I'm a person who loves video games, anime, books, and a select few tv shows.

While I enjoy writing original works, sometimes when I really want to write something, fan fiction helps. I see writing fan fiction as a good way of practicing your writing, and getting feed back helps.

You might also know me on tumblr and deviant art as tornrose24.

HolyMaiden24/tornrose24's guide to writing fan fics or writing in general (at least according to her).

Note that you don’t have to follow my advice one hundred percent of the time, but if there’s anything that can help someone out, that would be cool. I did this because someone asked me for advice, so here’s how I see it.

Again, these are just my thoughts and experiences and you don’t have to follow them.

-Your story must have a beginning, middle, and end and that will help with approaching how to get to those points in said story.

–If you are just starting out, maybe start with a one-shot for practice. Then go onto longer length chapters.

–Writing a fan fic can be a commitment. It’s understandable if you lose interest or if something major happens in your life, but keep in mind that you will have readers who are or will be invested in your story. Of course, the only way to know for sure isn’t just the view/hit count, but the reviews. Speaking of..

-Not everyone will review your work, even if you see that they ARE reading. However, reviews are motivational fuel for fan fic writers (in addition to that personal need to write out the story) and they are encouraging for them. No reviews equals loss of motivation to keep writing a certain story/updates are slower than usual. Be sure to give reviews to stories you like.

-Responding to reviews is good. If it’s a negative review, you probably shouldn’t bother with it.

-Know who your audience is. If you are writing for kids, there are certain topics that you cannot write about. What is your rating?

-If you have certain scenes in mind you are dying to write out, you can either write them out now or wait and see if what you are currently writing will affect it in some way.

-Don’t be afraid if you have to rewrite something. Sometimes it’ll turn out better or it’ll be more believable if you do.

-Always re-read your work.

-ALWAYS go back and edit. Maybe once or three times. It’ll help if there is any way you want to improve upon something when you re-read your work.

-Email your chapters to yourself. It can help with catching errors or with going through your work when you aren’t near your documents or computer. Or if your computer is off and you want to go through it on your phone at work or at school.

-Remember/know the personality of the character–that can help drive the story or the scene. Sometimes the characters will be the ones who can help you out the most when you get stuck on your story because of how they might react to certain situations.

-If working with a character with very little information, it helps to try to put together what you can notice or learn to identify who they might be. (This helps for fan fiction).

-If a character is going to undergo a role reverse or if they are going to be a bit different than how they are normally depicted, there needs to be a believable reason for that.

(For example, is Ganondorf the good guy in your Legend of Zelda fan fic? How? Is he a ruler trying to aid his people while struggling to earn the respect of Hyrule instead of being a conqueror like in canon?)

–So yeah, care to explain why that character you don’t like is now OOC and evil in your fan fic? Is it for fun like in a parody or is there a believable reason? If it’s for the sake of the story, there needs to be a reason for this.

-All characters are flawed and that is ok. It makes them more enjoyable and we want to root for them if they are struggling or trying to overcome a challenge/learn to adapt or change.

-No one is or should be entitled to another character as the ‘end game’ or ‘because they deserve it.’ By that I mean a character should not be seen as a goal or a prize–they are their own personal being. (Of course this is just my personal opinion). If you’re going to pair them together, make it believable.

-OCs are ok, just don’t have EVERYONE in the story fall in love with them. Also it’s ok for them to be flawed, because it makes them more interesting. Don’t make them overpowered either because that’s actually boring.

-Personally, I think main characters who constantly complain can be boring unless you do something with them. (looking at you, Bella Swan of Twilight fame. Also, this is, again, just my opinion).

-When writing relationships, know what attracts the duo to each other–what creates chemistry–and make sure you are careful with the time it takes for the relationship to develop. It helps to be a bit realistic with relationships.

