How to Write a Fanfiction

[Sithking Zero]

How to Make a Good Fanfiction

By Sithking Zero

So, you want to write a fanfiction, right? Yeah, you and every other anime fan in the world.

But, I sympathize; I too am a fanfic writer. I have been around the block, I know how it feels. To think of how the show could be better, to imagine a new love between those who most deserve it, to add that splash of chaos and destruction to counter the beauty and peace of it all. Ah, the feeling; nothing in the world is quite like it.

But I digress. What I am putting down here is as much a set of guidelines, as much of a prevention. I don’t want to go onto FF.net, and see this:

Luv at frst site: A sassusaku story. Sakura an sauske find each other under the ful moon. Wut wil happe? PLZ GO EZY ON ME IS MY FIRST NARUTO STORY!

Now, anyone can already tell that this is indeed a piece of fecal matter. First off, misspelling the title of the story, unless done intentionally, is a surefire way to make sure that nobody reads your story. Ever.

But we’ll save the advice for this section:

THE SUMMARY AND TITLE

This is one of the most important parts of any story. It’s the hook, the catch, the all-important first impression that make people say, “I want to read this story,” or “I want to never read that story.”

We’ll start with the title. Now, a title should symbolize your unique story. Something that people will remember, but not be forgettable. For example, a very long title with large words is more likely to be remembered then something like “I love you.” Honestly, I have at least ten stories that have “Love” in them in a row on my story alert list on FF.net. Try to find something… weird. Something that sets you apart from the pack. I chose “Heart of a Warrior” for my series. This is a good title. It’s vaguely mysterious, it’s ominous, and it conveys two popular concepts: the heart (and, by popular extension, the soul) and Warriors, beings who are known for fighting and waging bloody war after bloody war. Who truly knows what lies within the darkest recesses of their souls?

Looking back, and how the story progressed, a better, more literal title could have been “A violent homecoming” or “The Lost one returns home.” However, neither seem to hold the same sort of reverence, and to me, both seem rather juvenile. Too straightforward, too the point! A good title will give away as little as possible.

Or perhaps that is your style? One of my other stories, “Sigma.exe: Wraith of the Mavericks,” plays off of many people’s love of the Megaman series of games, primarily the X and EXE series. For those who played the X series, you know that Sigma is a violent robot who spreads the maverick virus (a malignant computer virus that causes robots to go berserk). By seeding in the two plot points (Sigma and the Maverick virus) I’m able to catch people’s attention by mixing it up with the “.EXE” part, a clear indicator of the Megaman Battle network series of games. A few dropped hints, and all of a sudden, people will be wondering how in the world did I try to cross over these two games. Be careful, though, as name-dropping can backfire. If someone isn’t a fan of the series, they may not recognize the cues and names, and skip over your story.

This leads us to the summary of the story. This is, indeed, the hard-hitting seller. Without this, people have no idea what your future Pulitzer winner is about! Logically, a good story summary has good grammar; otherwise people will think that the rest of the story is just as bad as the summary.

A few basic rules apply:
1) NO CHATSPEAK. This looks tacky and like you were in a hurry to get your job done. Not to mention, not everyone can read chatspeak. For example, my cousin doesn’t know what “ROTFLAMO,” means. If she saw that in a summary, she wouldn’t click on the story. Not to mention it looks tacky and stupid.
2) TREAT THE SUMMARY AS YOU WOULD THE STORY. Correct punctuation and spelling are key, so don’t forget them when describing your story.
3) REMEMBER YOUR SYMBOLS!!! AU refers to “Alternate Universe,” or a place where the characters are in a situation that would never be covered by the show (example: Inuyasha going to school in America and meeting Kagome, a foreign exchange student from Japan.) OOC means out of character (characters acting weird/different.) Slash means homosexual relationships. (Shonen Ai and Yaoi are guy/guy relations, Shojen Ai and Yuri are girl/girl relations). Lemon and Lime means sex.
4) HINT AT THE STORY, NOT TELL THE ENTIRE THING. Don’t give out spoilers in the summary! If you want people to read it, keep an air of mystery about yourself. A good one would be, “The seven beings of light have gathered to halt the darkness encroaching on the cyberworld… but what do they want with Roll? DigimonXMegaman NT Warrior crossover.” Bad would be “The digimon want roll to help them beat the dark masters. DigimonXMegaman crossover.”
5) SHORT AND SWEET! Don’t sum up the whole story, a short “Teaser sentence,” or two will usually suffice, not to mention that usually there’s restricted space on FF.net. Remember KISS: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
6) KEEP IT APPROPRIATE. Remember, to attract a broader audience, don’t put a bunch of swear words in. Try to keep your summaries PG, PG-13, tops.

Remember, when in doubt, ask for help. Lots of people would be willing to be Betas for you.


