I don't know if you remember me or not (AU anon who prompted the rowing AU for your MRI & later the law school AUs). I have this (long) fic that's been in my head for, really, over 2 full years (maybe even 3?). I want to try and write it, but I've never written a fic before and I'm just not sure I can do it. I'm a technical writer (another lawyer!). I've done a ton of background, charted the arcs of the whole story and even done a plot point board. Any advice? I'm so afraid it'll suck.
MY WONDERFUL AU PROMPTING ANON, of course i remember you (and think about your prompts on a regular basis… even if they haven’t come to anything written yet because i’m a horrible person)
First off, I’m SO EXCITED to read anything you come up with and if you ever want to chat writing etc I’m always here and would love to talk on/off anon. And I absolutely think you should try writing it, espeically with all the work you’ve done so far (like christ, that sounds like more work than I’ve done for 80% of the fic I’ve done in total)
In relation to your actual concerns in this message and the follow up you sent: a) just based on the plots you’ve sent me, i think you’re probably way ahead of the mediocre bar you’ve set. b) if all you’ve really done so far is technical writing it is a big adjustment (i came at it from the other side and oof, it still kicks my ass sometimes). I would definitely recommend trying something short first and both reviewing it for yourself and having someone else look over it just so you know where you’re at and what areas you need to tighten up are.
b) find someone to bounce ideas/thoughts off of. I’ve been writing fic for probably about 15 years now and I only recently found people I could so this with and, let me tell you, it’s REVOLUTIONARY and makes things so much easier.
c) break shit down into segments. whether it’s chapters, scenes, or whatever else you can come up with. Tackling a long fic is absolutely a marathon. While you should always be aware of the fact you have many miles left to go, focus on the mile you’re doing rather than what you’ve already done/have yet to do. make this shit hand-able.
d) just like with your early documents, the first draft is never going to be perfect and often isn’t the prettiest. but that doesn’t mean you aren’t capable of much better. figure out what you want to achieve in your first draft. for me, i naturally tend towards dialogue and characterization, so my first draft generally includes a lot of that and the highlighted comments such as [insert action here] or [B. says something here about x here]. YOU DON’T NEED TO GET IT ALL OUT AT ONCE. If you have a good flow going leave blanks and randomly highlighted shit as filler until you can figure out what you actually want in there.
e) remember that in “creative writing” showing not telling is an actual thing. if you’re noticing you’re doing a step by step write-through of whatever is happening maybe it’s necessary/beneficial but maybeeeee consider the ways you can show and not tell every step of the scene.
long story short: i definitely believe in you and your brilliance (both in and out of lawyerdom). technical writing vs creative is definitely different but i feel like you’ve probably experience the creative side enough (and are otherwise intelligent enough) to realize where the major differences are.
and i can’t wait to read whatever you write anywhere <3<3
