(Admin Note: I originally posted this on April 21, but I think it is relevant to share again. -- FM)

Hey everyone,  

It is great to see so many new members joining our madhouse! To all of our amazing authors, thank you so much for choosing Nine Lives to share your work. I have discovered so many wonderful new stories in the last couple of weeks alone! I can't wait to see what new adventures show up in the archive every day. There are crazy levels of talent happening here. It is so awesome!

I just wanted to point out a couple of helpful hints to our authors, and to any of our members who haven't posted their fics yet:

• Chapter Notes: I notice a lot of people using this section to place their authors notes. This actually is the summary post for each chapter that ends up in the index page of each story. I'd suggest placing any author's notes in the actual story text, or at the 'End Notes' section.
• Copy/Pasting: If you're copy/pasting your story text from a program like Word or even Google Docs, click the button on the Story Text box that looks like a clipboard with a W on it. It will keep any special formatting (paragraph spacing, bold, italics, etc) that you have already done. It's a bit faster than copying and then reformatting within the system.
• Series: You do have the option of posting not just stories, but a whole series! A series can be a series of several stories, submitted by different authors, all within the same "universe". I'll give an example (and it's a cracktastic one, too): So let's say Peta2 decided to start a non-zombie AU that takes place in a circus, with Daryl and Carol as circus performers. She posts the first fic, but then invites me to post another story, separate from hers but set within the same universe. I can post my story to her series, so the separate stories link together. 
  

There are lots more, but those are the three big ones I wanted to point out.   

Also, for any authors who are nervous about their work and want a second opinion, feel free to take advantage of our BETA page! Any Nine Lives member can sign up to be a beta reader. Just log onto your account page and update your beta profile information. If you need help, just ask. You can ask in the Shoutbox so anyone can reply, or you can sent a private mesasage to any member directly by clicking on their name, then selecting the envelope to the right of their name.

I hope all of this helps! You guys are amazing! Thank you for making Nine Lives a wonderful home for all Caryl fans!  

Fairies Masquerade  

(P.S. I have no intention of starting a circus AU series. I just needed an example and for some reason, that's what came to me.)