Writing Fanfics
The Basics

Plot Development

Character Development

Dialogue

Sex Scenes

Writing the Fic

And finally...

Other sources

Kat's Meow

The Basics

  • SPELL CHECK! Hey, I know that occasionally the spell check on your machine doesn’t catch everything, but for pity sake run it anyway. There is nothing worse than trying to read something that sounds like an illiterate chimpanzee wrote it. No matter how good or inventive your story line is if no one can figure out what the heck you are trying to say it won’t capture the reader’s attention. And yes, mistakes do happen, but try and clear up the more obvious ones, okay?

  • Proper Grammar. This goes along with the first point. Please review your fics for proper verb tenses and so on. I know that sometimes I have read and re-read what I’ve written so many times I can’t see the mistakes anymore – in those cases you may want to get someone else to proof it for you. If you can’t do that let it sit overnight (or at least for a few hours) until it is not the foremost thing in your head. Then re-read it. Hopefully any grammatical errors will pop out at you.

  • Paragraphs are your friends. If you are introducing a new speaker, or a new thought, please start a new paragraph. There is nothing worse than sitting there trying to figure out who said what.

    The Basics ‘Pet Peeves’

    • My grammar ones:
      • Girls have blonde hair, and boys have blond. AUGH! Apparently my 4th grade English teacher was an idiot. This isn't true. According to Bobbi (and Dictionary.com) either spelling is interchangeable. Sorry if I mixed up anyone... just reporting what I'd been told!
      • There is no such thing as the “statement on a person’s face.” A statement is a sentence or a pronouncement. You can write it or say it, but you cannot have it on your face - unless it is a tattoo. What you mean to say is the ‘expression’ or ‘look’ upon a person’s face.
      • "Alright” is NOT a word in the English language. It is “all right.” Got it? All right! AUGH!I just can't win... Kate tells me that 'alright' is actually in the Australian Edition of the Collins English Dictionary. So it is right after all... But you better prove you're an Aussie first! Or you'll be up a gum tree...
      • American English is different from British English. So please, if you see an extra 'u' in a word like colour, honour, neighbourhood: chill! The author is probably not American. Amanda reminds me to add theatre, metre, centre, kilometre and centimetre to this list.

    • Evie says:
      • "I absolutely cannot bear when authors make lame attempts to sound intelligent beyond their means by throwing in large words that they've heard or seen other's use. If you don't know exactly how and, most importantly, when to use it, then for goodness sake don't! Also, apostrophes and capitalizations. Do the rest of the world a favor and take an elementary school English course."

    • Nanda passes along:
      • There is a difference between "through" and "threw." Use the right one!
      • Use correct past participles. There are irregular verbs that do not end in -ed
      • "Affect" and "effect." There is a "difference between nouns and verbs."

    • Marianne sent these in:
      • Please don't mix up 'they're' 'there' or 'their.'
      • Same goes for 'your' and 'you're' and also 'it's' and 'its.'
      • Please also don't abbreviate 'you.' Saying 'u' is just silly.

    • Julie has these reminders:
      • Spell check programs do not catch real words (like if you type 'he' and mean 'she'), so please read your fics over carefully before sending them out.
      • Also watch your punctuation. "Improper punctuation can make something almost as unreadable as improper grammar."

    • M adds:
      • Make sure you check 'definitely' and don't use 'defiantly' instead. Whole other meaning.
      • Same goes for 'massage' and 'message'.

    • Amanda suggests that:
      • You PLEASE do not mix up 'come' and 'cum.' Two totally different meanings.
      • Make sure you have put the 'g's at the end of coming, going, wearing, etc.
      • When spell checking, make sure you spell the famous person's name right. Don't make mistakes like 'Brain' or 'Durough.'

    • Kayli says these make her gnash her teeth:
      • "I go absolutely crazy when a writer doesn't know where to place commas. It makes the sentence, paragraph and possibly the entire story impossible to read! If a sentence starts with "if" or "when," there should be a comma in there!" (For example: When school ended, he realized how much she'd changed.)
      • When using the word "okay," please SPELL IT OUT! It will not kill the writer to add an "ay" to "ok."
      • "Please, please, please, please, PLEASE never end a sentence with a preposition!" It is: "Where are you going?" not "Where are you going to?"
      • Finally, when a character is exclaiming something, using more than one exclamation point is not necessary! (::hands clenching over keyboard... must not add more !'s:: LOL)

    • Kristin hates:
      • People who use lose instead of loose. "All I have to say it that there is an obvious difference between lose and loose -- get it right morons and if people out there are still confused look up the definition. Some people need help."

    • Lizzie growls:
      • "Remember how to use "to" "too" and "two." For example: "I went to that same store, too! Only I bought two candy bars instead of one.""


    Got some more "pet peeves" for me? Just email 'em here