Hi!! Just wanted to say I really admire you and your writing, even if it’s only through the little you share, that’s more than enough, if you’re comfy then I’m too. I also wanted to ask if you have any tips for someone wanting to start writing fics, like how to make scenes feel more alive, how to bring in more interiority, how to make the reader really feel like they’re inside the scene, and how to stay canon, cause I always get stuck with echoes in the text and capturing personalities.
Ps: only if you feel comfortable sharing of course, I don’t want it to feel like work for you, but if you ever feel like nerding out about it, I’d honestly love that. ♥︎
I can, but a short disclaimer before I start:
I do not pretend to own the truth, nor that my advice must be followed without thinking. First, because writing is something living - you never stop learning. Second, because no one is perfect, obviously. Last, keep in mind English isn't my first language and depending on the languages, some rules are different; for example, I know English writers are really cool with repetitions, but some languages consider repetitions as a writing weakness and will always look for synonyms.
So, what I’m going to share are things I’ve learned through the years, with editors, publishing houses, professional readers, friends, by myself, and also through music or movies. I just want to make things clear, it’s not because I’m a writer for a living that my advice is better, perfect, absolute truth or whatever. ♡
I assumed you were talking about fanfic with 2nd POV but honestly, what I’m going to say can work for fanfic, book and all POV anyway! Also, I’m going to use some examples to make my explanations clear, and to make things less annoying for you. I'm going to use this analysis I wrote about Eustass Kid, so you will have theory, then practice for each point.
Last, I tried to make things short, so I only answered for the specific points you asked for, but I’m not against giving writing advice if requested (but it takes me time to gather my thoughts and structure my explanations so I'll only do it if I like the topic). It’s just that I won’t do it by myself. My impostor syndrome won’t allow me to do such a thing lol and I’m noticing I’m justifying myself since the first word of this way too long introduction. So I shut up, here we go.
☆ 1. Writing = 10% writing, 90% rewriting
I know it's really tempting to immediately click publish or send your text to your friends/editors after you finish writing your first draft. And yes, be proud of yourself, it’s a huge step! But writing the first draft is only 10% of the work. Think of your text/fanfic/book like if it were a jewel. A jeweler won’t sell a ring with a diamond that still looks like a random rock, right? It’s the same with your writing. I’m going to be brutal, but it’s something I learned: your first draft sucks. It’s tough, I know, but it’s real and when I say this, I include my own drafts as well. Doesn’t matter if you planned your text before or if you just wrote following the flow, a first draft needs to be rewritten again and again. I’m not even talking about grammatical mistakes, I’m talking about the heart of your work, not its body. You need to take distance to be able to be judgmental of yourself. What are your weaknesses? What areas do you excel in?
→ You’re good at timeline and description
→ You struggle with dialogs and character depth
Then, you have to work both. Consolidate your skills; it will be your hallmark, a part of your writing DNA. And keep in mind your weaknesses. Listen to music lyrics, movies dialogs, read books, mangas, whatever, as long as words are involved. Whenever you hear/read something that can help you improve your writing, keep it in mind and add it to your work. You will develop your writing style through years, and a writing style is always moving - a real author will never say they mastered their writing. We’re learning every single day!
I said I'm going to give an example for each point to show theory and then practice, so here’s something I wrote just for this post.
Kid is not in a good mood today. He suffers. Another phantom pain. He bites his lips. When will it stop? It hurts. He can’t show himself in this state. So he’s hiding.
Face twisted with pain, Kid wraps his hand around… nothing, his fingers desperately looking for something, but all they can reach for is the void. It stings, it burns, it aches - like if thunder was striking him, his body jolting with each lightning. “Shit,” Kid grunts, ignoring his crew mates, walking as fast as he can. The second he locks himself in his workshop, he shoots in some sharpened metal pieces, they collide against the wall in an iron chime - Kid falls on the cool wood, sweat dripping from his forehead. His brain is begging for a part of himself he will never find back.
He must live without it.
But how can he live with a fucking missing limb when phantom crises are haunting him?
