Right then…so. I was bored and I thought "Hey, why not do a sorta self help thing?" But then I realized I'm a jerk and I don't want to help you people, so I thought I'd just do something like this instead. *sheepish grin* So I guess it's more of a how-to than a self-help. This is more the mechanics of starting a story, I guess I could whip up one about work-in-progress if you guys really wanted it. Let me know!
Step #1 To A Good Story:
DO NOT WRITE IN TEXT-TALK
This one requires no explanation, I mean, seriously? Why on earth would you go to all the effort to write a story only to do it like this:
He ran 2 the abandoned warehouse & jumped inside & said "Gr8t, now I'm trapped!"
It makes you look like a four-year old. Luckily I haven't found any of those awful stories on this site, but there are some floating around the Internet. Don't do it, please. There is no earthly reason why you would.
Step #2 To A Good Story:
SPELLCHECK IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT
This one is fairly obvious. Yes, you do need to enable it, because you do need your words to be grammatically correct, but sometimes it does not understand what's right and what's wrong. For instance, a lot of anime characters (Alucard, Integra, Seras, ect.) have to be spotted in because spellcheck says they're wrong. Sound words, like poof and ack, can also be "wrong", but again, if YOU know the word is spelled correctly, screw spellcheck.
Grammar can also be a problem. Fragment sentences can set the mood for a scene, but again that little red light pops up and says "BEEP, WRONG!" Sometimes a comma will be underlined because the spellcheck says it shouldn't be there, in which case you have to look at the sentence carefully.
He took a deep breath, looking around at the cold, dark cave as he chaffed at his arms.
Spellcheck might say that the comma after breath doesn't belong there, but:
He took a deep breath looking around at the cold, dark cave as he chaffed at his arms.
Doesn't quite sound right, does it? For me, it doesn't, so I ignore the little "wrong" line under the comma. If it does sound right to you, then don't change it. However, if you are uncertain about either changing a sentence or spelling a word, trust spellcheck and change it.
Step #3 To A Good Story:
DON'T DO WHAT I DO
Ehehe…this one may be confusing, but gimme a sec. You know how I never, ever start a new paragraph when someone talks? DON'T DO THAT. I do it because when I was a little girl in kindergarten or whenever they teach you to write, it was always highly stressed to have 3-4 sentences in your paragraph. They taught it to me so well that my brain refuses to allow me to hit the enter button and start a new "paragraph" when someone talks, because often in a conversation there is only one sentence besides the actual talking that belongs to that person before someone else says something and I'd have to start all over again. Reviewers have berated me for this multiple times and all I can say is sorry, because I just cannot change my mindset to allow for this rule. YOU guys hopefully don't have this problem, so don't do what I do.
Step #4 To A Good Story:
KEEP IT REAL
Silly sounding isn't it? Hear me out. It doesn't matter if you have OCs, cannon characters, or self-inserts, you MUST treat them as real people. This is a great way to avoid Mary Sue-ing and other important problems, such as cannon characters staying in, well, character. Here's what ya do. Imagine a cannon character you wish to write about. We'll use Integra for this one. Now, think about you as them. If you were Integra, what would you do in the situation provided by your story?
BUT THAT AIN'T ALL! We still have a few more steps. Now, imagine what Integra would do on her own. Is it like what you would do? Maybe, maybe not. If it is, great! If it isn't though, don't worry. You need to mix what you would do as Integra and what Integra would do on her own for your situation, and bingo! Legitimate character. I'll demonstrate here.
Situation:
Alucard has somehow snapped the Hellsing bonds that make him obey Hellsing. He has left and is now hiding somewhere in London. He has not threatened Integra or Hellsing and has left Seras with Integra.
What I would do:
Research how Van Hellsing or Integra's ancestors bound him and enhanced him. Is it able to be reapplied? Can we reverse the enhancing? Make connections with any and all vampire hunters and apply to their better nature. Bind Seras if possible, and give her the enhancing experiments. Once everything is ready, find and either eliminate or securely bind Alucard, using the other vampire hunters as an army and Seras as a large part of that army.
