Opening Page
A/N: Hello, readers! If you are reading this, you are probably here with the intention of improving yourself as a writer. If this is the case, you have come to the right place. This guide will help you with every aspect of the writing process here at Fanfiction. Whether you are a casual writer, a seasoned veteran of Fanfiction, or a person who is struggling to make your story heard, you will be welcome here, and it is my fullest hope that everyone who reads this will take something significant out of it.
Now you may be wondering if my opinion and advice is worth reading and considering. If you are the kind of person who is willing to give this guide a try without prior knowledge of me or my experience, kudos to you. We will get along swimmingly. If, however, you are in need of more persuasion before trying this guide out, you will be satisfied. I am currently in the process of writing the first of a five-part series of Percy Jackson fanfiction stories, the first of which is named Apple of Discord. I encourage all of you to read it, but if you want a showcase of my writing ability, there's that little 70K nugget. It's pretty good, if I do say so myself.
I guess I should add that I've actually had two original poems published through my school. That's pretty impressive, right?
So, I'm not some schmuck who thinks he can tell people what to do. I think I can safely say that I know what I'm talking about. Writing is a passion for me, and there's a good chance that it is a passion for many of you readers. Or if it isn't, you want it to be, because as everyone knows, the soulful artsy types always get the top picks of whatever gender(s) they're into. TRUST ME.*
*You can trust me with a lot of things. This isn't necessarily one of them.
One thing readers will come to expect is for me to bash the practices of the general PJO fanfiction, specifically the cliches and shortcomings so common in the fanbase. This will usually be over-the-top sarcasm or hyperbole, and I want to iterate right now that I'm not trying to offend anyone. No specific authors or stories will be named at any point. If you find that you disagree with my opinions of what is good writing and what is a steaming puddle of liquid sewage, or if you find that you as a writer gravitate towards stories that I deem ridiculous or flat-out stupid, please don't take this personally. I instead encourage you to read what my reasoning is (I will always try to give it), weigh it appropriately, and make your own opinion of the subject. Don't get me wrong; however humorous or grossly exaggerated I state my beliefs, there's always at least a sliver of actual frustration or lamentation on the topic, which I actually mean to convey. But I'm not expecting or even wanting each and every reader to agree with me all the time. That would be boring.
I will try to make this guide fun to read as well as educational. If you find yourselves tiring of my humor, or you are just generally a humorless person, try to grin and bear it to get to the actual tidbits of advice. I find that writing is much easier and fun if you try to write in a way that appeals to you, and the style of writing you will find in this guide is appealing to me. I hope you will all enjoy or at least appreciate my efforts to keep things light.
This guide will focus both on writing mechanics (like grammar, spelling, plot, characters, etc.) and creative aspects (style, presentation, theme). Pick and choose what you want to pay attention to if that's what you want to do. If you, for example, want advice for how to get people to give your story a try, but think you have general spelling and grammar down to a science, I have no problem with your skipping around. I mean, the guide is just that: a guide. Use what you need as a writer, and if you have no desire to read what you already know, I won't be offended.
I've rated this T for one reason: I find that there's no replacement for a well-placed F-bomb to really get your point across when you need to. There will not be liberal swearing, but when swearing is used it won't exactly be appropriate for all ages, kids. I'm just trying to be responsible here.
Before we start, I have one last thing to tell you all: Writing is not easy. It is quite possibly the most difficult thing you can devote such a massive amount of time towards. And yes, all writers will have to put a good chunk of time into their work if it's going to be any good. That's just a fact. No sane person writes a good story because they want to; they write a good story because they need to. Writers have a burning desire to make their voices heard, a desire to make people laugh and smile and cheer for a person who doesn't even really exist. Writers have a monumental task to fulfill each and every time they pick up a pen or open their laptop. They need to craft entire worlds out of nothing but words, then throw that world into the turmoil and darkness we can see every day in our own world. They need to take characters they've nurtured and shaped in their heads for weeks or maybe months, and drag those characters through the pain and heartbreak we try to look away from but can't. They do this to tell us something, anything, about our societies, our nations, our friends, our families. About ourselves most of all.
If all this intimidates you, it should. Writing isn't for the faint of heart. But I'll leave you with this: It is one of the most rewarding experiences you can possibly go through. It changes you, entirely for the better. As you craft your own worlds, plots, and characters, you will begin to see parallels in what you see in today's world and what you want to write. It will sweep you off your feet and open doors where none existed before. And after a while, if you really heed the call, you'll never want that feeling to go away. It becomes a part of you.
Let's begin, ladies and gentlemen. We have work to do.
-Grandmaster4