For New Writers
Warning: bashing, flaming, insulting, and many other big words that infuriate people are here. Truth is also here. You like him right? Such an honest man.
*sigh* I remember when first started writing Fanfiction...I started a thousand stories and never finished a single one! One thing about new writers tend to be very picky. They afraid of what a reader may think of them and constantly edit their stories. Advice for this group is kinda hard to put finger on. But mainly if you're new in the group you should NEVER EVER DELETE YOUR STORIES!!!
/Why?/
You don't need a reason!
Trust me, now matter how shitty you think it is or how perfect you hope it is...don't delete it. Put it in a file somewhere deep down in the core of your computer and save it. Remember that you're sensitive to your own work and will probably over-judge it because you know where all the mistakes are. Take a few days to forget about it and then read it to see if you actually like it.
Besides getting their story to the public new writers also have problems with keeping their story juicy. A new writer will get the best idea from the top of their head, post it on the internet, and then take a five year break before ever mentioning that story again. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT YOUR STORY TO BE ABOUT BEFORE YOU POST IT! Unless you have you writer's block or a serious case of brain farts, at least try to keep your stories posted on the regular. It doesn't matter if the chapter is 300 hundred words long, if its sex, drama, or lies then I can promise you that your readers will be flying back when you finally get a long chapter out. I myself make sure I have a good five chapters ready before I post anything....just to make sure my readers are kept hungry. *sprinkles some nasty lemons* "Come and get it ladies!"
Once you've made sure that your plot is securely ready, and your characters are neatly laid out then you're ready to make A REAL KRABBY PATTY!
0_o /What the-/
Or...I could just tell you what to watch out for...heh ------ Moving on...
So if you THINK you have everything set, then I can just skip to the hard stuff...The top 3 things that Fanfiction writers have trouble with-
"Conversations"
"Characters"
And....
"CLICHES" *GASPS*
/What are you talking about? That's basically the whole damn thing!/
But don't worry it's all apples and strawberries once you know what's what.
/Don't ignore me!/
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Dialouge
Conversations are usually the funniest part in writing Fanfiction but it can be a little irritating when you're stuck in a rut. Especially when you're stuck in a rut. :D
I've read freshly written stories with beautiful details, thirst quenching plots but really sucky dialogue. It's not what character is saying that grinds my gears but...
"Hey there, sugar-butt," he sneered as he flashed his oh-he's-so-sexy-when-he-smirks-like-that-smirk. "Wanna come over to my place fruity-lips?"
Or...for our Mary-Sues
He looks like he's got a nice ass...I guess so. She blushed, "Nii-san said I'm not supposed to be out when the sun goes down."
So far...blushed, smirked, giggled cutely, flashed, and I think thanks to the Twilight Saga "dazzling" have all been kicked to the recycled bin for overuse. Now, that doesn't mean you can't use them just not so much. Since these words are used so much for Bishōnen and Bishojo OCs it's actually kinda hard not to use them consistently, but make sure you have them standing right beside each other.
You know what I mean.
Anyways, some authors, including myself at times, may go a little overboard with our details when we write with dialogue. Like;
"Oh come on, it's only for like an hour." The handsome stranger smile curtly, and lifted one of his delicate fingers and slowly slithered it under the pretty neck of the little girl's chin. "I promise to get you home before anyone even notices."
Okay....maybe that one wasn't THAT bad, lemme try for a bit.
The small girl's cheeks flashed a bright pink, as the tall man's warm breath caress her small sweet face. She could tell something was about this stranger odd and contorted, but she couldn't place her cute little pinky on it. She shook her head as her curly golden locks flipped about, raising her small arm so that she could push away the man's limp, index finger. "Go suck on a lemon, bitch."
Mezzy: *clapping* Now that's a story!!
But you get my point right? There were too many details describing the character and what the character was doing making it tiresome and pointless. Unless you're writing a lemon or the anime/manga is actually THAT detailed then please stay away from overdoing. (Oh and by the way if anyone comes to your door asking you to go away with them just come and call me. And we'll settle things NICE. AND. EASY.)
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Characters
Probably the most secondly funniest part of Fanfiction...THE CHARACTERS! WOOT!!!!!!!!!!!
Unless you're creating your own manga that is, then it's just a woot....
Every writer, whether old or new, enjoys writing about a badass anime character, it's just too fun. But some writers, both old and new, can get to excited and turn their characters into something else...an out of character or OOC. *Gasps*
OOCs are like old people who are young, unnatural and just too awkward to read. The readers are like; "wait...Sasuke would never say that!" Or "Edward and Roy aren't yelling at each other? What the snip?" and "Did Lelouch just giggle? What is he on crack or somethin'?"
No reader, he's just with a beginner is all.
Generally when you're in a good writing mood you're story goes naturally well, but it's when the conversation gets sticky when the writers gets confused. What I mean is, like you've been writing for a good 30 minutes and then your mind gets blogged. Then you start to ask yourself, "Err, what WOULD Sasuke say if saw Kakashi's shirt on his bed?" Your brain doesn't know so you decided to fill it in with something funky....
The young teen stared wide-eyed at the dark blue clothing on HIS bed, in HIS room. He couldn't think straight, so instead of screaming like a sane person he instead decided to take his pants off and rub it all over his penis. "THIS IS FOR MAKING US WAIT FOR 3 HOURS 5 DAYS A WEEK, YA BASTARD!"
Heh. Yea...
Fact is, your using someone else's character, but you're using your plot. I don't what Sasuke would do if saw Kakashi's shirt on his bed; I've never seen him in that kinda situation before. Maybe he did scream like a sane person, or maybe he did....get a little fresh. But it's a 50/50 position! What's basically going through your mind is IF this happened. So it's not like you can just go to Masashi Kishimoto be like, "Hey, you ever wonder what would happen if Sasuke saw someone's shirt lying on his bed?" You could email him, but I doubt he would respond.