What Integra would do:
Talk to Seras. Find out Alucard's intentions. Why isn't he leaving England? Why hasn't he attacked Hellsing? What kind of provocation or bribery would it take to catch him again? Either bind Seras or lock her in the basement so she cannot aid her master. Find and speak with Alucard. Ask/demand him to leave or rejoin Hellsing. Warn/threaten him about how hard it will be for him with Hellsing and the Vatican constantly searching for him and attacking him.
See the difference? Now mix them. Blend them together in a believable, coherent way –you don't have to use every idea and aspect– and in the end you will have a believable cannon character with your own little dash of perspective.
Speaking of, let's head to the OC part of this puzzle. We'll get to creating them later on, right now we're focusing on perfecting an existing or forming OC. TREAT THEM LIKE THEY ARE REAL PEOPLE. The best OCs are ones that act like someone who could plausibly exist (supernatural abilities aside). Don't necessarily put yourself in their shoes, become them. I guarantee that any and all original characters have some small or large aspect of their creators. It may be a very strange, small, or random aspect, but it will ALWAYS be there. If someone asked, I could point out exactly which of my OCs have what aspects of my personality.
So you are now that particular OC. I'm going to use my OC Kage from my Soul Eater fanfics for this example. Kage has some aspects of me (morbid, sarcastic humor and stubbornness come to mind) but is at the same time a very different person. She is much more aggressive, and usually answers every challenge with either her fist or a very nasty comment. She has far closer ties to far more people, and she is extremely dubious of any change. Her favorite things, ways of handling relationships, and interaction with others are all extremely different than mine. So when I write about her or any other of my OCs, I have to BECOME them, not me.
And last but not least, self inserts. These are the simplest and easiest character to write; all you have to do is be yourself. Put yourself in the insert's shoes. If something bad was happening, what would you do? If there was an awkward situation, how would you handle it? It is literally YOU in the story, be yourself and go nuts.
Step #4 To A Good Story:
AVOID PLOT ARMOR
Plot armor is basically the reason why in an explosion or car crash, the main characters would be completely unharmed or very lightly wounded, when in real life they'd be dragged out of the burning wreckage bleeding all over the place, or when a main character can get a grappling hook to catch with just one throw and swing to safety with no problems. Basically, plot armor surrounds main characters and acts as uncanny good luck to help them survive and excel where the minor characters would die or be captured.
A good example of plot armor is in Soul Eater, when Maka punches Asura –when Kid's Death Cannon and Blackstar's shadow attack completely failed to even scratch the dude– and it kills him. The only reason it worked is because of her plot armor, which dictates that Asura could not win, therefore she would have to kill him somehow, someway, with what was most likely a few broken ribs, extremely bruised limbs, and singed skin, with no weapons at all.
Obviously that wouldn't work in "real" anime life.
Another, more minor example, is in Hellsing, during the Battle of London, when Integra is driving her car and the Millennium soldiers are chasing her. They are shooting bullets at the car and hitting it, and they blew out the engine, causing her to crash head-on into a brick wall, and yet the only wound she receives it a minor gash on her head. Flying glass? Accurate bullets? THE FACT SHE RAN INTO A WALL WITH A CAR?
Nah, she's got plot armor! One of the main characters can't die in a car crash!
But anyway, on from examples. You MUST avoid having plot armor, which counts as a cliche. I mean, you can have your character or the characters walk away from a burning building, but you must have a believable REASON for it, like they were stuck in the basement or one of them's fireproof, something like that. Don't just count on plot armor to save the day, it makes for a weak character overall.
