Apparently, October 10 is a very important day for many people. It's the birthday of Taiwan's KMT party (not that I approve of their current leader... coughMr.Horsecough), Uzumaki Naruto, and Feathered Mask.
I can't believe that Feathered Mask has already been running for one year. It seems both like yesterday and years ago that I published the first chapter, Mask, in a fit of inspiration. The story was only going to be five chapters long or so; never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that I'd only be halfway done at the one-year mark, let alone make it to the one-year mark. As I kept writing, the plot just seemed to evolve, getting longer and more complicated as time went on. To be perfectly honest, I just wrote whatever I felt like for the first ten chapters or so, and I was basically winging it. Then I looked at how many chapters I had already written, and my jaw dropped. Ten?! Ten freaking chapters?! Whoa!
I believe that I've been able to improve my English as I continue to publish chapter after chapter. I don't know if it's visible to you, but the overall difference between Mask and River is startling. Feathered Mask has been an invaluable creative vent and tool for improvement. I can only hope that my style will continue to improve and entertain many readers.
Many people have praised FM as one of the "best Kakashi-OC fics" and "one of the best fics on the site." To them, I can only blush and humbly deny their claims. It's a story like every other one; there are many areas for improvement. Other people tell me that FM is a source of inspiration for them, and they can only hope that they can "write as well as you do." To them, I offer my humble thanks and some pointers.

* First of all, use proper English at all times. Double and triple-check spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Write like you're handing in a major paper for a class in school. It's a personal turn-off for me to read a story and find misspelled words, improperly placed punctuation, and horrible sentence structure all over the page. What you're publishing on the Internet should be your best effort.
* Another thing I try to avoid is to use abbreviations such as "lolz" and "plz." It doesn't seem professional, particularly in story summaries. "So-and-so does this, blah-blah-blah. I suck at summaries lolz; plz read." Even if you think that you've got the worst summary ever, don't say it. Just do your best; after all, it's the story that really counts.
* Never, ever, ever threaten readers in order to get reviews. I read a story where the author refused to update until he received 2 reviews per chapter, and I immediately stopped reading. Don't do this. It isn't professional. Although reviews are very encouraging, you're publishing your story as a form of recreation. No one is obligated to give you feedback, helpful though it may be. You'll appreciate reviews more if you know that readers are submitting them because they want to.
* A lot of people tell me that Karasu is an amazingly strong OC. Once again, I humbly thank everyone. I found it easy to base her character off of someone I knew exceedingly well. All I had to do was wonder, "How would so-and-so react to this?" This way, I could try to create a very life-like character with a complex personality.

Once again, I thank everyone for staying with FM. I can only hope that I will continue to entertain and improve as the story develops.