It’s still messy, but it’s just for demonstration, lol. Have some mercy. I added details - we know where the action is taking place, the reader is confused because they don’t know what’s happening. I added some precision to make his pain more realistic. I indicated he was feeling really weak because he could have just used his DF to throw the metal away, but he was too lost in his pain; he just throw the pieces away. I adjusted the language to match Kid's brutal personality. It’s already more alive. Rewriting is the key, always.
☆ 2. How to bring more interiority
I hope I understood correctly what you wanted with this point because I have a doubt, but I assumed you were talking about depth and emotions, but also atmosphere and ambiance.
→ Depth, emotions, atmosphere & ambiance
You need to understand your character; it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about a fanfic or an OC. If you don’t understand your character, how are you supposed to write for it? I consider my OC as a human being, living; they are alive, they have their own will, and whenever I write for them, they take the lead. Honestly, it’s like if my fingers were moving without thinking. So learn more about your character, even when you’re not writing. For example, you’re cooking? Alright, time to wonder what your character's favorite food is. Are they good at cooking? Does cooking remind them of something specific from their childhood? What do they hate about cooking? Is the kitchen messy or perfectly clean? Is the fridge empty or full of food? What are their allergies, are they following a diet? Is your character cleaning his hands before cooking or not?
Now you’re probably like: duh, who cares?
What is Kid's favorite food: cabbage rolls, so you can assume he’s not pouting if there are vegetables on his plate.
Is Kid good at cooking? → Probably not, it is implied Killer is the one cooking, so you can assume it’s something he dislikes doing. You’re free to develop even more why he doesn’t like cooking. Because he doesn't know how to follow a recipe? Because he’s lazy? See, you can dig endlessly into your character.
Kitchen messy or clean → Kid, messy, obviously. The place your character lives also reflects who they are. We can assume Kid is messy while Law & Sanji are really cautious with their kitchen and hygiene rules.
Is the fridge empty or not → it can lead to a deduction for your reader. Let’s assume the fridge is almost empty. Why? Because it’s the end of the week? If yes, then you can squeeze in a smooth way the timeline. You can even make the season obvious without saying it - for example, the fridge vegetables and fruits are from the autumn season. But empty fridge can also mean → mental health issues? Some people struggle with memory or whatever. Or is the fridge empty because your character lacks money?
See, my questions sounded silly but no, it helped to:
→ Develop his environment
For the show, don’t tell rules tho, it’s flexible - sometimes you have to show, sometimes you have to tell. It is just that a text is more alive when it doesn’t sound robotic or explained. Quick example.
It’s Monday, Kid is angry today, it’s because of Luffy. 5 hours ago, it was lunchtime and Luffy ate all Kid’s food.
You’re just telling things, but we can’t feel them
Now with a few adjustments:
Kid’s stomach growls in need as he violently slams the kitchen door. Behind the curtain, the sunset glows shyly, as if it were scared of Kid. His eyes quickly scan the room, ignoring the beautiful sunset and looking for anything quick to eat. That goddamn chewing-gum… Kid clenches his fists - he can almost hear Luffy’s insufferable laugh. This asshole ate all the food. Law didn’t say a word. But Luffy’s ears are probably bleeding; Kid barked so loud everyone jumped out in fear inside the I’m too lazy to find a title bar. This place is always packed on Monday, maybe because it’s one of the only restaurants open.
→ You have more depth, you’re describing anger through action: Kid is slamming the door, he’s not opening it.
→ We know it’s late, bc we can see the sunset.
→ We know what happens without forcing the information
→ We developed the character's personality and dynamics, even with a few words - Law is quiet and calm, Luffy is carefree and joyful.
☆ 3. How to make the reader really feel like they’re inside the scene?
With all the things I said above, you already have a lot of things to make a reader feel like they are a part of the story. So I’m just going to throw miscellaneous advice that is popping in my mind:
Don’t forget to use the 5 senses. Don’t forget you, as the writer, you are alive. Watch your surroundings. Notice the smells around you. Listen to nature when you go for a walk, or to people and their chit-chat at the mall. Touch the bed you’re lying on. How is the bedsheet? Soft? Dirty? Which colors? Taste what you’re eating. It’s sweet? Bitter? Do you like it or not? And if your character has a handicap… let’s say he’s blind. Emphasize the other senses… and give your reader an experience of being blind. You can avoid description on purpose - but it also depends on POV, of course.
