First of all Mark, I think you're being a litte hard on yourself.  NO ONE is
as harsh a critic of your work as you yourself are.  It's a fact of life -
well, unless you've got enough of an ego to be somewhat delusional about
your talents.  Hell, I'm convinced I'm a no-talent hack.

How do I write what I do?  Nice vague question there...

Oh, excuse the "lateral thinking theatre" nature of this, I just woke up.
^_^

Well, I read a lot.  Not just fanfiction, but real books.  My usual modus
operandi (sp?) is to read one book in between each fiction I do.  It helps
me tune my writing to see how better writers present their works.  It also
expands my vocabulary.  I'd be the first to admit that my early works
display a lot more limited vocabulary than my later works.  I'd like to
believe that the amount of reading I've done lately has helped me expand my
library.

Before I put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard), I ALWAYS make sure I
have a definite idea of what I want to do.  Sometimes I even go so far as to
almost narrate the story in my mind, just as it would be when it's written
out.  That helps me avoid going of on tangents or losing the feel of the
story.  It also helps me polish the actual text a bit more as a type it
out - since I know what's going to happen and generally how I want to say
it, I can concentrate on saying it well.  I know that other people go so far
as to write outlines of their story before even writing it - I do that
sometimes, but usually it's just a way for me to formalize what I've got
running through my head.

Other authors may disagree with me, but I also firmly believe that you need
to build up a sort of "mutual support group" with a few other writers.  I
have a small one I've developed with a few pals.  I usually bounce ideas off
of them, send them drafts and the like, complain about how a fic has gotten
completely out of hand (stupid NNFN!), and other things that help keep me
sane and productive.  Also, I've found that over the months we've sort of
helped boost each other's skill levels in writing.

As one fine author on the ML pointed out to me, strech yourself.  I know for
a fact (mostly because that's what everyone tells me) that I'm famous on the
ML for my SIs and for my "new character" fics.  Fine, I accept that.  I've
also tried to do some works that explore different "genres" of fiction - Age
of Evangelion and Mirai Muyo (yes, I'm getting to them) are two examples of
non-typical works for me.  They're MUCH harder for me to write, but I value
the way in which they're expanding my experience.

Well, I think that's my rant out of the way.  Mark, don't sell yourself
short.  I see a lot of potential in your works, and don't think you should
give up.  Keep trying.

--
Christopher 'God-Boy' Angel
c_j_angel@hotmail.com
http://www.geocities.com/~ca_godboy

Chris: "Two mortal girls, a goddess, and three meddlesome sisters."
Tenchi:"Four girls, a hentai father, a grandfather who seems to enjoy
        getting me in trouble, and two teenagers who think it's their
        own personal soap opera."
Chris: "Four girls?" <pause> "You win."
Tenchi:"I'm SO glad."
                       -No Need for 'Niichan/Turn the Page *COMING SOON!*