Fanfiction Tips (post tips here)

[demoneyes14]

Okay, Not to brag or anything, but when competing in a fanfiction contest like i have for the past three years, there are certain things you must do when you want a fic to catch someone's eye.

First of all, you need originality! You can't just try and make a different version of a story with the same plot. I mean, how many times have you seen the same plot over and over again with lets say... a naruto fic? It gets really boring really fast. People go for originality. (Sadly, that's what i always win for in the fanfiction contests...)

Second of all, when making romance fics, do not make them show signs of liking them right in chapter one! Denial is another thing. 'omg, I don't love her, do I?' (I dunno... maybe it just grates my nerves... but i do see it way too much)

Third: KEEP THE CHARACTERS IN CHARACTER! We all know that Albel isn't a sappy, lovestruck girly guy. He is a strong and arrogant girly guy! Having his character change totally ruins a story. I've seen many a fic die that way. Don't let them get all sympathetic in the second chapter!

Fourth: Be as insane as you want. I'm totally in love with this one Advent Children Fic starring kadaj and Yuffie who are now (quite forcefully) married. Humor is good! so YES! have Peppita force Albel into a tutu! Have Luther sing at the karaoke bar! HAVE FUN d**nIT! At least enjoy the fic you're writing!

Fifth: Try to at least have a happy ending. And nothing too sappy either... we do not need to die from overdose of the gushiness. X.x Put some freaking action in there so that the two characters aren't making out all the time! Oh right, that's another thing. Try to avoid having them fall in love at the beginning. XP

Sixth: Don't go for romance all the time. Its fun just to have some silly humor. REALLY SILLY ORIGINAL HUMOR! You know you wanna X3

These are just a few tips i have gotten during my time writing. And believe me, it totally pays off. Happy Birthday Itachi-Kun won for Most Original (and Silly) at the anime North fanfiction contest, and nearly won for best metaphor 'you clay eating transvestite'
That is how crazy I am. and ya know what? NO ROMANCE!!! MUAHAHA!

Post your tips here!

[AnarchySky]

Humor?!

Did someone say humor?

Hotdog!

Actually, I've never been in fanfic contests but I've won prizes and been honored for my original short stories (humor, dagummit).

If anyone ever needs help with prompt writing or short stories, I'll definitely give some tips. Our writing team motto was when writing, don't use the first idea you get because someone else will probably think of it too. Usually, the best stories are orginal stories.

[demoneyes14]

Agreed! Who goes for the same storyline over and over and over? One must think for themself! *insert Rock Lee Emoticon Here*

[darkladyxion959]

Fanfiction Writing Tips are VERY important for that is what helps and encourages those in need!

In fanfiction, I believe you should "Have fun when writing!" It's what expresses you. Your mood changes the feeling of the fic, and if you do it right, your readers will feel that emotion too.

I also believe in "QUALITY NOT QUANTITY!" Give the readers what they want, but not if it means the quality will go down. I remember one author asking their readers if they should update more, but they warned that if they did update more, it would be rushed, and not very good. Thus, plan out what you want in one specific chapter and take your time writing it out.

I'm not saying anyone's perfect when writing, (that's what editors are for), but always go over your work and check for mistakes. You won't catch all of them, but the less amount of mistakes you make, the less your readers will catch them and immediately go, "Typo!"

Heh, now I'm not very good at writing humor fics...I'm way better at romance, and maybe action, but definitely romance. And within romance, I specialize in lemons. Lemons are a somewhat hard genre to write, mostly because it's not for everyone to read, but because if you don't know how to write a lemon, that will show in your work. I'm not going to go into details about how to write one, but if you want to give one a shot and write one, contact me, I'd love to help!

Oh yeah, by the way, I wrote up this Fanfiction Writers Oath a long time ago, I don't know how many times I edited it, but it's done and I'm ready to share it.

Fanfiction Writers Oath

I pledge my allegiance to fiction writers that I, as one of them, will bring to the world a new generation of stories; stories that I have poured my heart, soul, talent, and time into making. I, as an avid fan, will show my devotion for what I love by expressing it through what I see best. For the ideas, skills, knowledge, and passion that all writers possess.

Heh, nothing big, but I look at it when I need to be reminded what being a fanfiction author is all about!

[Meowbel]

Proofread your story. Excessive grammar/spelling mistakes, misused words, misplaced pronouns, etc. can drive your reader up the wall...

(Although one time I read a fic full of them and laughed my butt off at the mistakes and how they completely changed the meaning of some sentences.)

And the OOCness tends to kill the story.

[paradoxknight]

Don't stop. If you're the type to be lethargic, lazy or plainly procrastinating in nature. With a short attention, or perhaps with too many conflicting interests, just don't stop writting for as long as you can. Avoid to remove windows or other items which helped you build up a starting pace, and eventually tone it down to a more controlled pace. Either that or build a proper pace from scratch.

Other then that. Aim for something interesting. A happy ending is fine, but a sad ending is striking, and a worst-case scenario ending is unfortunately very memorable if the impact is properly timed and built.