[LET'S TALK WRITING!] - 15 THINGS I LEARNED FROM WRITING FANFICTION FOR FIFTEEN YEARS
Hmm... you read that right. Your girl has been writing fanfic for fifteen years! Or at least, my fanfiction.net account, created on the 13th January 2007, turns fifteen today. Happy birthday! So, in honour of the over 400,000 words I’ve written across seven fandoms, here is a list of the fifteen most important fic-writing lessons learned over the last fifteen years. This post is incredibly self-indulgent and over 5,000 words long, so if you intend to do anything other than rapidly skim it, grab yourself a cup of tea, haha. I hope you will however find this advice somewhat valuable.
1. CHOOSE YOUR USERNAME CAREFULLY - IT BECOMES YOUR BRAND
Other writers might disagree, but I am a strong advocate for having one username across the board. I am pebblysand on ff, ao3, tumblr, twitter, discord, tiktok and literally anywhere else you can think of that is related to my writing. Partly because of a debilitating lack of originality, but also because it is easier to be known as one "thing" everywhere. Of course, some fanfic writers manage fine without it, but I think you do make your life slightly harder, marketing-wise. Links get broken, people get lost between platforms, and having the same “name” everywhere makes finding you a bit easier.
Regarding what to pick, when I started writing fanfic, I was thirteen years old. I picked a username that was... stupid. To the point that I don't even want to mention it here. It was very fandom specific, and a clear clue as to the fact that I was... too young. When I grew up, I changed my username to something more "mature", which was honestly a hassle. I had to hyphenate oldusername-newusername for about a year before I fully transitioned, so as not to lose my readership, and I had to go through the tedious process of changing my logins everywhere. Don't be like me. Learn from my stupidity haha.
Generally, I would advise you to pick:
something that has more to do with your person than your fandom. This is because you might not always write in the same fandom and may want to keep the same accounts.
an actual (version) of a name. It doesn't have to be your name (in fact, it probably shouldn't), but it's often easier for people to remember an author's name as SarahClarke than PineTrees98, for example. This is clearly something I didn't do, and I sort of regret it. Some fanfic authors who branched out into original fiction kept their fanfic penname for publishing original books, and it allows for more reader transfers. Of course, you might not want to do that and keep your fanfic work and original work completely separate, but it's nice to keep your options open.
2. THE ONLY GOOD REASON TO WRITE FANFIC IS BECAUSE YOU WANT TO
In my time, writing fanfic was shameful. You wrote it under a penname, on the internet, and never told anyone you read fanfic/were in fandom (let alone wrote it), IRL. Being a nerd was deeply uncool. You could get bullied for it. You could even lose your job because of it.
I am glad that this changed. Seeing young people on platforms like tiktok openly discussing fanfic (both as a concept, and certain fanfics in particular), putting their real names and faces to it, is fantastic and inspiring. This being said, I feel like it's become a "cool" phenomenon. These days, I see a lot of posts from young people talking about stats, number of kudos, kudos-to-hits ratios, popularity, etc., wanting to write fanfic to become “fandom famous.” And, don't get me wrong: a) this has always existed, and b) I'm not going to pretend I'm completely immune to numbers myself. But, for the most part, try to remember that writing fanfic is a hobby. You are producing it for free, and it should first and foremost be something that you enjoy for you. It's okay to want to gravitate towards writing more popular stuff because you want attention (there is nothing wrong with wanting attention), but remember that growing a readership is a long, tedious process, which can only be sustainable if you enjoy writing. You don't have to write fanfic to be part of fandom. Fandoms thrive on diversity, and not everyone has to contribute the same way. Don't force yourself if you don't want to.
Also, I know this is easier said than done, but try not to pay too much attention to numbers. This is for your own mental health. The only measure of whether your work is "successful" should be if you enjoy it. Try not to compare yourself to “famous” authors, especially when you're starting out. And, remember that the work you're most proud of will almost never coincide with other people's favourite.