Alucard is a great example of how to avoid plot armor. He's able to beat any and all opponents with a grin and a bullet, he's practically immortal, and he can kill two whole armies without breaking a sweat. BUT, he has a reason. He is the oldest, (hinted at being the original), most powerful vampire in existence, he has his 2 million+ army of familiars (some of which include cavalry), and he (at the end) eats Schrodinger and becomes even more practically immortal. He has REASONS for his bada$$ery. (He is however an excellent example of an omnipotent character)
Step #5 To A Good Story:
DON'T EXPLAIN EVERYTHING AT ONCE
This is the sure sign of an amateur. I myself have fallen prey to this in my earlier stories, so don't sweat it.*smile* This is kinda hard to explain but really easy to recognize. Basically, it's trying to cram all of character's traits, powers, or history into either a short/long paragraph or a few sentences in the very first chapter. TAKE YOUR TIME TO INTRO YOUR CHARACTER. It doesn't need to be all at once, in fact, it harms your story overall to cram it all in one sentence/paragraph. Just describe the character as you go along, and in a way that's natural. Pretend the character is going about their business (because that is so often how these intros are handled). When would they notice their hair color? Eye color? Here are two examples of introducing a character, one crammed in and one lengthened out.
A) I sighed, brushing a small lock of my bright blonde hair out of my hazel green eyes as I bent down, my dark brown vest stretching over the black tank top I had on. My name's Mary Sue, and I work at a small downtown bar in Cityville, even though my parents didn't want me to. My dad left my mom a few years ago and she killed herself with a alcohol overdose, so I'm on my own in a small apartment in an even smaller neighborhood.
B) I sighed, juggling the dark brown glasses as I straightened, my blonde bangs sweeping over my eyes as I irritably blew it away with a puff of air, setting the glasses down on the bad counter. Tired green eyes flashed in my countless reflections as I looked up, the bottles and shiny shotglasses gleaming in the dim light of the overhead.
See the difference? Example A tries to cram everything in all at once, while B sets a more natural, relaxed pace. You have a whole story to tell, not a short essay with a set amount of sentences and paragraphs. And usually it's the main character that's intro-ed, so I think it's safe to say they have a lot of time later to be explored and displayed. Don't rush and cram; take it slow and steady.
Step #6 To A Good Story:
READ OTHER PEOPLE'S CRAP
I know what you're thinking "Isn't that like stealing or something?" (Also somewhat insulted I called it crap) Yes and no. Technically nothing on this site is copywrited since we're all stealing from other people's works, but that's splitting hairs and a lame excuse. It's not stealing because you don't copy their ideas. Or do you? I don't, but if you happen to really like somebody's story, you ask, and they give permission, then who am I to stop you? I'm talking about inspiration. I check the Hellsing category at least three times over the course of any given day, and probably more. Why? Well, three reasons. One, I want something to read. Two, its a very manageable category. The other animes I've watched (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Soul Eater, Black Butler) all have much larger categories with much more stories, and I just find it simpler to look at one, ya know?
And three, the reason it's a good idea, is for inspiration!
For instance, I have several authors I know and love on this site. FalconStorm, maroongrad, Agent HUNK, and many more are VERY good at what they do and quite honestly should be paid for the stuff they write, even though it's stealing and copywriting. (But technically it's legal, since we all agree that it isn't ours when we get an account.) Others, (who shall not be named) aren't as good, and some stories that I have accidentally clicked on made me wince and back out ASAP. And no, not because of the content. The story was just badly written from the first sentence, and I knew that no matter how much I tried I wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Thankfully, something like that has only happened once, but still, it is not something I want to chance seeing again.
But on the other hand, I look at a story, raise an eyebrow, and think for a moment. Summary looks legit. Cannon characters are not in an obvious pairing. Title has a moment of thought to it. Picture is not terribly off-putting. If I mentally answer yes to all of the questions in that list, then I click on the story. But sometimes, an ambiguous summary gets my attention and I end up reading a pairing. This happens about 1/3 to 1/2 of the time, and USUALLY I read on. Why? If I actually took the time to read up to the part where they starting "pairing", then generally I am too interested in the story to simply let it go.