-If writing a same sex couple, please don’t write them to just fulfill some sort of pleasure or make them one-dimensional. Make them enjoyable to read about, let them fall in love, struggle, enjoy life together, etc. Especially if it’s for a serious story. I want to read characters that I want to root for and grow to like, and I want to see a good relationship that’s more than just for fan service. Don’t be all ‘oh and this is the gay character,’ just make it natural.

(I will fully admit that I was once the type to joke about this kind of thing in fan fics before, but I now acknowledge how childish and offensive it can be).

-If you are writing kids, you must remember that you are writing kids.

-Same with teens.

-Cursing is fine, but don’t overdo it. It can get annoying.

–If you think there might be something in the fic or chapter that might be a touchy subject for someone, it’s ok to give a warning at the start of the chapter.

–It’s fun to go into detail, but don’t throw in too many details to the point that it slows everything down. Let your reader be allowed to fill in the rest with their mind.

-Not everything should be solved too easily. Also, if there is an ex-machina in the story, it’s better to foreshadow its existence or possibility hint at it beforehand so that it doesn’t just magically fix everything.

-Not everyone will get a reference you might throw in. Sometimes they can make good easter eggs but not always.

-If writing a character you don’t like, try to put your hate aside unless there’s an actual good reason for the reader to hate them. (I wasn’t a huge fan of Ilia from Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. When I wrote ‘Twilight Twists’ I was able to suppress that dislike and I ended up enjoying making her Zelda’s best friend).

-Following the above, sometimes it pays to wait until the right moment for the much hated/disliked character to get their proper comeuppance. Not right away, but when the moment is just right it’ll make it oh-so-satisfying. (Anyone whose read my fic ‘From fathoms below’ can tell just how much sadistic joy I took in making one character have to face some major karma).

-If you are basing your fic on a pe-existing story–for example it’s an AU of, say, Beauty and the Beast or Marvel’s the Avengers–maybe DON’T make your story a complete rewrite of the script. Know what makes the story or the world you are using so unique–what would make this AU so different–and make the AU something enjoyable instead of just a script with the characters replaced with other characters. You can keep us in suspense and keep the story from being too predictable if you are careful.

(Actual example: I’ve done a couple of Little Mermaid inspired AUs. The Moana one called ‘Only a Voice’ was the closet to the story, but it took place in Motunui and the time limit had to be extended to make the main friendship develop in a realistic way, instead of rushing it, because of how the characters were in the original film. Also, this fic encouraged me to look into Polynesian cultures, so I could make it as accurate to the original setting as possible and be aware of what is ok in that culture and what isn’t).

–If setting your story in a certain time or place, or you want to use something you aren’t familiar with, RESEARCH THAT SETTING AS MUCH AS YOU CAN! You might risk an inaccuracy or accidentally offend someone if you aren’t careful.

-It’s ok to use a bit of the humor from the original work. Just remember that you are writing your own thing too and you are also finding your own writing style.

-If you want your readers to take a scene seriously, and you don’t want anything in that scene to be funny or a distraction, don’t let it happen or remove it.

(I had to stop mentioning a specific word for a few moments in one fic when I deemed the moments too serious to be funny. It would have been hard to take them seriously otherwise).

-When writing out the fight scenes, you will need to really visualize what is going on. It helps to know how the fighting starts and how you want it to end. Try to keep the steps in short sentences instead of cramming too much in one sentence. It also helps if you write the steps out on paper. If you play video games or have experience with strategy or fighting, use that to your advantage to figure out the sequence of things.

–Certain fight scenes can take awhile to write out, just as a head’s up. Sometimes a month.

–Writing can get addicting if you are in the mood. Limit it to an hour or two hours, but also so you can refresh your mind for the next time.

–Be careful how you write certain things because it might come out wrong to the reader. Also edit it if that will effect it.

-If you must break the fourth wall, be careful how you do it.

-Go back to what you write before posting anything. Maybe there’s a way to add upon a moment.

And... I guess that’s it. Have fun writing! :)