3. THIS BEING SAID, HAVE A HARD THINK ABOUT THE FANDOM YOU'RE WRITING IN
I've said this many times before, but whilst I currently write Harry Potter fanfiction and consider HP the first thing I was ever a “fan” of, it took me 12 years to actually write HP fic. For the first decade of my fanfic writing "career", I wrote in other, small-ish fandoms. I once wrote a 143k-word fic in a fandom with 73 entries on AO3. Total.
This taught me so much. In small fandoms, people will read anything. When I wrote for The Good Wife, for instance, my nightly ritual was to update the fanfiction.net page and read everything published that day. That was possible. There'd be like... five/ten fics a day, maybe? People didn't tag things (beyond pairings), because looking through the archive without many filters was manageable. And, since there's not that much content, while you do have a smaller pool of possible readers, those people will actually read your stuff. Moreover, they will comment, chat about fandom things, and give you feedback, because they're genuinely invested in you getting better and providing more content.
The communities are also (generally) a lot more tight-knit. Everyone knows each other; there are a lot less arseholes or mean comments coming your way. As a new writer, positive reinforcement and kind helpful comments are mostly what you need. My first comment on my first HP fic last year was "this is a joke" and having been in the fic "business" for over ten years, I was able to laugh and brush it off as spam - I'm not sure I could have done that as efficiently as a new, 13-year-old writer.
This being said, of course, if you're dead-set on writing fic in a popular fandom, see point 2. and roll with it, because the golden rule is: write what you like. But, if there's a small fandom that you like, for which you have ideas, then I would highly recommend starting out there, then moving on to something bigger when you feel ready. Big fandoms can be brutal. People have loads of opinions, and not all of them are valuable. Writing to a niche audience that is truly involved can be a much more satisfying and interesting experience for a new writer.
4. NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS - IT'S OKAY TO WRITE IN ENGLISH, BUT BEWARE OF THE IMPLICATIONS
You might not know this, but I'm French. My first language is French. And, while I did start writing fanfic in French at the very beginning, I quickly switched to English (and never looked back). Generally, I am thankful that fandom, as well as reading and writing fanfic, basically taught me English. This choice has had a tremendous impact on my life that I could not have foreseen at the time. Because I could speak/write good English, I could study in English, which meant I could move abroad, which also meant I became an immigrant, settled in Ireland, etc. The life and career I have now are in great part due to/thanks to the decision I made as a teenager to write in English.
This being said, if you’re not a native English speaker going into English-language fanfic, here are a few things I think you should know:
First off, don’t you dare apologise for existing. I read so many messages and fics every day, starting with “sorry for my poor English but…” and going on to write the most beautiful stories. I know that’s just insecurity and modesty speaking, but trust me, you speak multiple languages, and you speak them well enough to write in them - do not apologise for being awesome! Now, if you want to let your readers know that English is not your first language, that’s okay. I don’t do it anymore, but when I didn’t feel as confident, I did used to write something like: “English is not my first language, so if there’s anything that looks wrong, let me know!” I think it’s a great way to ask for indulgence, but also for feedback, without being apologetic for something you shouldn’t feel the need to apologise for. And, also remember that everyone makes mistakes. Even native English speakers do! I’m sure you make mistakes in your first language too! There’s nothing to be ashamed of, just things to learn.
This being said, beware that yes, you will have to work harder than everyone else. Not only do you have to learn how to creatively write and find your “voice”, but you also have to learn sentence structure, vocabulary, etc. Also, chances ar, you will be writing fanfic for an original work that occurs in a different culture, so you will need to learn that as well. When you start out, juts know that everything will sound wrong. Your words, your dialogue, your rhythm, etc. To combat that, you will have to edit, edit, edit and read. Books, published novels, fanfiction, everything you can get your hands on. Study how other people shape narratives, dialogues, etc. You’ll get there, but it is a lot of work!
Also, remember that errors will always slip through the cracks. I swear. You can read and re-read ten times, you will always get something wrong. You can become perfectly fluent, to the point where no one can tell you’re not native, but something will always give you away. My personal tell is prepositions. Is it: looking down at? looking down to? Who the fuck knows? Not me. Also lie and lay. I never know and will never know which one is which.