Now for a new topic! It’s time for…

AUTHOR NOTES

Not exactly what was covered in English class, but still an important part. So far, there are three types:

1) Chapter-long notes. These are traditionally used for saying things like “Hey guys, I quit,” or “Do you like how the story’s going? I need inspiration!” or messages of the like.
2) Opening and closing notes. These are traditionally done in two ways, not including combinations of the two:
a. Author playscript notes (where the author and the characters, in play format ( example: SITHKING ZERO: Read and review! CADENCE: Or I’ll rip your arms out!). These are done more often on funny stories, but have been done on all types of story before.
b. Normal notes: Basically, saying what you need to at beginning and end of each chapter without any such gimmick
3) In-chapter notes. VERY ANNOYING. VERY, VERY ANNOYING. If at all possible, don’t do this. I will hunt you down. If you absolutely, positively, have something to say, put a little number in a parenthases (1) or just explain the crap later. Nothing disrupts the story like someone being reminded that they’re reading a story. A good story should be so good, that the reader actually loses him or her self in the work.

Well, we’ve covered the extras, now on to the main course of any fanfic:

WRITING THE STORY

For convenience, we’ll break it down into several parts:

- Plot
- Grammar
- Betas
- Computer stuff
- Critiques
- Writing

So, logically, we’ll first work on Plot

PLOT

Now, this is the first and most important step. Without a plot, there is no fic, so follow these tips carefully!

The first thing to do is to get an idea. Brainstorm. Bounce ideas off of someone else. Talk. Watch the anime you’re fanficing. What ever gets your brain juices flowing, do it. Anything to get the idea soup going!

Once an idea is successfully formed, use the “Stanek Approved,” idea checking method.
-If you remember idea for one hour, that’s bad.
-If you remember it for a day, that’s good.
-If you remember it for a whole week, WRITE IT!!

Once you have an idea, DO NOT WRITE IT IMMIEDIATELY. Take your time, plan out the story arc. What are some key events that must happen? How will the characters get into this mess, and how will they get out? Are there new characters? New concepts and/or ideas? What are the climaxes and depressions? How will it end?

Remember: With the plot, there is no such thing as being too prepared. So keep on modifying and thinking of new ideas to re-enforce it!

GRAMMER

This is one of the first things that people notice when they read a story. Always remember: When in doubt, check it out. Get a good spell checker for your computer. Hire a Beta to find the kinks. If you can’t do that, then remember these essentals:

-After each person speaks, begin a new paragraph.
-Capitalize at the beginning of each sentence.
-NEVER, EVER WIND UP WITH THE FIC LOOKING LIKE A SOLID BLOCK OF TEXT. Sure, long paragraphs are okay, but you need spaces in between the paragraphs. I advise at least three taps of the enter key for each new paragraph. Like this: 1
2
3! And the new paragraph is started, with a convenient line of space that is easy on the eyes and makes it easier for the reader to, well, read!
-For the love of all the writing gods ever, please, please, PLEASE spell the character’s names correctly!! Otherwise, no matter how good you are, you’ll always have the reputation that you’re a n00b.

BETAS

These guys and girls are invaluable. They are like free editors (actually, they are free editors), and they, being fans of the genre of work, are able to provide criticism that others can’t provide. For one, because they aren’t you (thank god), they can’t see what you see, and may not understand your logic for why the characters are doing what they are doing. This should serve as an indication that others might not understand either.

If you need one, ask. That’s all there is to it!

CRITIQUES


Like it or not, you’re gonna get it sooner or later. Critiques. Not all reviews can be “Happy happy love your story” type reviews, you’re gonna get some haters for your story. Now, for this part, there are two subtopics we’re gonna cover here: To and From.

We’ll start with reviews TO you. These are the lifeblood of any good story. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t get very many at first, or if the only people who review your story are the same people every time. This doesn’t mean anything bad; in fact, it means you have a corps (pronounced “Core,” meaning group or legion, NOT a dead body) of devoted fans and supporters. Way to go!

However, sometimes, you get a review that isn’t polite. Again, these split down into sub-catagories: Constructive and Flames. Constructive reviews explain what the person sees as wrong with the story, with detailed points. He/She explains what the problem is, and provides examples of the problems.

Flames suck. All a flame is is someone screaming at you because they didn’t like the story. A good example of a flame would be if someone began yelling that the story is totally non-canonical, but never explains how or where the non-canonality exists. They are very, very annoying. They are an idiot yelling at you for no other reason then to yell. Ignore them if at all possible. If they keep reviewing, ask them, “Why do you keep reviewing if you hate this?” If they say, “To help make you better,” report them to the proper authorities for bullying.

What to do with the GOOD critiques, then? Well, look back at the story. If what they suggest would totally derail the plot, then try something that would make both work, or ignore it and explain (without giving away spoilers) in an author’s note.