Doesn’t matter what you’re writing, ask yourself, what do I want to say? To write? Let’s say I want to write a smut since kinktober is starting soon. What do I want? Something soft or hard? What is my purpose? Making the reader horny? Or am I trying to describe a bond between the characters? It will totally change your writing. If you want your smut to sound horny and smutty af, you will… use the 5 senses, mostly. Touch, talk, blah blah blah, and focus less on what the characters are thinking deep down inside, just enough to make things real, but without digging. But if you want to show a bond, if the smut has another meaning than being hot, then blend the smut with psychology; smut is a really good way to dig into a character's past, personality… It can even be a surprise, just as in real life. Sometimes you think your partner is going to be shy because they are shy in common life… but they are not in the bedroom. See, you can develop so many things!
You need to understand emotions and psychology. For the psychology part, you can read my analysis of Eustass Kid, it will give you some keys. For emotions, again, you can play with them. Some people don't feel emotions because of some mental health conditions; some feel their emotions deeply because of mental health conditions. Don’t say “I’m angry” when you can describe wrath through actions, words, and all.
You don’t have to say everything. It’s tempting to infodump everything in one paragraph but hey, where is the fun in reading if everything is wrapped up in the first paragraph. You don’t have to say everything, even after writing the last word. You can also leave room to imagination - it makes some stories memorable because your reader will keep thinking about the ending again and again. Sometimes I think about some movies/books/games and I’m like “shit, I wish I could erase my memory and discover it once more” or “if only this and this happened, the end would have been different” or “what the fuck is this plot twist, I’m so confused???” And I’ll overthink for years because masterpieces will leave their mark in your head… and in your writing DNA. I take a random example but the movie/book God's Crooked Lines… I'm still trying to figure out the ending, in a good way. Because some endings just sound botched.
Inspiration is everywhere. You love the lyrics of a song. Try to understand why. What do you enjoy about the lyrics? The rhythm? Because it’s flowy? Because it’s well-written? Because it tells a story? Because you can relate to it? Because of the stylistic device? Try to analyze. The goal is not to copy another’s work, but to understand what you like. Your writing style is a reflection of who you are and who you like. It’s 50% of you, 50% of your personal tastes. It’s your DNA.
Blend your DNA with the character you’re writing for. If your character is supposed to be rude, then use contracted English. Don’t be afraid to use vulgarities. Your character is shy? Then show it through the dialog! Add pauses, hesitations, punctuation is super important to depict a character, it speaks volumes, and it’s underrated. Your character is a good-talker? Show it, we need to feel his charisma, like Doflamingo for example. Your character is smart? Then you better be smart as well lmao, I remember a lot of funny situations with fellow friends and authors when we’re like. “My dude is supposed to have a big plan but… I don’t know what to write…” Luckily with some brainstorm and a helping hands from your friends, you will solve the issue lol. And even non-writers friends can be useful, do not underestimate them. Imagination and writing are two differents things. Some people can imagine but not write, some can write but not imagine.
I tried to not elaborate too much because my WC is already around 2.5k, but I hope it helped you a little bit. Capturing personalities can be tough, but the advice I give you is some solid bases for your writing. Though I probably forgot a thousand things bc the topic is wide.
Writing is practice. We all start at the same point.
Writing is not only writing, it’s also analysis. When I like a character, I try to understand why and dig into their personality. When I listen to music, when I play a video game, whatever, my brain is working unconsciously. With time, you will notice you’re learning without trying to. At the beginning it’s an exercise and then it’s just a habit. Just imagine you’re an RPG character. At first, you have 0 skills and then, you develop them and you roll on the game without thinking because you learned the commands and built your character.
Writing is like a video game somehow, really!
As I said, you learn every day, writing is not something rigid, it’s living and flexible. And remember to have fun! Well, if it’s your job, sometimes it’s not fun but anyway, my point is: you need to love what you’re doing. Remember to always enjoy yourself. If you don’t like your writing, people will probably not like it as well because, personally, I can tell in a few pages if the writer enjoyed or not what they wrote.
Hope it helped! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ )✧
