Hello everyone!

It's been a while, hasn't it?

I'd like to begin by saying that although I haven't been on Fanfiction for a long time, I haven't forgotten it. It was a part of my life that was really important and made me discover a love for writing that I never knew I had before. I made some incredible friends on here and was able to connect with so many different kinds of people. Sadly, my love for Lorien Legacies – although still there – has diminished somewhat since the series ended, but that doesn't mean that I have forgotten just how much it inspired me at one point in my life.

I hope everyone else is well: whether they're still in love with Lorien Legacies or enjoying some new series, whether it's new hobbies, new stages of life, I wish you all well. You were the kindest, most supportive, friendliest people I've ever had the chance of 'meeting'. Your support got me through some very tough times.

Some of you may be wondering why I am writing this. I am sorry to say that it's not to announce any new story or updates of any old stories because I'm working full time and simply don't have the time to write on fanfiction.

The reason I am writing is because I have been receiving some reviews, and PMs too, in the last few months. I always used to address reviews in the past and I felt that I had to speak out now before it gets overwhelming.

Before I begin, I'd just like to say that I am not refuting criticism. Criticism is so important to help writers develop. For example, I remember when I first wrote, I would use lowercase 'I' and it was quite rightly pointed out to me how annoying this is as a reader. I don't disagree; it's infuriating for me now. I can only apologise for not having changed it sooner.

Criticism can help a plot grow. It can help characters grow. It can help a story turn from mediocre to great. Looking back on my old fanfics now, I should have listened to criticism a lot more.

This is what I want to say and have wanted to say for a while. There is a lot that I can improve on my old fanfictions. Here are just some of the things I have done wrong:

I didn't research, and it is very rightly pointed out in some more recent reviews. I was a naïve young teenager who thought the United States and England were virtually the same. Now, after several more years of growing up, I realise how stupid I was to think that. If I had even used Google, I'd like to think that the story could have been more believable. I can only say that I was young, I was falling love with writing and storytelling, and was so in a rush to put down my thoughts that I didn't think to build the world I was trying to create. That was wrong of me.

My plot was weak in most of my stories, especially Return of Lorien. It is pretty clear that there were times when I was writing chapters just for the sake of creating a longer story. Maybe some of you enjoyed that, maybe you didn't. Again, I can only say that when I was younger, I thought longer = better. That is not true.

I was too young to really understand people back then. For example, looking back at the reviews now, it was pointed out that John moved on remarkably quickly from Sarah in this story. He did. I was so absorbed in Sarah's betrayal and that she was 'a bad person' that he wouldn't miss her. Humans are so much more complex than that. John would feel a whole range of emotions about Sarah dying and then being with Six: guilt, shame, happiness mixed with more guilt…I simply brushed it under the rug.

There were many other occasions when I was so quick to write action, to find things to do, when I could have simply delved into their emotions and make it more realistic. Was it right that Eight broke up with Marina because he thought she was going to die? Now that I'm older, what a ridiculous plot that was! Again, as people pointed out, he would want to spend every last minute with her. But I was so desperate to find a plot point with their relationship that I used that rather immature idea.

I deviated from the actual story. This might seem obvious, but what I mean is that we were often told things in books, for example "John had blonde hair". In my own stories, in my haste to write, I might have written that he had brunette hair instead. Obviously, this is a simple example – and I'm not sure whether I went this far – and there were often details given in the books that were much more obscure and complex points, like the Chests. It has been a while, so I have forgotten just a lot, but what I am trying to say is that I should have paid more attention to the source.

These are just some of many things I did wrong. I won't bore you all with the lists of things I would change.

Now I'm not saying that I hate the story. It was something I was incredibly proud of when I first wrote it. I loved it. I still do. I was so proud to have updated regularly, to have so many followers and so many reviews. Only now, I can look at it without the rose-tinted glasses and admit that it is a flawed fanfic. There is a huge amount wrong with it and many things I would have changed. I made many mistakes during my writing but that is the point: to learn and grow. Hopefully, I can safely say that my writing today is so much stronger than anything I used to produce.

I don't want this to come across as a plea to only give me praise or to even review. Please, do not feel you have to at all. Indeed, if you have criticism, I welcome it. I still read all the reviews and PMs even now, even if it appears that I have vanished.

What I am asking is just to be a little kinder in some critiques. Things are very tough right now, especially in the last few weeks. UP until a few months I had simply brushed off some of the reviews and PMs, but this is starting to upset me now. To be having low moments, and then receive emails of reviews and PMs being negative can be hurtful.

Please know, that I am aware of the hundreds of mistakes. I would just like people to realise that sometimes criticism can go beyond helpful and into upsetting. Continue the reviews and PMs, but maybe just with a softer tone. That's all I'm asking.

I hope everyone is well during this very tough time. I wish you all the best of luck with your future.

…Five xxx