Dear NFE Writer

First, thank you! I'm looking forward to this so much, and I hope you're having fun writing.

As for what I like and don't like, mostly the answer is "it depends." There are very few things I would say a flat-out no to: graphic torture; extended graphic violence; incest; rape. But even these, if necessary for the story or the character, might be okay. What I really don't like to see is these things justified and made unproblematic. If you want to write something really dark about the worst impulses of human nature, then I prefer to see it leavened with loyalty, courage, and kindness.

Things I especially like:

• world-building
• backstory, both for characters and the world itself
• underdogs
• characters being in character (acknowledging that people's interpretations of the same character differ)
• a world that feels rich and real
• unexpected or incongruous friendships
• romance that goes against gender and/or sex stereotypes
• actually, anything that goes against gender and/or sex stereotypes
• snappy dialog
• non-sentimentalized parent-child relationships
• cultural complexity
• political complexity
• people (broadly defined) working through difficult problems
• mythology and folklore
• slice of life stories
• things I wouldn't think of myself (like what? I don't know!)

Most of all, I hope you write a story that you like and feel excited about.