Achromatic posted...
Also to clarify: There is nothing wrong with adding an OC to make the story better by fulfilling a new role and stuff. It is needed sometimes.
But there are bad OCs a lot.
Then there are self-inserts.
Are inserts, particularly self-inserts, really so bad? When I read the original work, my thoughts always stray about twice per chapter to "now what would I do if I were there?"
I've never touched the world of fanfic, but after writing a November novel, I've turned to a project of my own to practice my writing skills. I don't doubt it's bad right now, but I'm hoping it gets better over time. But if self-insert fanfics are such a horrible thing, then I guess I'll just keep it to myself forever until the end of days.
That said, any suggestions for fanfics that are actually decent? My primary reading series is The Wheel of Time. I've also read The Sword of Truth (though the most recent book from Goodkind reads like fanfiction itself.) Ages ago I read LotR and Xanth.