And this is when I get into some interesting crap.
I don't like pairings. I just don't! I am not a romance person, no offense to any of you. I read OC stories because I like to see what other people come up with and I read cannon pairings when I have become immersed in the story, as mentioned above. BUT, and here comes the big but, a good author, or even a bad one with a really interesting story view, can make me love it. The best authors on this site make you believe and SUPPORT the most unbelievable and stupid of BS. Why? THEY MAKE IT MAKE SENSE. That's all there is too it.
But on from that, inspiration. A lot people are on Fanfiction, and a lot of them are talented at really bringing cannon characters to life. (I can only try my best to match them) If you read enough stories, soon you'll be able to build a sort of personality for that particular person in your mind, even if before you had no clue how. I read as much of other people's things as I can and I flatter myself to think that it helps. So read other people's crap! Comment on them! Make suggestions! Even if you don't do that, at least take it all in and let their ideas help mold your own take on your cannon characters.
Step #7 To A Good Story:
MAKE A SUMMARY
I bet a lot of you are going "Uh, hey genius, we can't PUBLISH a story here without giving it a summary." I know, I know, I know. But again, hear me out. Making a summary isn't exactly a necessary thing for a good story. It HELPS, but I once read a summary that was maybe nine or ten words long, and the story gave me an INCREDIBLE insight into Sir Integra's personality. Summaries are only what you use to make someone click the little "read" button on the screen. So, I guess I better go about telling you how to make a really good summary.
What you have to remember is that the site only allows summaries that are about what, a hundred characters long? And that's not words, that's letters and punctuation. You can't exactly give us everything you've got, ya know? Keep it simple and as interesting as possible. What some people do is take a little snippet, usually a conversation, and shove it in as the summary. That's cool, that's cool, but remember, if you do it like that, make it as ominous and cliffhanger-y as possible, to hook people and make them at least click the button. Even if they read just a little and then go "nope", they will have at least seen your work and may recommend it to their friends, like "Hey Joe, I read this fanfic and I hated it because its got such-and-so as a pairing or OCs and I hate that crap, but I know YOU like that stuff, so…"
See? Like that. Also, you can condense the first few chapters. NEVER condense the whole plot as the summary; it ruins any suspense you try to work in. Hint at events that happen about halfway through the story, give a quick, clean, short explanation of your leading character(s), and kabam! Instant summary. Or you can go the ambiguous way, tell the reader no names, and just kinda give impressions (this is hard, but when done correctly it's like a magnet to pretty much everybody) of the characters, how they interact, plotline, whatever.
Step #8 To A Good Story:
WARN US
I hate it, I just HATE it when I start reading a story, and then go down, and then there's that "oh NO" moment when clothes start coming off or whatever…yech. *makes face* The long and short of it is, SAY SOMETHING when it involves swearing, erm…we'll call them "fanservice scenes", and other stuff that the young and innocent don't need to see. I mean, if you don't have any room in the summary, put a word in at the top of your document. One and done, it's not that hard. I have learned through bitter experience that the site allows pretty much everything, as long as it is properly M rated or disclaimered. And since I had little to no internet slang term know-how and slang terms are all that the warnings are made of…I spent a lot of time wishing I could scrub my eyes out with acid. Long and short of it is, warn the rest of us when you start taking it that far.
Step #9 To A Good Story:
LISTEN TO THE APPROPRIATE CRAP
…Huh? Weird step isn't it? Let me explain. If you are inserting a character into a universe, and it's during a storyline, WATCH THE EPISODE AS YOU WRITE. (Pausing to copy down things and insert your character of course) It lets you copy down the dialogue exactly, scene placement, the whole shebag. Trust me, readers will thank you for it a LOT. I've had a lot of reviewers that have thanked me for copying stuff down exactly and expressed annoyance at other stories, saying that they didn't do it right like me. So, watch the episode as you write. It does help a lot.
