Tips for a newbie fanfiction writer?
You can’t improve without writing.
Always have back up of your stuff.
Distraction-free software that helps you write do exist.
Pasting your text from google docs onto AO3 will make it look funny.
There’s a script☆ that solves that problem.
Feedback (or the lack thereof) is never what you expect.
Learn to write for yourself in the first place.
Not everything you write will be the best fic ever™.
You can’t control how people react to your stuff.
No self-deprecation. Seriously.
A good summary attracts people. (No “I suck at summaries” there!)
Punctuation and structure are so important.
Don’t be afraid of using a character’s name. That’s why they have one.
Get a beta reader if you can.
It’s YOUR story and only you can tell it.
DO write that 9861th coffee shop AU for your fandom.
Anything is an AU.
Researching is good but don’t let it keep you from writing.
Tag your stuff accordingly.
Advice you see around aren’t supreme rules set in stone.
You’ll learn more about your style as you go.
Don’t compare your writing to others’. Especially “famous” fic writers.
Perfection doesn’t exist. Stop striving for it and just write.
A rough draft is better than NO story.
It’s okay to move on from an unfinished work to a new one.
It’s okay to not write 200K words in an hour.
Any length of writing is okay. Just focus on telling YOUR story.
Slumps and writer block are common.
You can always improve your writing if you want to.
Read lots and notice what you like in other people’s writing.
If you’re not having fun take a step back.
Set up a sideblog for writing on tumblr.
Tag your stuff accordingly. (both on AO3 and tumblr)
Follow spaces for fanfic discussions like @ao3commentoftheday
There’s no consensus about ANYTHING regarding fanfiction.
You can’t please everyone but you can please yourself.
Some people out there are rude and can’t be reasoned with.
Fanfiction is NOT your job. Don’t feel guilty for “not updating in months”.
Publish your stuff because you want to share it.
Everybody write crappy fics. Write yours.
Game soundtracks (instrumental) are great to play while writing.
There’s always somebody out there waiting for your fic.
Many times you won’t hear but they exist.
Have fun. Indulge yourself. Treat yo self.
Writing is the best thing but also the worst.
Jot down those ideas. You won’t “remember later”. Seriously you won’t.
Inspiration often hits you when you CAN’T write.
It also often leaves when you can write.
Everybody hates and loves writing. That’s the life of a writer for ya.
Even your fave fic writer can feel ehh about the fic of theirs you LOVE.
Starting from the middle or the end IS a thing.
Listen to Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten. She knows what’s up.