Lastly, one thing that happened to me that I wouldn’t have thought of when I first chose to write in English is that once you learn a technique and develop your own “voice” in one language, it is incredibly hard to translate into another. At this stage, having learnt everything that I've learnt in the past fifteen years in English, I don’t believe I’d be able to write creatively in French. This has ramifications, especially if you intend to branch out into original work eventually. My mum once said to me: “It’s just really sad, because I’ll never be able to read what you write” (she doesn’t speak English). Not going to lie, that thought hurt a little. Overall, it is something I wish I’d thought about when I began writing fifteen years ago.
5. GET A BETA. TRUST ME, YOU NEED ONE. EVERYONE NEEDS ONE.
Now, I’m saying this in the “starting out” category, but I acknowledge that finding a beta when you’re beginning is hard. Chances are, at this point, you’re young, shy, and you don’t know anyone in fandom - the task can feel daunting. I understand.
You don’t have to have a beta to start posting (at least I don’t think so), but if the opportunity presents itself, I do recommend you seize it. And, not only to spot the small typos or grammar mistakes, but also to review your plot, characterisation, etc. Having a second set of eyes on your writing is invaluable. I learnt so much from my successive betas throughout the years.
If you choose to actively look for a beta, here are a few tips for finding one:
If you’re starting out, literally anyone can be your beta. You don’t need to be picky. Since you’re only beginning, most of the feedback that anyone can give you will be new and useful. If you’re bold, you can slide into someone’s DMs on tumblr and just ask. Worse case scenario, they’ll say no. As far as I’m concerned, the only reason I’ve ever said no to someone who’s asked is literally just lack of time. Nothing more. I want to do a good job and provide useful feedback, and that takes time I sometimes don’t have. Please try not to take any rejections personally. This being said, if you’re a bit more shy, I’ve noticed that plenty of fandom discord servers have a “@beta” role where you can ask whoever is available to review your work. I find that takes the pressure off feeling that you’re “imposing” on someone, as you literally have people volunteering their time for it willingly.
I’ve found that as I grew as a writer, I needed to be a bit more picky with who beta-ed my work. As you learn things, you might realise there’s a certain type of feedback you’re looking for, or certain things you’re looking to improve on. The way I currently find my betas is through falling in love with their work product. I generally find someone whose work I read and with whom I’m like: omg, I want to write like them. Then, I online stalk them, comment on everything they post, and fangirl until they respond. Then, we chat, and I let the fact that I don’t have a beta casually come up in conversation until they offer. Seriously. I'm a fucking stalker, but it’s worked multiple times, lol. In my defence, I’ve had people do it to me too. If anyone has any other tips, feel free to reply to this post with them, but that’s my embarrassing method.
6. GOOD WRITING TAKES TIME, WORK AND COMMITMENT.
There are many ways to write fanfic. You can be like me and take two hundred hours per chapter, edit every word you write about ten times, or you can be one of those who churn out tumblr anon prompts like there’s no tomorrow. Whichever way works for you.
But, regardless of how you do it, if you’re looking to get better at writing, it’s going to take time. And, effort. Trust me, none of your favourite writers have it randomly flowing out their fingers. Every fanfic writer I know who writes well has worked hard towards it. I’m not even that great and at this stage, I’ve probably spent hundreds of thousands of hours working. So, you have to enjoy it, or else it’ll feel like a chore and you’ll quickly stop.
However, the good news is that the more you write, the more you read, the better you will get. Almost automatically. Then, you’ll become familiar with the strange feeling of re-reading something of yours you were super proud of at the time of publication, and which now makes you cringe to no end. Welcome to being a writer.
This being said, again, you don’t need to want to be good/improve to write fanfic. If it’s just a fun way to let go and blow off steam, do it! You might not be as successful as some of the best fanfic authors out there, but it’s a hobby! It has to be fun, you don’t have to be any good at it!
