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theminecraftbee · 2 years

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How do you start writing fanfic? I kinda want to give it a go

oh, interesting question! the easy answer is "just start writing" - i have an idea and i just start writing it. but that's probably not useful for everyone! so here are some things that might help!

get an ao3 account. if you don't already have one, see if a friend has a free invite link, and if not, be prepared for the fact the queue is sometimes like two weeks long before you'll get your invite email. having an ao3 account will help you post your fanfics, but if you use bookmarks better than i do, will also help you keep track of what you're reading! speaking of...

figure out what kinds of stuff you like to read! this won't always be the same as the kind of thing you like to write, but it'll probably be similar, and reading things you like will help you write things you like because you'll pick up on some of the elements of what you read, whether you are trying to or not.

set realistic goals for yourself! your first fanfic will not be perfect, especially if you've never written anything before. it will, however, be something you're proud of, as long as you don't expect to be a genius the first time you write! in addition, i'd say "don't try to write a longfic as the first thing you write, write something shorter", because it's a lot easier to lose motivation while writing a long thing than it is while writing a short thing.

(genuinely, practice and read things. gotta emphasize those. also don't compare yourself to other people who have been writing for ten years if you've only been writing for two weeks, you aren't being fair to yourself then!)

then come up with an idea! i recommend choosing a character you read/watch a lot for who you write the first time; choose one of your favorite guys, yeah, but choose your favorite guy you watch all the time, not your favorite guy you only rarely see. this will also make writing them easier.

as for what idea to come up with... can't help you there, but that's where "learn what kind of stuff i like to read" and "practice" will start making it easier! if you have ever gone "man i wish x existed" or "that idea for an au sounded cool but there's nothing written for it" or "this part of canon that i wish had a bit more about it"... do that!

some people are better at planning than others. i, personally? not good at planning. i normally scrawl out, at best, a list of events that need to happen, and then change my mind halfway through writing. half the time though i'm like "i know where i want this to start, i know what i want this to do, i know how i want it to end, i will make up the rest as i go" and i just start writing. for some people, this is fine - don't force yourself to do mega planning if that'll stop you from actually writing.

however, if a LACK of plan stops you from writing, like i said, i personally find that planning by coming up with the major 'set pieces'/'moments' i want the fic to have and connecting those together helps. idk you may want to ask someone else how to plan if you don't know.

then, as i said before... just start writing! i find external arbitrary deadlines help motivate me, but those may stress you out, so you don't have to do that part. just writing is enough!

don't feel bad if you scrap stuff and start new stuff and don't finish stuff for a while - everyone does that.

i personally recommend waiting until you finish a thing to post it to ao3 because i lose motivation once a fic is posted and having the goal of "actually publish it" helps force me to finish what i'm writing but not everyone is this way; if you think posting and getting feedback is more helpful for you, do that!

uh, finally, ignore the numbers. like, okay, i'm not saying "i want attention and validation" is bad because yeah, i do want attention and validation. that's part of why i post things online. i DO mean that you should ignore the hit counter entirely, not compare the kudos counter to other fics, and cherish each comment, no matter how many of them there are, you know?

not sure how helpful this long list of advice is, but i hope it helps a little!

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