How to write a fanfiction:
I have put this little guide together despite the fact that probably no one will read it, because I have noticed some common mistakes in people's writing and I hope that perhaps this will help some of you in the new year. I am not criticizing but rather critiquing and hoping to help some of the vast number of people on to become better writers. So without further ado let us begin.
First of all the largest mistake I find is that many people do not separate dialogue and it ends up looking like this:
"Ha Ha To slow Eggman!" "I'll catch you yet Sonic!"
When it should look like this:
"Ha Ha to slow Eggman!"
"I'll Catch you yet Sonic!"
This way all who read can tell that it is not the same character talking but rather a different character all together. You can make it even more interesting by adding action like so:
"Ha Ha too slow Eggman!" Sonic laughed as the Doctor's machine missed by near inches.
Eggman grunted in frustration "I'll catch you yet Sonic!" he yelled.
This gives an added dynamic that helps people to visualize what is happening as the two exchange banter. Although I have written an action sequence here these guidelines will help you write any kind of scene, sorrow, drama, horror or romance. When writing horror or romance however make sure to describe the happenings in excruciating detail. For Romance it will draw readers to the romantic partners and in horror it will leave readers afraid of what is about to happen, or what is taking place.
The next two mistakes go hand in hand, first is when a writer has a story idea that is not fully developed, this leads to cuts in the story and a pace that is too rapid for most readers to follow. The most common tip off for this is the second mistake, use of the word "suddenly." I recently read a kingdom hearts fan fiction like this where after the introduction of the fic's main characters the author wrote something like
"suddenly a portal of darkness opened and a man came out"
this is a big tip off that although there is a golden idea here, the writer didn't know how to introduce the next character, so he just pulled it out of thin air. Before you can accurately introduce something new into the story, whether it be a character, a monster, or the next event, you must take some time to think about what you are adding. Using the character example think about what kind of character is he/she? Is he/she a hero, a villain, or an anti-hero? Are we the readers supposed to know their alignment from the start or do they seem to be what they are not? Are they supposed to be mysterious or straight forward?
Once you think about these things you can begin to decide the best way to introduce a character into the story. For example if the character is to be mysterious you may not want them to appear before your main characters perhaps you want to have the character appear in an area after the main characters have left, for example:
As Knuckles left the dark cavern he failed to notice the shadowy figure that seemed to melt from it's walls "Soon, my red furred friend, soon all that you love will be extinguished."
we know nothing about this character, except that he intends to do Knuckles harm, this does not necessarily mean that the shadowy figure is evil, but perhaps he thinks that something terrible is knuckles fault and therefore seeks revenge. He is mysterious and he certainly appears to be evil, but it could go either way.
Lastly I would like to put in the basic palate for story writing as many writer don't seem to be aware of it. All stories follow the same palate, I have attempted to write outside this palate and it never works, no matter how hard I try. It goes like this:
Introduction
Plot Point 1
Conflict
Plot point 2
Resolution
Introduction: this is the area of the story where we meet the "hero" (the "hero" refers to the main character that the story revolves around and who you want us to connect to the most) and find out what the "hero" wants this could be anything from a wedding to a peaceful day to protecting the world. We should also meet the "villain" (the "villain" refers to the diametrically opposed character to the "hero" or the character with whom the "hero" has the most conflict with throughout the story) and find out what "villain" wants, disrupting the wedding, ruining a nice day, or conquering/destroying the world.
Plot Point 1: this is when the "hero" and the "villain" meet and their respective journey's to disrupt one another's plans begin. This should not be a sudden occurrence, it should flow with events set up in the introduction and then set up the events of the conflict stage in turn. This flow has to be obvious to the reader not just the writer, remember that though you know your story inside and out, we don't we need more details in order to grasp what is truly happening.
Conflict: this will be the longest part of your story, in essence it will be the conflict between the "hero" and the "villain" the clashes between the two should get more and more intense slowly leading up to the climax also known as:
Plot Point 2: as stated above this is the climax, this is where the "final battle" (Whatever the largest and worst conflict you have before the situation is resolved happens to be, it does not have to be a true battle) between the "hero" and the "villain" occurs. This is not the end of the battle however, but it should be the part that keeps us on the edge of our seats. This should set up the resolution to be an emotional ordeal to the readers regardless of the outcome.
Resolution: This is the end, the "final battle" is won and the world for our "hero" and our "villain" has changed. Again this does not mean that the world itself was saved or destroyed, but the "world" around these two characters will now change dramatically for the forseeable future. This should elicit an emotional response from the readers, weather this response be joy, excitement, sorrow, or sadness you should be the master manipulator of our feelings in this moment. The feelings you never want to elicit are Anger and disappointment, this will make you story unpopular, these emotions would be better to elicit during the conflict.
I hope that this guide has helped you in your quest to become a better writer, if the guide was helpful please review it and tell me what you thought was particularly helpful to you. Likewise if you have any critique for this guide please let me know how I can be an even greater help in the future. Thank you for reading! And have a great day!