Fanfiction: Advice to Writers
Jun. 19th, 2003 01:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xtremeroswelliaFanfic Advice
Okay. So you've gotten an idea for a fanfic while watching the latest episode of Third Watch (or whatever show you were watching). You've never written a fanfic before, though you've read plenty of it. You ask yourself, what do I do now?
Well, I can only tell you what I do, and offer you some general advice. My process is probably different from everyone else's, and yours might be totally different from mine. That's all right. In fact, it's good. I think the best writing comes from a place that is personal to the writer. If you try someone else's methods, it's okay: you're experimenting until you find something that works for you. But if my methods don't work for you, it doesn't mean that you should give up the idea of writing a fanfic. *The Basics section is my personal advice on writing in general, not necessarily just for fanfiction. The other sections are more about fanfiction specifically.
*The Basics
*Jot down your ideas. When I write a fanfic, I generally jot down all my initial ideas for the fic so I don't forget them later. Sometimes I'll have thirty things I'd like to include in a fic and if I don't write them down, I may forget to do something in the story that would really improve it.
*Try an outline. I generally work from an outline so I don't forget all the little details that I've included throughout the story. Sometimes I'll even do separate outlines for entire chapters in a fic, instead of just a general overall one. This really helps me out, because then I can get a feel for the way a chapter will start out and how it's going to end, and it helps me to set the mood and tone for the story.
*Re-read. If you're writing a fairly long, complicated fic and it's taking a lot of time to get each chapter done, it's a good thing to go back and read over what you've already done (I frequently have to do this with my Roswell fic "Ghosts" because I've been working on it for two years now and I've still got about 15 chapters to write according to my trusty outline).
*Throw away the outline. If it's not working for you, if your characters keep saying/doing things you hadn't planned for them to do, toss the outline. If the characters take control of the story, it's a good thing. It means you're really absorbed into the writing process and are thinking on an unconscious level. Outlines aren't necessary for everyone all the time.
*Proof-read. I generally read over my own stories anywhere from four to six times before I send them out for others to read, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and that may not be necessary for you.
*Know Thyself
I think the first rule of writing, for me, at least, is to stay true to yourself as a writer, and as a person. If you've got a story idea, or are in the middle of a story that is very emotionally draining, it's okay to take a step back. I've had to do this time and again with my Roswell fic "Ghosts." Don't force yourself into writing something you're not sure you're ready to write, be it because of content, or because you're just not creatively inspired at the moment. If you're not in the mood to write the next scene of your fanfic, don't. If you're not in the mood to write it and do it anyway, most likely it will show through in the work, and then you'll just end up feeling angry and frustrated with yourself. It's all right to get away from fandom/fanfiction for as long as you want/need. Remember, this is supposed to be for fun. You're not being paid to write fanfic. Don't let anyone pressure you into writing something you're not ready to write.
___________________________________________________________________________
*Know Your Fandom
Secondly, I think one of the most important things to do is to familiarize yourself with the fandom you're wanting to write for. This isn't always possible, but with a lot of the popular shows (i.e. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files), there are tons of sites out there with information about the shows. Some even offer transcripts of the episodes in case you missed one (or two, or an entire season). For some of you, it might be possible to purchase episodes. I know The X-Files has tapes and DVD's of the first several seasons, and the reruns are always on FX and appear on FOX on Sunday nights. If you're wanting to know if your fandom has past episodes on tape or DVD, try checking out http://www.amazon.com/ to see if they're available there. If you can't get a hold of back episodes, or don't feel like spending hours and hours reading transcripts of episodes, try joining an online community, which brings me to my next point.
*Online Communities
When I first started writing fanfiction, one of the first things I did was join a bunch of online fan groups. There are groups of people just like yourself everywhere online, but one of the best places to start with is at http://groups.yahoo.com/. It's the easiest and fastest way to connect yourself with other fanfic writers, readers and fans of your chosen genre. I belong to about 40 yahoo groups. It doesn't cost anything and the advantages are incredible. Another good place to start would be to do a search on message boards for your fandom. Go to a search engine like http://www.google.com/ and type in your fandom (i.e. "The X-Files") and "message boards." This won't always pull something up, but if it does, check it out and if you like what you've seen, register to become a member of the board and start talking to the other fans. Online communities are an awesome source of information. For instance, if you have a question or two (or even more) about the facts of a show and you send them to the group you've signed up for, it's very likely you'll get a response from someone within hours, and sometimes even less depending on how active the egroup or board is. Not to mention the fact that when you start sending out your fanfic to these groups and posting on message boards, you're probably going to get a nice dosage of feedback, as well. Online communities are also helpful when looking for a beta-reader, which leads into my fourth piece of advice.
_________________________________________________________________________
*Beta-Readers
A beta-reader is sort of like an editor, as they will often change grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes in fanfics sent to them. Even though those things are important to any story, a beta-reader is someone who will offer more in-depth feedback than an average fanfic reader. They will help you tighten up any loose ends of a story, help you try to keep the characters in character, and just offer general support to the writer. Not everyone uses a beta-reader. That's perfectly fine for some people. I personally don't use one, although I do have a very good online friend (hi, Dem!) that has helped me out on numerous occasions when I've gotten stuck on some aspect of the fic I'm working on. For more information on beta-readers, check out the "Tips From a Beta-Reader" section of the site.
*Have Fun
The most important thing to keep in mind when writing a fanfic is to have fun with it. Really, there are no rules. That's the great thing about fanfic: anything can happen. It's your story. Tell it on your own terms, however you wish to tell it. It's entirely up to you.