7. DON’T LET ANYONE (INCLUDING YOURSELF) MAKE YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT HAVING CERTAIN SPECIFIC INTERESTS
If you start delving into the maze of writing advice content online, you’ll quickly find that a recurring theme is: challenge yourself! Get out of your comfort zone! And, whilst I truly believe that is profitable (see point 6 on hard work), I also think it creates this myth that you must be good at everything. And, truth be told: you’re allowed to identify areas where you just… can’t be arsed. It can be a ship, a point of view, a specific genre… It doesn’t matter. Just know that you do not have to write everything - especially not if it is only to satisfy your readers (again, see point 1 about enjoying what you write). For me, for instance, I don’t read pure fluff. I don’t like pure fluff. I don’t like long banter-y dialogue and cutesy things for the sake of cutesy things. I can write fluffy scenes within a bigger piece of work when it is needed, and I can do that well, but that’s about as much as I’m willing to commit. And… That’s fine. Not only is fic meant to be fun, but you don’t have to challenge yourself with writing things that don’t fit within what you’re interested in.
Now, don’t get me wrong, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t seek to improve - just that you should in areas where you actually want/need that improvement. To take myself as an example again, I have my own areas where I want to improve. With my current long fic, I wanted to learn how to write a continuous, uninterrupted narrative, rather than just a succession of scenes. I would also like to learn to write better action scenes, so I’ve tried to focus more on that. Lastly, I’d love to learn how to write more crime/mystery-type stories, because it’s one of my favourite genres to read, so that’s something I’m keeping in mind for a future project. You’re allowed your own special interests!
8. WHEN YOU EDIT, READ YOUR WORDS OUT LOUD.
If you’re going to edit your work (you should, though I’d say most people who start out don’t - you’ll probably see more point to it as you grow as a writer), it is much easier to a) print out your work and b) read out loud. I find it allows me to see typos and mistakes I wouldn’t see otherwise. I am forced to read slower, and focus on every word. It also gives prose more rhythm. When reading out loud, you will hear punctuation, emphases, etc. much more clearly than you would in your head. I know people who’ve read my stuff regularly comment on the “rhythm” of it - well, that’s the “secret.” Lastly, I find it easier to identify filler words that need to be deleted v. words that would ordinarily fall into that category, but that I like to keep because they make the prose sound more natural. Obviously, it depends on the tone you want to achieve and the “voice” of your narrator, but I find reading out loud does wonders.
9. WORLDBUILDING DOESN’T HAVE TO BE BIG.
This is a recent lesson. As someone who only writes canon-compliant stuff, I’d never thought of myself as the kind of person who “worldbuilds.” I don’t write massive, developed, colourful AUs. I used to believe that worldbuilding meant you had to invent magic or time-travel, completely build a whole new world from the one that exists in your fandom. Yet, good worldbuilding actually only refers to the world within your work. It’s the level of detail, intricacies, and logic the world and the characters obey that make a good world that the reader will enjoy. It doesn’t have anything to do with fantasy or big ideas. You can build and shape an incredible world within someone’s kitchen if you want to. Your story must just be rich and make sense to the reader. That’s what worldbuilding is, so don’t stress it too much.
10. TIME IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT
If you follow me on here or have read my work on AO3, you’ve heard this one before. I will however repeat it, because it genuinely is the most valuable piece of writing advice I have ever received: Time is a social construct. If your story doesn’t work, it’s because you’re not telling it in the most compelling order.
We tend to think of stories as chronological, but they don’t actually have to be. Flashbacks, flashforwards, forewarning, etc. are all places where you can have incredible fun as a writer. It’s like opening a new dimension: you can play with scenes, narrators, POVs, but you can play with time as well. IRL, we view time in a straight line, but it is actually a narrative device like any other. So: with every story, think about your starting point. Think about your end point. Think about what’s in the middle. Sometimes, chronology works, and sometimes, it doesn’t. Sometimes, the most impactful way to tell a story is starting from the middle, or from the end. Don’t let yourself get limited.
11. YOU DON’T HAVE TO WRITE EVERY DAY. IDENTIFY WHEN YOU WRITE BEST, AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
As a collective, we’ve built a toxic narrative of the “inspired writer.” This writer writes with no room for schedule and/or planning, just as inspiration strikes him, like an artist’s muse. Trust me: if I had to wait for inspiration to strike me to write, I probably wouldn’t have written half as much as I have in the past fifteen years. Inspiration is a strange, nebulous beast, and most of the time, it’s also full of shit. How many times have I looked back at stuff I’d written while “inspired” and gone “oh my god, what was I thinking?” Honestly, following your inspiration is the stupidest thing you can do, as a writer.
