EVERYONE: I want to be a writer

[CyberPika]

I'm new but I'm always on fanfiction.net reading fanfictions and stuff. I'd love to become a good author but I need help with advice.

Any tips for a beginner?

 

[Umbramatic]

Just have good grammar and spelling, and avoid overly-idealized characters (Mary Sues), overused plots, and overuse of "said bookisims" (Google it). And it's highly recommended you know the work you're ficcing (and probably its fandom) pretty well. That's pretty much the basics.

EDIT: And know your limits... that's something I've had to find out the hard way.

EDIT2: This thread may help too.

 

[LightningTopaz]

Write what you know, and research what you don't
Anything can be inspiration
Write what YOU like

 

[Thundagere]

My advice really isn't much compared with all the great writers we have around here, but taking it from a reader's perspective,
All the fics that I've really liked have one thing in common. They have things from a refreshing viewpoint or a new idea or something that isn't seen often. I've seen fics by people whose writing captivated me but I eventually gave up on because it was such a boring plot or viewpoint. There are thousands of fanfics, and to make your's stand out, make it a new, refreshing viewpoint.
Oh, and emphasize the grammar thing, I can't tell you how much a simple grammar error can disrupt the flow for me.

 

[Kihote]

My advice is simple, and honestly this is the best I can offer.

Just write.

That's it, if you want to be a better writer then write and write, you'll get better. It might sound cliche or like dumb advice but trust me, a long time ago when I first started writing I was awful (worse than I currently am if you can believe that) and I got better. If you write you'll see your own weak points and be able to fix them, you'll learn your strengths and how to amplify them, and most of all, you'll have fun.

 

[Phoenix502]

Once you've got your plot sorted out, try to remain on that. I have a friend who has a problem with coming up with the wackiest ideas that don't always come from Pokemon and decide to implement them into his fanfic...

thankfully, because it'll eventually be a collaboration between two stories, he confides with me on them, and I have to tell him that as exotic as the idea seems in theory, it's too outlandish for Pokemon. that and it makes no sense...

if you plan to throw in a twist in the middle of your story, it's better for readers if it's somewhere within the story's boundaries... :sweat:

 

[Gato]

For starters, I'm not necessarily a major writer or anything, but I can at least tell you some things, although they may be obvious enough...

Anyway! First and foremost, write about something something you enjoy/are passionate about. It makes it so much easier. Anyway, that was obvious.

Also, as a hypocrite speaking, it's honostly hard to emphasize the sheer importance of proof-reading. If you take the time to read it yourself, you'd be surprised ho many little errors you hadn't noticed before you'd find. but in all seriousness, that can be a hard, tedious task.

So then, to make life easier among other things, you can have someone else proofread your work, which is great! It's not as boring for them, plus you get an entirely different mind attempting to read the story. It's great! Just make sure not to select someone who's afraid of criticizing. XD

 

[Cabaret]

There's got to be thousands of stories in that head of yours, just pick one and write it down.

 

[Zekurom]

My advice is simple, and honestly this is the best I can offer.

Just write.

This is also my advice to you. Write. Don't care about what other people say about Mary Sues and overidealized plots. If you think about that while writing, you'll never come up with anything.

For that matter, don't think about anything for too long. The worst thing you can do is try to think about all the things you can do with a character or even a story, and try to put them all into action at once. This is how most Mary Sues are created in the first place, because people try and stuff things into a character that just don't work. The visual art equivalent would be trying to draw the outside details of a character first. It usually results in an off-balance, strange-looking picture.

It's hard to catch yourself thinking in that manner, though, because it comes so naturally. But eventually you'll make it work. This doesn't mean you can't ask yourself questions about what you're writing, but you shouldn't have to have everything in absolute place before you start writing.

Also remember that your first draft is never good, and it shouldn't be. If it were, you'd never be able to keep molding it into a piece of perfection. When writing, don't think about what will result. Think about what you're doing now and just do it. Save the thinking about the result for later when you proofread and edit.

 

[CyberPika]

Oh thank you for answering my thread everyone.

I will accept this advice. Is there anyone particuler here that is the good author to read and get tips and stuff. Who is a really good writer here at the Workshop? Any advice?

 

[Cabaret]

Might I recommend checking the hall of fame? It shows who has won the awards in the past, and while their subjective, they do show which writers tend to have more readers, which most likely has to do with the quality of their writing.

