#cora's original posts

[thecoramaria]

Fanfic readers trying to find another fic exactly like the last one they read:

[thecoramaria]

i am in your discord server as well and i've all your videos, but i'm not quite sure what counts as longfic. . . is it like 20 chapters or does it have to be over that?

Hello, fellow member of the Write Your Dream Fanfiction server!

I'm afraid it's difficult to state how long a longfic actually is, since no one really agrees on it, but I think most people would determine if something is a longfic based on word count rather than chapter count. For example, a fic can have 20 chapters but each one is a 100 word drabble, thus being only 2000 words long in total, which most people can read in less than 15 minutes. Similarly, someone might post a fic with only 8 chapters, but each chapter is 12k words, thus giving a total word count of 100k.

The thing is that 10k words is a longfic to some, and a short fic to others. I generally consider longfics to be at least 40k if I'm being generous, but even that is on the short side for me.

Whether someone considers something a longfic usually depends on either how much of a commitment it is to write, or how much of a commitment it is to read. "Long fic" therefore usually translates to "fic that is taking me months or even years to write" or "fic that will take me several sittings or multiple uninterrupted hours to read."

I know it's not a very clear answer, but that's fanfiction for you: a lot of the things that are clearly defined in the publishing industry -such as word counts and genres- are not so clearly defined here, whereas fanfiction does define things that the publishing industry doesn't or is only just starting to, such as content ratings and tropes.

[thecoramaria]

[thecoramaria]

Hi! I stumbled upon your YouTube channel and it's SO underrated! :D I don't know if anyone asked you this already, if so I apologize, but I've been having trouble with starting my chapter. I mean, I already know what the chapter will be about, and I have all the lines and actions already planned out, but the problem is actually starting it. I can't come up with the first few opening lines. My biggest problem is starting my chapters, because I just don't know how to make it sound interesting and not out of place. I hope my question is clear enough, and I was wondering if you could offer some advice or tips for this problem. Thanks

I mean, I often have false starts to my chapters while drafting that I later polish and make more exciting. As long as you write down something, even if you decide to delete it later, you're still making progress. As for how I generally like to start chapters, I almost always try to have it start in the middle of something. Not necessarily in the middle of a big action scene, but in the middle of a scenario.

If a chapter opens with a strategy meeting, I'll open in the middle of the meeting rather than at its beginning. That way, I can skip over all the formalities or the boring stuff and go straight to the meat of the scene. Often my false starts are the result of beginning the chapter at the start of a scenario and then I rework that beginning in the editing stage. Here are some examples of turning chapters that start at the beginning of a scenario into ones that start in the middle:

False start: Chapter begins with a character waking up, reaching for their sketchbook, and doodling until they get stuck and their thoughts wander to a difficult conversation they need to have with a friend.

True start: chapter begins with the character staring at their half-finished drawing and tapping their charcoal against their knee, thinking about a difficult conversation they need to have with a friend.

False start: If the previous chapter ended with the characters entering some hot volcanic mines, the next chapter opens with a handful of paragraphs summarising the first few hours of exploring said mines before they have to hide from the monster stalking them.

True start: Chapter starts with the characters already hiding from the monster, with setting description naturally incorporated into the tense scenario. Once the monster moves on, the characters run through the mines to a safe zone, and then the narration can provide a little context to catch up the reader.

I hope these examples clear some things up! The opening lines of your chapters can just be some vomit in your drafts and then polished and cleaned up later. Sometimes it takes writing a not-so-great beginning to find an amazing one that's meant to be.

[thecoramaria]

soooooo the characters aren't taking over my drafts but they are unionised

[thecoramaria]

Wearing maximalist fashion is so funny because like… I’ll be looking at an outfit I’m planning and go “hmm… It’s missing something. Several things, actually.”

[thecoramaria]

Did you know that this outfit was partially responsible for my fanfiction going on hiatus for a month? (I update fortnightly.) It's the product of a lot of stress and planning, but it was all worth it to create what I think might be my best, most well-coordinated outfit yet 💖

📸 by Nadine Garland

[thecoramaria]

"oh I have this fic idea but it's so weird and cringe..."

What are you? A coward?