But let's say you're writing a AU or your own take on the character. LISTEN TO MUSIC THAT FITS THE MOOD OF THE CHAPTER. For instance, if its a chapter full of action and gunfire and battle and crap like that, Sabaton (Screaming Eagles, Primo Victoria, We Burn, In The Name Of God, Wehermacht). Or let's say you're writing a sad story, or a moody one. Evanescence, some Skillet songs, ect. I dunno, whatever makes you feel like what you want the readers of the chapter to feel. If you feel really happy and carefree during a death metal song, that's a bit weird, but hey, the feels are yours and you have a right to listen to whatever crap you want.
But whatever you do; keep the mood! Sometimes listening to the right song at the right time can give your chapter INCREDIBLE depth and emotion. For instance, I was listening to a song by Shinedown called Diamond Eyes as I wrote on my little drabblefic, the Last Thoughts one. I published the chapter (the one on Walter) and I got a comment saying it had "hella deep feels" a day or so later. Ergo, it was a song that clearly fit well with the subject and the character I wrote on. This may be a little weird, but trust me, listening to music while you write really helps!
Step #10 To A Good Story:
DON'T BE SHY
AND
WRITE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE
This last one is the most important one of all, and the one that sounds the most like an obnoxious kitten motivational poster saying "BELIE~EVE!"
YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY POST YOUR CRAP.
*gasp* Shock! Fear! No way! But yes, you should post the stories you attempt to write. Why? I won't feed you any of the "oh don't worry, it's good so everyone will love it" crap, your story may suck. BUT, if you post it on the web, then sooner or later SOMEONE will give you feedback on how to improve it. These people don't know you! There's a billion to one chance they even live in the same state/territory/province/whatever-you've-got in your country! GO NUTS! LET LOOSE! But wait, your story may be well written but has some creepy, weird material that no decent and good person would read.
THIS IS THE F-N INTERNET, WE HAVE NO GOOD AND DECENT PEOPLE HERE, ONLY A BUNCH OF CREEPY TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS WITH EVEN WEIRDER FETISHES! POST THE DARN THING AND SEE WHAT THEY THINK!
Seriously, there is almost no negative consequences for publishing a story, unless you have some kind of reputation on the site. I don't, so I can still go nuts and write whatever crap I please. Tying into that, when you have a plotbunny, WRITE IT! A plotbunny is: An idea for a story, usually referring to an author having more ideas than he or she can use. If you have them, write them! You don't have to publish THOSE (in fact I recommend you don't), but write them! Let them grow and germinate, and then, when no one expects it, POST THEM ON THE FREAKING SITE! Surprise your fans, show off your well-polished story to the world! (Plotbunnies, at least from me, are always kept for a REALLY long time, so I have plenty of opportunity to really clean them up)
As my mom says, real writers plant their butt in the chair and write, so I do it as much as I can. (Because I think it's fun) But you don't have to be me, you can just scribble some crap whenever you feel like it. After a while, all that scribbling adds up. (You'd be surprised) Practice makes better! (Perfection is an abject lie invented by the government) Your story is your story, and the more you write, the better you'll get. Eventually you might be good enough to actually make a living out of it! That's not as easy as it looks, because about a billion smarty pants got this bright idea to get rich quick via writing and there is a LOT of competition, one of the many reasons I like to write on Fanfiction. It gives me less of a headache.
Anyway, my friend wrote a story a while back, and she was absolutely terrified of posting it, but I offered to be the go-between and let her publish on my account, which she did, and now she has more favs and follows than my most popular stories, probably combined! I have more reviews, but hey, this isn't a competition. (Okay it is, but she's winning so I tend to ignore this) Anyway, my point is that the story can be really good, and you're as good as killing/deleting it when you don't show it to the world!