 

[CJBlazer]

Wel, if you love to write then write. It doesn't matter if you finish or not. I have dozens of books left unfinished but I am still writing.

 

[SquishyFace]

just make sure you have motivation, because my lack of motivation is the reason why i never finish my fics.

 

[ShadowDRGN]

My way is to start on easy stuff like short stories and work up to chapter books. i tried to go right to the last part but failed so i just went for doing episodic stuff like im doing now. also, like some others said, try not to do overused stuff and be unique. most of all, dont be discouraged, just do what you do best and take pride in whatever come out of it.

 

[an illegible mess.]

i think the best thing is to get inspired. other books, fan-fictions, original stories, one-shots, poetry, etc. are good. but you can also be inspired by music, tv shows, movies, games, and your/your friend/family's life experiences. most of the stories that i write are based upon the experiences that i have faced (the devil's gift, my most recent one, relies heavily on that aspect).

also, read a lot! reading makes you get better at your spelling and grammar, and provides a boost of inspiration as said above.

the next step is writing your plot. most plots are inspired by others, or come up with pure creativity. choose a genre that interests you most and come up with a plot line that is simple, easy to understand, and can be enjoyed by everyone. note that everyone has different tastes, so there may be some people who don't like your story. that's ok, but just don't let everyone hate it. once you've got your plot down, brainstorm it. plan ahead how many chapters you'll have, and how it ends. don't just come up with it as your writing because then you may want to go back and change something that's already been published. also make sure that it makes sense, not just grammar or spelling wise, but also story wise. do your characters seem realistic? are they not mary-sues/gary-stus? do they have their own personal flaws? NEVER make a character perfect. it's boring, cliche, and does not reflect good characterization or writing skills.

then it comes to the actual writing. when you first write, you may base your style off of a book or someone else's style, which can be bad. however, before even starting your story and publishing it to the world, make sure you've already written a couple pieces in the past, but haven't submitted them anywhere. keep a writing journal and write small stories or poems to enhance your writing. then, when you're sure you've created your own style of writing, start writing that story of yours. always ask for reviews, and don't get mad if you get a bad one. the person is just trying to help, so learn from what they're saying and put that in your next batch of writing.

another thing: don't act like your writing is the best out there, and put other people down while boasting yours is better. while having pride in your writing is a good thing, it's not good when you start bragging and making put-downs towards people who may be just as good as you. appreciate other people's writing and compliment them. get inspired by them, even. always be considerate of others, and never bashful.

here are some writing books i recommend you get. they're good to read for beginners and help hone your writing skills. they also help with grammar and spelling and how to make it flow with your writing.

words fail me by patricia t. o'conner
the elements of style by william strunk jr. and e.b white.
woe is i by patricia t. o'conner
on writing by stephen king
the writer's journey by christopher vogler

there are many many many more books that will help you on the subject. try looking around on amazon and i'm sure you'll find a lot of good ones. these are just ones i recommend because i've read them and found them helpful.

tl;dr good luck on your writing and i hope to see some of things i mentioned here in your works!

 

[Black_Cat320]

As a new writer myself I can't really say whats most important or give any real good tips, but I know that you should take some time from your writing every once and a while to just step back and take a breather. It really helps with all projects really, just try taking the time to breath and try looking at it in a new light. Also if you don't feel like writing, or just can't get the ideas to flow, then don't write. Its not good to try to force yourself because you might just end up doing more harm then good.

 

[Shadow Victini]

A few pieces of key advice:
Make sure to have motivation and know that you'll finish your fic.
Don't be too critical of yourself. Learning from your mistakes is the way to become a writer.
Screw what everyone else thinks. As my catchphrase on ff.net goes, Keep-a-writing!. Unless you have atrocious grammar. THEN you should learn. (Maybe you shouldn't listen to this......XD)
And I'd say please don't write a high school fic full of the same generic pairings with the characters upped to sixteen, but I think that's just personal opinion slipping in.
I'd say the most important thing I said is: "Keep-a-writing!"

 

[Polkadot Jolteon]

I've got some advice, as a writer.

If you want to be a writer, the best thing you can do, is write.

Seriously. They don't call them writers for nothing. Just write your story. There's nothing to it.

Who cares about finishing or punctuation? If you want to write, write. Eat food, drink water, scratch where it itches, and write stories. Simples. Squeak.