Tagging Rules for OCs
Original characters are a fanfiction trope - just like a particular kink, or a specific alternate universe scenario, using this tag on your fics is a way to get people who like those stories to find them easily.
If all I want to read on a given day is Star Trek AU, then I can go to AO3 and search on that tag within a given fandom and binge-read to my heart's content.
And here's where this is important - tagging your original character's NAME is less likely to attract new readers!!
I might LOVE Jane Q Original as soon as I meet her - but I, Random Reader #235, haven't met her yet, and thus, I don't know to search for her name. What I'm looking for is Original Female Character - but you didn't use that tag, so I never see your fic in the list of my search results and Jane remains unknown to me.
While you might want or need to tag your character's name for organization purposes within your own fics, your DEFAULT should be to use the Original Female or Original Male Character tag, since this is how people who've NEVER read your story will find it.
The same advice holds true for relationship tags. If I want to see all the Fred Weasley/OFC fic in the Harry Potter fandom tag, then that is what I am going to look for - and I won't find your story if it's tagged with Fred Weasley/Jane Q Original.
Writing a Reader Insert fic? There's a tag for that too! You can read more about the differences between those tags here.
