Generally I try to write stuff that I would want to read. I'll read a fic all the way through to the end, whether I think it sucks or not. The thing about the "character descriptors", I wanted to say, it's sometimes necessary to do it. I did it in one of my stories only because there were three men in it, and it was easier than confusing the shit out of myself with "him" and "him" and "him". I absolutely hate incorrect tense shifts, too. Pick one and stick with it, present or past tense. Bad grammar makes my eyes scan to the next sentence I can understand. Summaries aren't hugely important to me, but I do like ones that let me know sort of the ride I'm in for. I only read certain pairings, yes that is true, but if I see a fic with a pairing I don't normally read by an author I like, I may try it out. I haven't come across many "wall of text" fics, so hmm on that. I agree on the crying. Crying is not usually pretty, and I try to keep that in mind. Too many uses of the same adjectives and verbs in a fic piss me off, too. Get a damn thesaurus! And characterization...that's one of the reasons I have mostly stuck with the Petrellis. I know what it's like to be a)the older protective sibling b)the idealistic bleeding heart and c)a sixteen year old girl who felt like a freak. lol. The characterization has to at least be believable. If Sylar wants a piece of Peter for example, it's not gonna be all rainbows and butterflies, you know? (Aside from the fluff! and crack!fic in which it is allowed.) In canon they are not the best of friends. I don't know.