WRITING

Obviously, there are many methods for actually writing. You could write it physically (paper and pencil), but that makes for an audience of “Anyone you show your notebook to and can read your writing.” Rather limited. A computer is always best for fanfic writing for a few reasons:
1) Access to the internet: good for picking up quick facts on anything about the fandom that you forgot. Example: design of a character.
2) People can see read work easily (DOUBLE PLUS for those who have bad handwriting (like me!))
3) No need to translate your written work to computer for posting online, ‘cause it’s already there!
Now, when it comes to computers, one of the best types of computers for fic writing are laptops. They’re reliable, you can carry them around with you, and you can write wherever you want to. On your bed, in a chair, a table, etc. Now, I’m not encouraging that you go out and buy a laptop (at least, not a recent one. Older ones usually work just as well, but are cheaper) but just try to have some sort of computer or device to save your work on.

One important factor of any attempt to write is the atmosphere. No matter what, you will be influenced by the environment. If you’re writing in a busier area, then your work will be busier. If you’re listening to softer, more relaxation-type music, then your action scenes may need a rewrite. Conversely, fast, heavy rock songs may cause some love scenes to come out as more… ‘Steamy,’ shall we say?

Swearing is a big thing to consider. First, think of your target audience. Is it for everyone, or is the story aimed towards an audience that has higher, less cuddley expectations?

Blood and gore: Ask the same question as swearing.

Pairings (“Ships”): Like it or not, you’re gonna find a pairing you support in one way or another. Once you do, don’t worry about it! There are other people who share your beliefs. If not, congratulations! You’ve started a ship.

However, love of a pairing can go too far. When it does, BASHING can occur. This happens when people relentlessly flame and attack other people because they support another ship. A famous example of this on Deviantart is the current Avatar shipping war of Zutara (pairing of ZukoXKatara) and Kataang (KataraXAang). These can get ugly, so don’t bash. That only expands the problem. We must learn that other peoples of this world must not hate us because of our pairings. Free speech and the right to what pairings we want are sacred rights, and if we bicker and squabble over them, we make them null and wasted.


EPILOGUE

Well, that’s everything. After reading this, you are qualified to write your own fanfiction, with your own plots, stories, and awesomeness. So what are you waiting for? Go to it!
Get writing!

The world is full of awesome writing. With your contribution, there is at least one more.
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[Sol]

Hum, I'm sort of conflicted on this.

On one hand, this is a pretty good informational guide, although it needs some pretty heavy clean up. I think it would have been better off in the Tips and Questions topic.

On the other, I'm not sure this is actual 'fanfiction' by the rules.

EDIT: Okay, it's allowed. However, I really think you should clean up some of the spelling errors (there are some in there), and probably get rid of a few presumptions that are floating around.
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<3 Planty~
Art in icon done by Raburabbit.

[Sol]

Hum, I'm sort of conflicted on this.

On one hand, this is a pretty good informational guide, although it needs some pretty heavy clean up. I think it would have been better off in the Tips and Questions topic.

On the other, I'm not sure this is actual 'fanfiction' by the rules.

EDIT: Okay, it's allowed. However, I really think you should clean up some of the spelling errors (there are some in there), and probably get rid of a few presumptions that are floating around.
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<3 Planty~
Art in icon done by Raburabbit.

[Midnight]

This is the sort of thing, when cleaned up, that I would expect to find in a chapter of Zinsser's On Writing Well or White's The Elements of Style. Nevertheless, this is a good opening guide to enterprising writers. It certainly does its job of laying down the groundwork and the regulations behind fiction writing, but I do have some problems with it.

My first problem is probably the tone of the piece. It doesn't seem to stick to a specific tone--it constantly shifts from that of a scholarly view to that of a slightly less intense viewpoint. Try to keep these tones consistent.

Also, the formatting looks...pretty awful, if I may say so. Yes, it is important to format, as you've cited above, but you don't do a good job of formatting yourself. I'd like to be able to see discrete blocks of text, and I see that here, but when you are trying to illustrate your point (line spacing between paragraphs comes to mind), your text becomes disjointed and interrupted. Your seemingly neglectful formatting weakens the point that you are driving home, so that loses its punch there.

Other than that, this is a fair attempt at conveying the ground rules of good fiction. It certainly needs revision, but the concept is still meritorious.
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[Sithking Zero]

Sorry about the formating thing. I couldn't get it to translate over from MS word correctly, so that may play a part in that thing.

I'll try to re-do it soon, but I'm pretty busy and was a little rushed to finish it.

And about the "Scholarly/less serious" shifting- sorry. That's just how I speak in real life.
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[RT-fact]

I have to say that your information is really useful and well informing. Whenever I'm planning on writing a story, I'll check your guide.

[NetOperator Wibby]

i found this rather informative, thanks.
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