DARK SKIES' &  STARKE RAVEN'S PROOF READING RIBBONS Perfect/Near Perfect  Very Good   Good  None of the winning stories are rife with typos but we had trouble deciding just how perfect proofreading had to be for a story to qualify for an award.  We left the matter to DS & SR who came up with a system to reward error-free stories without eliminating otherwise beautifully written stories in which there were errors but not at a level to detract significantly from the readability of the story.  They decided to award blue, red & white ribbons to commemorate the quality of the proofreading.  Anything lower would not have qualified for merit award.

OUTRIDER'S & MIDNIGHT BLUE'S SPECIAL STAR AWARD  To us, good fanfic  is REAL writing.  We believe all authors who take pride in their craft feel the same way.  Yet there are a few fannish conventions that cling to a lot of fanfic, even some  of the best.  The alternating name syndrome is one of those.  That is, a story alternates between first and last names when referring to a character even within the same pov.  For example: Chris knocked the shotgun out of the man's hand before he could fire at Vin and Buck.  Before his cohort could fire on Larabee, Wilmington and Tanner put twin bullets in his chest.   Stephen King and Elizabeth George don't find it necessary to do this.  Nor does any other popular profic author you can think of.  Although we've talked to some truly excellent fanfic writers who employ this device we still haven't gotten a really satisfactory reason for such an unnecessary and often irritating convention.  The usual reason given is "variety."  However, just read some of the award winning stories marked with a star below and ask if it's ever necessary to risk having a new reader think there are 14 main characters in this fandom.  We do notice that the best writers, the ones featured in our awards, generally alternate much more subtly than do the writers of lesser skill who feel compelled to avoid using the same name for a character twice in a row. Of course, we aren't referring here a change in the way one man refers to another when the change is done for a reasons such as emphasis.  Buck might use the name Chris 90% of the time but use Larabee when he's pissed.  Ezra, of course, called the men by their last names about a third of the time, their first names about two thirds, even alternating in consecutive sentences for purposes that had more to do with his endearing pretension than variety or emphasis.

Send nominations to nominations@deathdogs.net

None of the winning stories are rife with typos but as noted in our award criteria, we awarded blue, red & white ribbons to commemorate the quality of the proofreading.  Anything lower would not have qualified for merit award.  Perfect or Near Perfect  Very Good   Good

All the stories below are award winners - listed in alphabetical order, not in order of merit. 

Death Dogs
Awards for Magnificent Canon Storytelling

SAMPLE AWARDS SHEET

A Really Good Vignette by A. Good Author Another Good Vignette by Diff R. NT Author

Funny vignette by A. Funny Author

Excellent story by An X. Lnt Author

Good Vignettes by A. Good Writer

Funny stories by A. Funny Author

Funny F-Troop X by A. Versatile Writer

Death Dogs Magnificent 7 Fan Fiction HOME	MASTER STORY LIST by TITLE	MASTER STORY LIST  by AUTHOR
MISC. SITE FEATURES	CATEGORY LISTS	FANFIC LISTED BY CHARACTER
Characterization, Canon & Fanon	COMEDY Full stories with a comic slant	ALL SEVEN  (or maybe just most).
Who are we? About Our Story Categories	Just Plain Funny JPF PWP's, Punchlines & Silly One-trick ponies	CHRIS LARABEE Fan Fiction
Fan Fiction Selection Rules & the Exceptions that Prove Them	ACTION	VIN TANNER Fan Fiction
Our Mixed (& Mixed Up) Feelings about Mag7 SLASH	H/C	EZRA STANDISH Fan Fiction
For All Intensive Purposes FanFic Pet Peeves	AUs, X-OVERS & ADAPTATIONS	BUCK WILMINGTON  Fan Fiction
REVIEWS	DEATH FICS  & TEAR-JERKERS	JD DUNNE Fan Fiction
TOP 10 LISTS	NOVELLAS & SERIALS	JOSIAH SANCHEZ Fan Fiction
Mag7 FAN FICTION Written by The Death Dog Site Owners	SUBLIMELY SURREAL Satire & Off-Center Stories	NATHAN JACKSON Fan Fiction
Starke Raven's Study of Ezra's Speech The Gambler Speaks	Just Plain Sexy JPS Sexy PWP's	HET Romance
Time Tracker's Study of Vin Speak The Tracker Talks	CCC Character,  Contemplation & Commentary	HOLIDAYS [More mush allowed.]
Outrider's Study of Mag7 Speech The Big Dog & The Pup	CHILDREN & ANIMALS	THE KIDDIE CORRAL Kid Fic AUs
Outrider's Study of Mag7 Speech Leader, Preacher & Healer	DEATH DOGS MAGNIFICENT CANON STORYTELLING NOMINATIONS	DEATH DOGS MAGNIFICENT CANON STORYTELLING AWARD CRITERIA
Magnificent LINKS to the Seven