I absolutely love your fics for a start, the way you write everything from characters to scenes is just amazing but I was wondering if you had some tips you could give me? I'm writing my own fic but I feel like it isn't going that great and I was wondering if you had any advice to help.
Thank you! I'm very happy you like my writing!
It would be easier if I knew what specifically you were having trouble with but some general advice I can give that has helped me:
Don't focus too much on the first draft. The most important thing is to get your ideas written down so you can edit them later. If your first draft is garbage, then great! That means it exists! We start from the skeleton but then gradually add the muscles and flesh every time we reread and edit. A baby doesn't pop into a womb fully formed. It's gotta slowly grow into a person.
Ignore writing advice that is just "Don't do this ever!!" There are no rules in writing so do whatever you want, but be deliberate about it. For example, "Don't use epithets" is a common one but sometimes reducing a character to one specific trait can add emotion/depth to a scene, so long as it isn't overused.
Establishing the environment. Instead of just describing the environment, try and tie it into the plot or action of the story, or add a little prose to make it more interesting. "The grass was uncut" is boring. "The uncut grass tickled her knees as she ran laughing through the field" is more compelling and tells me more about what is actually happening in the story. The same goes for character appearances. Generally in fanfiction, describing how a character looks isn't necessary unless something about it changes in your fic from canon, but if it is necessary then try not to just blandly describe it. "He dyed his hair red." Okay. "The sun illuminated his newly red hair, making it appear as a blazing halo of flame." That draws my attention to it more and gives me a more interesting visual image.
Don't feel the need to write linearly if you can't or don't want to. Sometimes you'll get stuck on a scene or a whole chapter but there's no reason you can't just move on to something else until you figure it out. I've found that writing out scenes that come much later in the story can sometimes help me understand what I need to write to lead up to that scene. It's also helped me catch on to unintentional foreshadowing that I can then focus on and strengthen in earlier chapters if I want.
Boring to write = Boring to read. If you feel like you're struggling to care about the scene you're writing, then don't write it! Replace it with something more exciting or something you like more or change it up somehow so it's more interesting. Readers can usually tell when you have no passion for your work so please, overall, have fun while you write.
Also, this is personal preference but if you like the way I write then I would also recommend researching lyrical prose. I try not to overuse it but a good lyrical sentence sprinkled in here and there can really up the quality of a scene imo.
If there is something specific you need advice on, don't be afraid to ask! I can't guarantee I'll know how to help but I will if I can.
