I have dialogues going on in my head some days,and other days, it's just spilling out from some nameless void within. It doesn't seem to matter, though. As long as I can write, it's all good.
Now as to the other things you've mentioned, I'll be a mod for a moment as opposed to an author.
The avatar needs to be hosted on a website like Photobucket or Gravatar. As far as I know, we are no longer able to use uploaded photos. Photobucket is free however and works find for me. Simply use the handy link they provide and paste it into the custom photo url field.
You can promote your story in this thread, appropriately enough called Promote a Story! This way more people will see it, and possibly read it.