Little Things

The Little Things

There are always little things which point out a writer from a green amateur. You will learn your mistakes and remedy them after a couple of stories (or, at least, I hope you do) but to save you time and possibly embarassment, take down the stuff below and remember them when you write your fics and you can't go very wrong.

The Format

I realize most of us are already very computer-savvy, but this is for the benefit of those who aren't. Your fanfic should be typed up on whatever e-mail program you have and then saved. There should be an option under 'File'. Save it as whatever you want to name it and then open a New Message. That part will not be seen by any other than the archive administrators who will post the fic. Usually, it contains some sort of short note about the fanfic because most archives are busy and do not have time to remember who you are. The story title, chapter if it has parts, rating (optional) and your name or writing name. Then go to Insert (Outlook Express) or Messages (Eudora) and click Attach File. This should allow you to browse around and attach the story to the e-mail. Then send.

Spacing for Easiest Reading

This is one of the most common problems with new writers and one of my most hated. Whenever I see the mistake, I immediately skip out of the fic unless it is extremely promising.

If you are an avid reader of fanfiction like me, you know what I'm talking about. The fanfics which stretch endlessly across the page, not down. This problem irked me for several fanfics until I figured it out. It is very very annoying and a big turn-off to readers when they have to scroll across the page. Here's how to avoid it.

Most programs are set on a standard 76 characters across, which I think should fit into the computer Internet screen. Most people think that when you type up a story on the e-mail window, the Internet text files will automatically follow the stuff you have typed up, which means no scrolling across the page to read it. Unfortunately, they don't.

To remedy this, hit Enter when you reach the end of every line to go to the next. You'll get used to it after a while, that much I can garuantee. It will come out all on the immediate screen without your readers having to scroll to read it.

Disclaimers and Credits

All writers have this on the fanfic to avoid being sued. Disclaimers are standard, basically saying that you own nothing except the story as your own. An example one for a Sailormoon fanfic is below.

I do not own Sailormoon. Sailormoon is copyright of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha, Toei Animation and DiC. This story is copyright of (your name) 1998.

Credits are completely your own and optional, but if you received help from other writers, they are usually mentioned in your Author's Notes before beginning the story. Most also usually mention great authors whose stories they want to recommend and mention their 'Net friends and fans who e-mailed them.

Grammar and Punctuation

Always, but always be mindful of your grammar and punctuation. Stories which have engaging plots are sometimes spoiled by terrible spelling. If you can, find a couple of people to beta-read it for you first before sending. A couple of spelling mistakes are readily forgiven, but several mistakes will be remembered in the future by the reader.