Helpful Hints to Writing Fanfiction
By Alicia Blade
Planning. Start out with a complete plot in mind before you start posting. Lady Starra touched on the fact that a lot of great fanfics never get finished. Gee, could it be because the author had a great beginning in mind, but nothing afterwards? Given, it's perfectly alright to change the ending as you go along, as long as you have one. Don't assume it'll just come to you, and throw a couple chapters onto a website. You can take all the time in the world writing that ending, just write it!
Topics. Write about something that interests you, or I guarantee you will lose interest very fast. If you're a romantic, write a romance. If you like to make people laugh, make a comedy. If you have this crazy idea that all the characters should die gruesome and tragic deaths, well then kill them all off (just beware that you CAN get flamed). Don't try to write a story that you aren't excited for, simply because it worked for someone else or readers tend to enjoy those fics most. Not only will you bore yourself out of your mind, but I guarantee it will make an awful story in the long run, no matter how great a writer you are.
Originality. Yes, I know we've covered this, but it bares repeating. Do NOT totally copy another story idea. It's understandable if you didn't know there was another story like it, but I've come across fics that used exact lines from some of my fics, or identical plots to some of Lady S's. If you use another author's idea, ask them, and give them credit, I assure you that people will notice if you're copying someone else's works. And even if you do this, add something to your story to separate it from the other. Put in a little twist, something to spark the reader's attention more. Not only will it make for a better story, it will cut down on some of these cliched stories, making you and the original writer look better!
Inspiration. Take inspiration as it comes. Every author I know, including myself, has their ups and downs. We all get writer's block from time to time. So when inspiration knocks, go get the door!! Say you're sitting in a café, drinking a cup of mocha, and all the sudden you have an incredible story idea. Don't put it aside because you have another fic in the works, or you don't have a computer handy. The least you can do is grab a napkin and jot down some main notes so that you can remember the idea later. I've lost story ideas because I was too lazy to write them down, and boy, am I sorry now. If you have the notion to write something, get it down, or you will lose it. You can come back to that other story later and just maybe writing this one will get the wheels turning a bit.
Characters. Make the story as close to reality as you can. No, I do not mean that writing about dragons and magic spells and curses is bad. This is still fiction. What I mean is personality wise. Put yourself in the character's shoes. Would you be sad or angry? Delighted, jealous, amused? And don't assume a character's entire personality is based on one event either. Real people have different dimensions to them, characters in your story should too. A great example of this is Rei. She insults Usagi constantly. That does not mean she hates her, or she is a total hag. She dated Mamoru for a week. That doesn't mean she's totally in love with him, will die without him, holds a grudge against Usagi for having him. Do you see what I mean? Maybe nagging on Usagi is her way of protecting herself, or even Usagi. Maybe she used Mamoru to get her mind off of Yuuchirou. Who knows? Maybe she wanted to get to know him better in attempts to better her secret plan to hook him up with Usagi! It is possible to turn things around like this, which is the beauty of fanfiction!
Help. Get yourself a pre-reader/editor! They're usefulness is extraordinary! I don't know what I would have done without mine. They give suggestions, hints, tips, inspiration, ideas, help, encouragement, motivation... the list goes on. And on top of everything else, they might catch errors that you didn't.
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