@redone, you are awesome! This is helping a lot!

 Some of these I never really gave that much thought and so I end up developing the OG as I go along. Of course none of my OGs have my name or are practically me, although they do have a few of my traits/hobbies, likes, etc. I only put the picture of the main girl in the cover, not inside the chapter, although I occasionally put pics of the random OCs in the end notes. Also the original girl's maturity is important..it's a real turn off when the OG is so immature Michael feels as if he has to father/baby-sit her.

**applauds** :-D  great advice

I tend to stray away from stories that cast the leading ladies that are way over used like Beyonce and Rhianna(which I personally don't care for.) as I have never been a fan of the uber popular things. I always go for the underdogs and the less popular. I personally love Brooke Shields and I've used her in two of my stories ( don't know if you've see her on the banner) but as a supporting character. She was Erin's sister. I've honestly never read a fanfiction where Brooke was the leading lady and the sole object of Michael's affection. I've read some where she's come very close but it all works out for the leading lady in the end which I find a bit unfair considering the fact that writers write stories where Michael is romantically involved with other ladies he encountered in his life time(e.g Diana, Princess Diana, Tatiana, Naomi, Ola etc.) but NEVER Brooke. Tatum too. She's always painted as the antagonist.

I for one cannot stand Taylor Swift but I only used her for the my story "Never" because she pretty much matched the description of the main girl to a tee and when I first came up with the idea for the story about four years ago, she was still pretty likable.

I don't care for Lisa Marie or Diana Ross in the least bit and I'm not partial to Tatiana either but I won't pass up a story all together just because their images are in the graphic. I might be a reader for a while but not a faithful one at least depending on how the story is going. I think it's a little unfair to the author to pass up on reading their story just because they've used a leading lady you don't necessarily like. It would actually be a good story. But then again, biases are kind of unfair and everyone has their turn offs when it comes to stories.

I totally know what you mean about creativity when it comes to making the MG different from you. It makes you step out of your comfort zone.

Even after my rant and a few other people mentioning things, people are still going on. It's sad.

Author's Response:

I'm not the best person to talk about Brooke to. I'm very biased against her given what she's said about him in the past and the fact that she disappeared at a convenient time in his life. This is an example of how using someone who was actually in his life can work against an author. I similarly refuse to read stories featuring LiMP, DR, and Tatiana as leads. Again, that's a personal choice. I know that I'm not the only one. I very much prefer stories with an OG as the lead female.

YAAAAS!!! This chapter was perfect!! You touched on everything!!!

1: When it comes to published novels, I thrive on using my imagination but with fanfiction I think it's okay as long as you don't go overboard. I also write on wattpad and on there you have the option to make a cast for your story. It almost makes it seem like a movie which is super cool!! I like at least one picture of the female lead and maybe one picture of some of the other main characters but not a picture for every chapter setting, and scene. I don't like using very well know celebrities and models for the main girl. It's really getting annoying seeing all these Adriana Lima's, Rhianna's and Beyonce's(Beyonce is waaay overused, like everyone uses her!) It's not like they're the only women on this planet. And I really can't stand it when the writers introduce the MG by giving a detailed description of her face, hair and body and let's not forget what she's wearing.

3:I honestly think the writers forget that their MG is human. They write her like a living doll or something. She always has perfect hair, it's neber nappy or frizzy, never gets a pimple, doesn't have braces or gaped teeth or glasses. Just perfect. I loved how you mentioned actual problems. Most writers make the mistake of having characters have these perfect lives, they've got the best well paying jobs, the best family and friends. Life is not like that for everyone. Now some readers go overboard and make the MG have a horrible life. She's constantly bullied at school, she's beaten and molested by her father, her mother died or hates her. Sadly this is reality for some people but not EVERYONE. This gets really quick and makes the main girl look like a damsel in distress that Michael has to save from her problems. It's rare he ever falls for an independent head strong woman.

4:I think many of the writers are so fixated on making their characters a boss, bad woman that they forget that even people who proclaim themselves be to so have moments where they can't find the right words to say or they have a moment of weakness.

7: When I first started writing, I did this a lot. I made my MG's have personalities very similar to mine or have aspirations of becoming a writer like me. But I've learned that becomes so boring. My favorite main girl of mine was Erin Shields from my stories "Something Borrowed" and "Something Great". I adored her. She was nothing like me. Spunky, independent and headstrong but wasn't afraid to cry sometimes. And her life style was one I necessarily wouldn't approve of like living with boyfriends and having a baby out of wedlock but she had the most heart and the most life out of all my MG'S. Perfect MG's are boring!! And when a person gives their MG their government name or uses their picture I automatically know not to even bother reading. That's a major turn off.

8: I think you've seen a rant of mine about this before....

Author's Response:

Yay :)

Please help me to start a story. Thanks for all your advice.

Well if you're taking votes for the next topic, I vote a topic on building Michael's character. Some topics being: Giving him flaws, making him real. The damsel in distress & the perfect flawless savior Michael (who seems to have no problems of his own) kind of gets old. Unless you make it unique.

At the same time the same could be said with building the charecter for Michael.  I know a lot of people have issue in making him out of charecter orOC   Personally I find it annoying to read the same chaceristics that we as fans perceived him to be like.  Key word perceived.  I find it very enjoyable to put charecter flaws in him or to put him in real life issues such as drug  or alcohol abuse, insecurities, depression, etc.  it gets pretty dan boring reading chapter after chapter of water ballon fights

i personally like to humanize him and think of what his life could have been if given the chance to be "normal". 

The he truth though is none of us met the michael behind closed doors so it's hard to down others for making him OC.  Also it's called fiction for a reason otherwise if the intent was to be truths it would be called mj fan non fiction.  I know ppl don't like my stories because I've made him have drug or alcohol issues, once he got drunk and slept with another woman 1x,, has porn tapes hiddenin his closet etc but it made it good fodder.  I can appreciate someone's opinion but it boils down to preference.  Was michael gay, a wherewolf, a maestro, a gangster, a thug, etc?  Not that I know of so to me it's ok to have him OC.