hi hi! i would love to start writing phanfics but i have never written before.... do you have any tips on how to get started? i hope you're doing well <3
God, I started so long ago, I've no clue honestly. I can give you some pointers from my experience, but they might not all be true for you, a writing process can be very individual (and I've always been a bit weird when it comes to writing)
I'd say, just write what you want to write and try to tune out any invisible judging eyes. It's your story to tell, and your vision and idea and no one can write it the way you will. I always see fic as something *I* want to create and sharing it with people is just an afterthought. Like "hey, you can read it. But it is mine". Keeps you from tearing your own work apart.
Don't get too in your head about the perfect draft - you can edit absolutely anything into shape, but for that it has to exist first. When I get too into my head, writing sprints can sometimes help just to get me writing without overthinking (setting a timer, either alone or with a friend, and just writing without thinking much about it. There's tools for that on Discord that tracks word count and makes it a mini competition to get some gamificafion into it when you're stuck, but you can easily just recreate it without discord too).
No one starts perfect - my first writing attempts were super clumsy, but the only way to get better at it is to do more of it, so don't let it discourage you if something doesn't come out as well as it was in your head. Every sentence is practice for the next one! 🙂↕️
Connect with other writers!! It's so important and something I will always mention, because bouncing off ideas and motivating each other, and reading beta for each other or just getting a first impression of your story by someone you trust helps so much!! Supporting each other too!! Writing can be terrifying because you're really putting yourself out there, but it can be extremely reassuring and motivating to know there's someone in your corner! A lot of writers see fellow writers as competition, and I always notice when they actively don't engage with other writers because of that and it's sad, because connecting with other writers is my favorite thing about it!
If your ideas allow it, start with small projects. In my experience writing longfic is a whole mountain to climb, and climbing without any experience can lead to you giving up extremely fast because you lose steam halfway through. I still lose steam halfway through longfics after 17 of writing (help I'm old), but I've been doing it for long enough that it doesn’t discourage me from writing altogether.
Read, read, read!! But never compare! Definitely allow yourself to learn from writers, but remember we all have unique voices. To this day I get in too deep a rabbit hole when I start comparing myself to authors I really like and end up with writer's block for a while
Watching dnp videos right before writing sometimes helps getting their voices freshly in my mind - writing is infinitely easier if you can picture what they're saying in your head with their voices, as it makes the dialogue flow
That's all I can come up with right now, I hope it helps you somewhat!! 🙏💜
