Fanfic authors: READ THE WHOLE FUCKING PAGE
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE LESSONS YOU CAN LEARN AS A WRITER. I SAY THIS AS A READER AND A PROFESSIONAL GENRE EDITOR.
Here’s some important missing information: this page is from Story, Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee, ReganBooks HarperCollins 1997, aka more simply as Story.
McKee is a very well-known creative-writing instructor and his seminars are famous.
If you think this one page is useful, it’s well worth making space for the entire book on any “Tools of the Writing Trade” shelf.