Okay. So you've gotten an idea for a fanfic while watching the latest episode of Third Watch (or whatever show you were watching). You've never written a fanfic before, though you've read plenty of it. You ask yourself, what do I do now?
Well, I can only tell you what I do, and offer you some general advice. My process is probably different from everyone else's, and yours might be totally different from mine. That's all right. In fact, it's good. I think the best writing comes from a place that is personal to the writer. If you try someone else's methods, it's okay: you're experimenting until you find something that works for you. But if my methods don't work for you, it doesn't mean that you should give up the idea of writing a fanfic. *The Basics section is my personal advice on writing in general, not necessarily just for fanfiction. The other sections are more about fanfiction specifically.
*The Basics
*Jot down your ideas. When I write a fanfic, I generally jot down all my initial ideas for the fic so I don't forget them later. Sometimes I'll have thirty things I'd like to include in a fic and if I don't write them down, I may forget to do something in the story that would really improve it.
*Try an outline. I generally work from an outline so I don't forget all the little details that I've included throughout the story. Sometimes I'll even do separate outlines for entire chapters in a fic, instead of just a general overall one. This really helps me out, because then I can get a feel for the way a chapter will start out and how it's going to end, and it helps me to set the mood and tone for the story.
*Re-read. If you're writing a fairly long, complicated fic and it's taking a lot of time to get each chapter done, it's a good thing to go back and read over what you've already done (I frequently have to do this with my Roswell fic "Ghosts" because I've been working on it for two years now and I've still got about 15 chapters to write according to my trusty outline).
*Throw away the outline. If it's not working for you, if your characters keep saying/doing things you hadn't planned for them to do, toss the outline. If the characters take control of the story, it's a good thing. It means you're really absorbed into the writing process and are thinking on an unconscious level. Outlines aren't necessary for everyone all the time.
*Proof-read. I generally read over my own stories anywhere from four to six times before I send them out for others to read, but I'm a bit of a perfectionist and that may not be necessary for you.
*Know Thyself
I think the first rule of writing, for me, at least, is to stay true to yourself as a writer, and as a person. If you've got a story idea, or are in the middle of a story that is very emotionally draining, it's okay to take a step back. I've had to do this time and again with my Roswell fic "Ghosts." Don't force yourself into writing something you're not sure you're ready to write, be it because of content, or because you're just not creatively inspired at the moment. If you're not in the mood to write the next scene of your fanfic, don't. If you're not in the mood to write it and do it anyway, most likely it will show through in the work, and then you'll just end up feeling angry and frustrated with yourself. It's all right to get away from fandom/fanfiction for as long as you want/need. Remember, this is supposed to be for fun. You're not being paid to write fanfic. Don't let anyone pressure you into writing something you're not ready to write.
___________________________________________________________________________
*Know Your Fandom
Secondly, I think one of the most important things to do is to familiarize yourself with the fandom you're wanting to write for. This isn't always possible, but with a lot of the popular shows (i.e. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files), there are tons of sites out there with information about the shows. Some even offer transcripts of the episodes in case you missed one (or two, or an entire season). For some of you, it might be possible to purchase episodes. I know The X-Files has tapes and DVD's of the first several seasons, and the reruns are always on FX and appear on FOX on Sunday nights. If you're wanting to know if your fandom has past episodes on tape or DVD, try checking out http://www.amazon.com/ to see if they're available there. If you can't get a hold of back episodes, or don't feel like spending hours and hours reading transcripts of episodes, try joining an online community, which brings me to my next point.
*Online Communities
When I first started writing fanfiction, one of the first things I did was join a bunch of online fan groups. There are groups of people just like yourself everywhere online, but one of the best places to start with is at http://groups.yahoo.com/. It's the easiest and fastest way to connect yourself with other fanfic writers, readers and fans of your chosen genre. I belong to about 40 yahoo groups. It doesn't cost anything and the advantages are incredible. Another good place to start would be to do a search on message boards for your fandom. Go to a search engine like http://www.google.com/ and type in your fandom (i.e. "The X-Files") and "message boards." This won't always pull something up, but if it does, check it out and if you like what you've seen, register to become a member of the board and start talking to the other fans. Online communities are an awesome source of information. For instance, if you have a question or two (or even more) about the facts of a show and you send them to the group you've signed up for, it's very likely you'll get a response from someone within hours, and sometimes even less depending on how active the egroup or board is. Not to mention the fact that when you start sending out your fanfic to these groups and posting on message boards, you're probably going to get a nice dosage of feedback, as well. Online communities are also helpful when looking for a beta-reader, which leads into my fourth piece of advice.
_________________________________________________________________________
*Beta-Readers
A beta-reader is sort of like an editor, as they will often change grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes in fanfics sent to them. Even though those things are important to any story, a beta-reader is someone who will offer more in-depth feedback than an average fanfic reader. They will help you tighten up any loose ends of a story, help you try to keep the characters in character, and just offer general support to the writer. Not everyone uses a beta-reader. That's perfectly fine for some people. I personally don't use one, although I do have a very good online friend (hi, Dem!) that has helped me out on numerous occasions when I've gotten stuck on some aspect of the fic I'm working on. For more information on beta-readers, check out the "Tips From a Beta-Reader" section of the site.
*Have Fun
The most important thing to keep in mind when writing a fanfic is to have fun with it. Really, there are no rules. That's the great thing about fanfic: anything can happen. It's your story. Tell it on your own terms, however you wish to tell it. It's entirely up to you.
