking. So, in order to connect to more fans, they have to move out of their comfort zone. I think it’s brave and that article just trashed those writers for simply wanting to connect with other fans.
Fan fiction is not high literature. It’s not professional writing. It often serves other purposes. And I wish people would take that into consideration before posting their click-bait-titled, Top Five Lists of (un)helpful hints.
There is nothing actually helpful in that article, apart from, “You may want to proofread your work.”
And really? No one needs to be told that.
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Wow, I’m so sorry you feel that way. I certainly didn’t mean to offend anybody by reposting it, and I hate that it upset you.
By the way, you don’t write terrible fanfiction. Yours is some of the best writing I’ve encountered.
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I have to agree with Elspeth on the ESL thing being very mean, as the note about “It’s better if you get a competent English speaker who has grown up with the language to read it first” was all the way at the end of a huge wall of text, which included an extremely rude shaming for a writer who is probably dying of embarrassment right now. It doesn’t matter if she changed the names, the passage will still be recognizable to anyone who has read the work. Before that last paragraph, she was making it clear that ESL writers shouldn’t write in English if they’re even a little shaky.
That said, the others are good points. I’m betaing for someone right now who doesn’t seem to re-read/edit his work after pumping it out, which is fine because it makes me feel like I’m truly helping him instead of just doing the comma shuffle. But not every beta-reader is like that. So that point, while obvious, still has to be made.
I hate xReaders (which AO3 seems to have more and more of lately), I hate emo crap where nothing happens, and although stories that feel like I’m walking down a road with 50lb dumbbells attached to my feet are less reprehensible, they are still notable. The article writer could certainly have phrased several things better, but I agree with the rest of the list.
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I have come to agree with you guys about the attitude of the post. It was indeed harsh. But other than the ESL comment, like you I believe they were valid points.
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