Short guide to fanfic writing

A Short Guide To Fanfic Writing:
By (Fanfic Author) Matt

Introduction
If you’ve requested this guide, then clearly you have some interest or curiosity about the subject of fanfics (short for fan-fiction), perhaps one of the greatest arts of freeform expression (you’ll know what this is when you actually make one). What are fanfics? Quite simply, narratives based on an existing media (eg. Star Wars). All rules for normal novel writing are applied to fanfics, which means if you want to write a normal or ‘original’ novel, you can also read this guide. But, like I said, there is one difference; fanfics are based on a pre-made world. One piece of advice: To make your fanfic as good as possible, you need to know of all its aspects, not just the dogmatic basics. If you want to become a true fanfic author, I suggest you go through this guide thoroughly and put in lots of practice. Not all people have a gift for writing, but I can guarantee you, this will help put you on the right track. This guide, or to be more accurate, the person who wrote this guide (me) will teach you the do’s and do not’s of writing a fanfic. I’ve already made all the mistakes, so you don’t have to.

One more thing, the golden rule of your “career”: It is never okay to flame someone else or their fanfics/fanart. You are probably making that person really bad, how would you like that? If you like that kind of stuff, then you can kiss your “career” goodbye! Now, if you want to say something not so good about someone’s fanfic, you can use constructive criticism, which is perfectly okay, in fact, if used correctly, it may even help improve someone else’s fanfic for the better. Constructive criticism basically means pointing out the bad points of someone’s fanfic, in a useful way, instead of screaming at them about how bad their fanfic is. You can give good comments about a fanfic and point out some of the not so good points. For example you might say: I liked your plot but I found the chapters too short, also, your grammar isn’t too good, so you should take a bit more time into writing your fanfic. With every bad point, you have to give some reason or advice that can help the author improve their skills next time. What you SHOULD NOT write is something like this: That fanfic was completely pathetic, you have these tiny little chapters that look like they should be in a children’s book. What’s more, your grammar is hideous! Doesn’t help the author much does it? In fact, it just makes them feel bad and shameful. That’s why you should always give constructive criticism.

Creating An Outstanding Title
Okay, step one of attracting an audience: have a good title! You can only have one title for a fanfic, so make it good. A very important rule for making a good title is that you shouldn’t copy or make similar titles to those of other books/ series (eg. Sonic and the legend of the philosopher’s stone) this suggests a crossover to Harry Potter and is unacceptable, especially if it’s obvious. Also, avoid Cliché statements, such as ‘The twist of fate’. A good title should be descriptive of your own story and your story only. I know this can sometimes be hard, but if you want to make a good fanfic, every step counts. The title should illuminate or emphasize an important plot element. Try to avoid ‘cliché’ words such as legend, adventure, myth, journey, story, quest and any other similar words. Say if you had a story called ‘The adventures of John’ Or ‘Legend of the heavenly sword’ Doesn’t it sound a bit old and overused? If your title represents your fanfic and no other stories, then congratulations, it’s a very well thought out title. (All these rules also apply for chapter names).

Creating Characters And Their Personality
When you are creating your character, make sure that they have a personality; this is what makes characters unique. You don’t want them to be a ‘flat-character’. Someone can be weak-minded and panic a lot, or they could be strong and independent. You don’t need to tell the readers their personality (eg. He is a coward), rather, you should make their personalities show in their actions. Two different characters might react differently to the same situation, depending on their personality.

We are always told that main characters in adventure stories are heroes that are brave, strong, and never give up; this doesn’t necessarily have to be the case. Your main character could be reluctant, have evil thoughts and sometimes depend on his/her companions. Sometimes, their evil side leads them to become villains, but there must always be a motive (Anakin Skywalker didn’t turn to the dark side for nothing). Characters who turn evil can increase tension and curiosity in the readers, but then again, it is only optional. If they have any gadgets or weapons, make them original. How many times have we seen a character with a sword? Why not make your character more unique and equip them with something like a bow and arrow or a boomerang? Not all fanfics have a lot of action in them, but almost all have a villain. Once again, the villain must have a motive; perhaps they seem to believe that their friends have betrayed them or that they should have been given a position (general, boxing champion, king, etc…) a long time ago. It’s all up to you.

Introducing Your Characters
Making your descriptions and words flow well is crucial. Take time introducing your character; don’t just write down a whole chunk of descriptions or a huge list (eg. She had messy dark hair, a green dress, a pair of thongs… etc…). Your readers want to find out something new about the character every now and then, and not to be reading a chunk of information. To help the text flow, you can include a minor action to relate to and describe a part of the character (eg. As he trudged on, his soaked maroon pants stuck to his skin, freezing his bony legs) Don’t you think that sounds a bit better? When introducing a character, proofread the text, if the story seems to come to a halt just for the sake of introducing a character, you might want to re-write it. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was that you only get one chance to introduce your character. Don’t introduce all your characters at the beginning; you don’t want to reveal everything too soon, (This especially applies to villains and monsters) this can also leave the reader confused. Leave some characters to be introduced throughout the story, so that it revitalizes the interest of the reader. With villains, you want to introduce them later in your story; your readers will want to know about your mysterious villain, and therefore will be compelled to continue reading your fanfic. Perhaps your villain’s minions might be terrorizing the public, while your main villain is at the back, giving the marching orders.

Emphasizing Mood
The time of day, landscape (I’ll talk more about landscapes in the next section) and weather play a large role in portraying emotion and tone. How you control the attributes will directly affect the mood. For example, a thunderstorm is usually a bad sign for something terrible to happen. Gentle rain is romantic, and/or is a sign of rebirth. A clear, sunny day is usually a good sign. A morning is a symbol for new beginnings. Use basic understanding you've learnt from reading to assist you.

Creating Locations
Since fanfics are based on a pre-made world, it is important to describe the pre-made world accurately, unless it takes place in another region or the region has changed. If you are aiming to go for an original setting, try to picture it in your mind and try to describe it. Just a small word from me: I always liked creating my own regions, but you can do whatever you wish. If a location is inhabited by people, try to imagine their lifestyle, culture, and anything else that might be relevant. Just like the main characters, the townspeople need personalities as well. The fanfic world isn't too picky about naming a new region or new city. Just use your common sense and check if the name sounds good to you. Try to avoid a real world as the name of a region though. Plan carefully about created towns and cities. What famous sights and landmarks are there, if any? Keep in mind that objects/landmarks relevant to the plot will need more description. Also, the appearance of a location can affect mood, and you should apply the weather and time aspects suitable to this. (eg. A barren, desert-like landscape with heavy air and several dead trees and shrubs would create a feeling of depression)

Fanfic Promotion
If you’re going to promote your fanfic, I would first suggest advertising on an active forum or fanart/fanfic site. A good website I would recommend are fanartcentral.net It’s important to choose a site that is active, because, well you won’t get a lot of people reading your fanfic if there weren’t many people there in the first place! Like I said in the first paragraph, a good title also helps. But if you use a fanart/fanfic site, it’s important to become famous and get to know people first, that way; you have more friends who will want to read your fanfic. People will remember you for your good reviews and advice. So, if you want to make friends, you have to take time commenting on their fanfics/fanart and giving them respect, and in turn, they will give you respect. Give them lots of help and support, and they will comment on your fanfics/fanart. This can sometimes take a lot of time and commitment, but your contributions will always be appreciated.