This flaw in the “inspired writer” image has been identified by plenty of writers, giving way to the just-as-toxic opposite prescription. You will see: as soon as you start delving into the world of real writing advice, you’ll find many articles and books saying things like: “you must write every day” or “you must write first thing in the morning.” Stephen King has done a lot of damage in that category.
The truth is that, as far as I’m concerned, I’ve found there’s something to both pieces of advice listed above. As with everything, it’s all about measure. Let’s be real: if forcing yourself to sit in front of the computer every day or getting up at five o’clock in the morning to write before your kids wake up works for you, by all means, do it. But personally, I find most of these posts incredibly prescriptive and unrealistic for anyone who, well, has a life. This is true even if you don’t write fanfic specifically. Unless writing is your full-time job, you probably will not be able to adhere to a strict schedule. Hell, even if writing is a full-time job, you won’t be able to do it. There will be days when you just feel tired, or preoccupied by real life things, and, dare I say, completely uninspired. I call them my “brain dead” days. These are days where everything you write, everything you try, just feels like it will never work. On those days, I honestly hardly see the point of tying yourself up to the computer for no obvious reason. Again, it’s a hobby, something you’re supposed to enjoy, not a chore.
However, I find it useful to identify when you’re typically at your most productive/inspired, writing-wise. For example, I find it easier to write in a) long stretches of time (i.e. at least five consecutive hours) and b) after 4PM. The reason behind a) is that it takes me a while to “get in the mood” and feel my ideas come to life, so I find just getting a few words down during random ten minute breaks, incredibly hard. The reason behind b) is that I am not a morning person, my brain doesn’t turn “on” until at least 10AM, so there is very little point for me to force myself to get up at five just to sleep at my desk. As such, while I don’t just sit there waiting for inspiration to “strike”, I know when I am most likely to feel like writing, and make sure to exploit that, blocking off these “fertile” periods of time to give myself the opportunity to write.
So, this is to say: you don’t have to write on a particular schedule. Writing a little bit every day works for you? Great. But if you only feel like writing on Sunday nights every other week where your kids/significant other aren’t in the house, then that’s great, too. Quality time with your words and your focus definitely outperforms quantity of hours spent staring at your phone, because your brain just isn’t performing at its best.
ON INTERACTING WITH FANDOM
12. POPULARITY IS A BLESSING AND A CURSE.
I think this is a bit self-evident but I see many new writers wishing their fic was “more popular,” had more hits, etc. And, while I completely understand the sentiment (we all write to an audience), I wish I could tell new writers to just let themselves grow and enjoy the attention they do have now. I’ve never been extremely successful or a BNF myself, but I have had friends who were, and let me tell you that with attention comes a) great responsibility and b) a lot of comments/remarks you wish you didn’t have. Even at my own level, I’ve had a few instances of a fic/a chapter garnering a lot of feedback/comments and they’re not all always nice. Sometimes, the attention feels overwhelming. So, please, whatever you do, don’t tie your worth to your numbers - however high or low. Try and enjoy what comes up whenever it does, and be happy, even if you’re writing for yourself and a couple of friends. As I’ve said before, this is just a hobby!
13. ANSWER YOUR BLOODY COMMENTS. READERS DON’T OWE YOU A COMMENT, BUT YOU DO OWE THEM A RESPONSE.
Now, I know this one will be controversial, because I already got attacked on reddit a few times for saying it, but here it goes: while comments/reviews are nice, they are in no way, shape, or form owed to the writer. They are lovely, nice-to-have-s when you’ve written a fic that someone either particularly enjoyed, or which elicited some kind of feedback/response from them. Not everyone who reads your fic owes you their time and effort to, on top of reading your words, leave you a comment. They don’t even owe you a kudo, if they don’t think your fic deserves it. I’m sorry to say this, but believing you are “owed” a review just for putting work out makes you sound like an entitled twat.