Mainly, in a tough situation like this, it's best not to go there in the first place. If your character is doing something crazy that you KNOW they wouldn't do, then don't have them do it. Trust me, it'll be a lot easier then waiting for a email that will never come *sniffle*
Another thing about your characters is the horrid Mary-Sue and Gary-Stu.
They're a real nice couple though; everyone knows 'em. They perfect.
Us Fanfiction writers have been strugglin' with these two for a good while now. Ever since Naruto hit the internet. (THAT'S A LONG TIME) And we still can't get away from their grasp. If I tried to explain this to you fully it would take forever so I'll just give you the rundown.
Mary-Sues have wide range, the damsel-in-distress, the rebellious princess syndrome, the perfect replica of the male protagonist, and so on.
They're cute, draw the attention of every guy in the classroom and skip around in sexy clothing, with the 'If you want me then you have to be sexy and have a lot chicks at your feet but you don't need them because they don't matter' attitude. Every girls dream, right?
This is Fanfiction, not Twilight. (Bring on the Flames Baby!)
It's okay if your character has a dark side, or if she's normal, or if she's mystical creature seeking an unrequited lover. But don't follow the storyline. Make the unimaginable imaginable.
Say you want to write a Fullmetal Alchemist story (lemme know your username!!!) but you're not entirely sure about your character.
No. 1. DO NOT MAKE HER AN PRODIGY/ALCHEMIST WHO'S PARENTS HAVE DIED AND SHE HAS A CAT/DOG NAMED MIGDET
Why? Because that's Edward.
Most writers do this because they think 'Oh her parents died too, so that makes it easier for them to fall in love and fuck n' stuff because they can relate to each other.' It's not that simple sweetie, Winry's parent died too and they still haven't kissed yet.
If it's that hard to think of something different then you should probably read more.
Another one is with the DN Angel plot. It always involved another angel or something that appeared before Krad and Dark and was like 'It's me or the artwork! Take it or leave it!' and of course they take it, because the author said so. And then they fall into a single relationship and live happily ever after.
Hint; DN Angel is love triangle tragic story. Not a star-crossed lovers theme. This was a beautiful manga piece, that the anime did nothing but add more smexy pictures to, you could easily write a masterpiece with this. Just add more drama and a girl in a skimpy maid outfit and you could give Dark a run for his money!
P.S.----- um, if you are planning on writing a story like that send me note, kay?
Next up, is the always beautiful, always depressed, Gary Stu!
Female fan writers usually have no troubles with Gary Stus, since they're all the same. Sasuke Uchiha (The God of Depression) and Lelouch Lamperouge (The Forbidden Prince) set high standards for all our other Shonen, and while it's hard to keep to your OC boys cool, it's even harder to keep the already famous assassin Black Cat anymore sneakier than he already is.
All Shonen and Bishōnen boys are the same, the parents are dead and there's nothing they can do about it. So they bleed on the inside and frown on the inside. So a bubbly, cheerful young girl could meet him and it'd be love at first sight right?
Well...I guess, if you wanna follow Meyer.
But if you're seeking originality then you're barking up the wrong tree.
The usually plot in an emo-ridden anime is that the boy is showered with pretty girls but doesn't want any of them.
/Why is he gay?/
No! (maybe)
He's looking for something different. Diverse. Unusual. Weird. Whatever his taste may be is for you to decide. Who knows? Maybe Sasuke likes to the naughty type? Which would explain the quietness. And maybe Edward Cullen likes to be told his a ugly slut instead of drinking it he carries he's food on his back through the forest.
0_o I don't know maybe he gets chills or somethin'...
But basically there are 2 types of boys in the manga universe, happy emos (a.k.a. Naruto) and sad emos (that's...everyone else) and then there are the non-important boys that just get in the way until you finally decided to just kill them off. They're not that sexy anyway right?
Things to avoid with Gary Stu-
For Angsty Stus
No. 1. DO NOT MAKE HIM SO DEPRESSED THAT THE ONLY THING HE SAYS THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE SERIES IS "HN"
I don't care how sexy he is, I'm not reading about a man who doesn't speak human. What if he has to read my eulogy?
For the Chosen One Stus (If this is not an original)
No. 2. DO NOT GIVE HIM TWO SIDEKICKS
There are too many threesomes in the manga world, just give him parrot and let 'em sulk.
For Villain Stus
No. 3. GIVE HIM ANOTHER REASON FOR BEING EVIL BESIDES HIS PARENTS DYING
No comment for that one. Just don't. Everyone else already thought of that.
For Vampire Stus
No. 4. Just don't copy Twilight. :D
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This is probably the most difficult thing for all writers. Avoiding the cliché.
/Whatever, just don't make it a happy ending/
*smacks forehead* You're missing the point!
Clichés are everywhere. And as you know, it's not just in novels, animes and mangas are also filled with clichés. (At least the ones that are finished)
The thing about some of the greatest animes is that the ending was so unexpected, so unthought-of that the reader just can't accept the fact that it's over and thus continues the story for themselves. (or...that's what happened to me) The author gave the audience everything they were looking for and then just cut them off. It's horrible feeling, but that's what Fanfiction is for.
One way to avoid clichés is to actually read more than one type of Fanfiction. Just to expand your mind a little. You can steal story in more ways than one, Romeo x Juliet did it and so can you.
The only advice I can give you to avoid clichés is to come up with your own ending, chances are it's better than the ones you've read.
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That's it.
If you were expecting some cool ending then...I'm sorry.
....
Fine.
You read it now write it!