some weird writing advice i would give to new writers (that i still use).
(part one of? part two)
☆ how to start/improve:
you have a whole world in your mind, characters and plot and all that, but how can you make it into a story your reader wouldn't walk away from? sure, anyone can write, it's just putting one word after another, storytelling is something entirely different. it takes a hell lot of patience and staring at your blank screen. the main thing in storytelling is making a reader live the things your character is going through. your reader isn't supposed to be on the other side of the book, your words should pull them in. you've probably heard tons of people saying to 'put your writing out there' and 'no one's gonna judge', but here's the truth: people judge and people judge hard. no matter what. one small mistake and your book is now a turn off for hundreds of people. so what now? there must be someone or some way you can improve your writing without being judged harshly, right? right. you know who wouldn't criticize your every single mistake?
fandoms.
(n. a group of unhinged people who go crazy over small and random things.)
writing a fanfiction is probably and definitely the best way to improve your writing. as long as your plot is good and/or your characters aren't mary sue, people would read the hell out of it. it's a great way to get constructive criticizm* and improve your writing. i've read countless fanfictions with zero plot and they still have hundreds (or more) views and comments (i kid you not, i can count on my fingers how many times i've read dumbledore call his students 'guys'). some characters didn't even have a proper personality but people were still supportive and were screaming in the comments.
so yeah, write fanfictions, doesn't matter if it doesn't make any sense or if it's full of plot holes, you can always come back and edit it later. plus, it's a great and fun way to connect with people who share the same interest! and when you publish your actual book, you might already have a small audience waiting for it. it takes off the pressure of building a universe from scratch and you could experiment with different writing styles as you please. you can make your own oc (own character) or just use the already existing ones. you can tweak the original plot a bit or make something of your own. you can mix two (or more) fandoms together and it would be a fun read to see characters from different universes interacting, people love crossovers!
*what i meant by this is that people would always criticize, however, i've noticed that a lot of people either ignore the mistakes in fanfictions or point them out with a single comment, nothing too dramatic.