This being said, if someone does take the time to go out of their way to leave you a review, especially if it’s a long and detailed one, you - in my opinion - do owe them the time to answer. They’ve provided you with a nice-to-have, something they definitely did not have to do, and which probably made your day. The least you can do is say thank you.
I’ve read many “reasons” authors give to not respond to comments: wanting to not “taint” the work (preserve the line of separation between author/reader), or having social anxiety, mental illness, etc. And, look: if your personal situation makes it impossible for you to answer comments or if you think your writing considerations - whatever they are - prevent you from doing so, then fine. Don’t answer your comments. There is no gun to your head, and you aren’t forced. It’s just - IMO - not very polite. Especially when all you literally have to say is: "thank you."
This being said, of course, you don’t have to push this to a degree of absurdity. I’m a bit of an idiot and have this weird principle that I-must-answer-everything, but obviously if the comment is rude or not constructive, you can arbitrate and see if you want to answer or not. The line I personally draw is that I don’t always answer comments on old fics I posted in fandoms I’m not in anymore. Additionally, while I always do answer, I don’t always do so right away. I’ll often take a few days/weeks to respond. Lastly, obviously, this is also within the limit of what you can do in terms of time commitment. If your fic suddenly becomes incredibly popular with hundreds of comments you can’t answer, then of course, don’t feel bound to answer them. There are a lot of caveats and special cases to that one principle but generally, I think if you can, answering your comments is better than not.
14. FANFIC CAN BE A GOOD SEGWAY INTO ORIGINAL WRITING, BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE.
On the topic of whether fanfic is a waste of time or a good way to learn writing skills, you’ll find every opinion under the sun. I think - personally - that fanfic has taught me a lot of skills and has allowed me to find my voice. I would probably also have done so if I'd started writing with original fiction, but I think that without the community aspect of fanfic, it would have been much harder to get feedback on my writing, which definitely made me grow quicker. I don’t do much original writing, but the one short story I wrote got published from the get-go, so I believe that does say something about the skills I honed. I’ve seen incredible writing in fandom, sometimes better than published fiction, so in my humble opinion, I do not think fanfic is a waste of time, if that’s what you’re into. Fanfic is also about having fun, and I don’t believe having fun is ever a waste of time.
However, I see so many posts/articles online that just assume every fic writer wants to be a professional writer. Like: why are you wasting your time writing fanfic, it’s not publishable anyway? And, the thing is: for the love of God, do not think for a second that you have to use fanfic as a means to an end. It’s fine if you are, but please, do not feel like you have to strive to be a professional writer to write fanfic. Again, the great thing about fanfic is that it’s a hobby that, because it isn’t marketable and has no financial value, can be just that: a hobby. My former beta was probably the best writer I’ve ever seen online, but she was always like: nope, I enjoy writing, but I like my day job, thanks very much. I’ve personally thought about original fiction, toy with the idea regularly, but it is definitely not the reason I write fanfic. Trust me, you can be happy just writing fanfic without ever wanting more, that’s perfectly okay.
15. THE FRIENDSHIPS AND DISCUSSIONS YOU WILL CREATE OFF THE BACK OF FANFIC ARE THE BEST THINGS TO COME OUT OF THIS.
Honestly, I might be ending this list on a terrifyingly cheesy note but the best thing that’s ever come out of my fanfic writing habit, over the past 15 years, is the friendships I’ve built through it, in fandom. This is why I’m such a big advocate for answering comments - I genuinely have had the best discussions, have met so many friends, have had so many laughs, etc. through reading and writing fanfic for the last fifteen years. The community aspect of fandom is truly priceless, the willingness to help all across is unrivalled, and I’ve learnt so much both humanly and in writing, by spending the last fifteen years online. So, the biggest advice I will give you if you’re just starting out is: a) have fun and b) talk to people. Honestly, you won’t regret it.
Anyway, I hope this was helpful. If you want to read my fics, you can find them here. My original pieces and rec list can also be found online. Lastly, if you want to support my writing, you can find my tippee page here.
Thanks so much for reading!
