Writing Fanfics

The Basics

Plot Development

Character Development

Dialogue

Sex Scenes

Writing the Fic

And finally...


Other sources


Kat's Meow

Plot Development

  • For the love of God, Be ORIGINAL! There are few things that make me gag more than a plot line that is basically: “I won tickets to their concert and it turned out they were front row! As the first song began, he came out on stage. Our eyes met and it was love.” Also annoying are the “meet and greet” stories (and yes, I admit to using that one once). Try and make your plot interesting, but not exactly like every other plot out there. If you are concentrating on how they met, have it happen in some original way.

  • Save it for the back-story. Back-story is some thing that isn't necessarily part of the main plot line, but that tells the reader more about the character(s) in your fic. It can be an insight into a character’s childhood, or even how the characters met. You don’t have to tell us EVERY little detail in your story. You can make reference to something and not explore it (just make sure it isn’t an essential part of your main plot).

  • One story or two? You go to a movie to see a love story about two people. Are they the only two people you ever see? Is the love story the only story that takes place? No; there are a variety of supporting characters and sub-plots. These are what make the story whole. If you are writing a story about Nick while he is on tour with the Backstreet Boys – ta da! You have at least 4 supporting characters there for you to work with. And they’ll each have lives and things that are important to them, so they will not spend the entire fic concentrating solely on Nick and his story. So let them live!

    By the way, the sub-plots do not need to be complicated. Heck, you can have a subplot be, for example, that someone is allergic to lima beans and every meal they get served has them on the plate. Think of all the fun you can have with that!

  • Life is bittersweet. Every cloud has a silver lining… Life isn’t always perfect: reflect that in your fic. Heck, life is downright perverse sometimes. Even in the saddest moments someone can crack a joke. Remember that and use it: it’ll make your fics more real.

  • Try not to be ‘over-original’ Originality is good. Originality brings something to a fic. However, trying to be 'over-original' is as bad as not being original enough. Don’t mistake originality in, for example, naming your characters as originality in plot line. Even if it is "Pheenicks Destinee-Labombillo who meets the Boy of her dream by winning a front row ticket to their concert," it is still going to be a dull plot line.

  • Take your time. It isn’t a race, it’s a story. Take your time crafting your story. Don’t just skip to the good stuff, because it won’t pack near the punch that you think it will. Filler chapters ARE a good thing.

    Plot Pet Peeves

    • Evie says:
      • "Pick a genre! Yes, it's important to throw a little humor in with a drama. And yes, it's important for a comedy to have a solid plot background so that it's more than just a collection of jokes. But please don't write a fic that from chapter to chapter changes from lighthearted to thick drama. It works a little in small doses, but not for a whole fic! Life isn't like that. If you're serious boyfriend of seven years suddenly breaks up with you, you're not going to be joking about it the next day."

    • Rebecca hates it when:
      • A single character is telling the story. But then they die. "Please, if you're going to kill off a character, even if it is just in the last chapter, don't use them as a vehicle to tell your story because in the end, they die. How can they tell the story if they're dead?"

    • Nia adds:
      • "If you start the story off with a main character and a best friend, be sure to keep the friend along the way. If all of a sudden the friend disappears, the story loses something."

    • Amanda groaned as she said:
      • "Don't write a story about the BSB hating *NSYNC. It's already been done about a thousand times!"

    • Brittney says:
      • "Try to make everything in a story have relevance. Don't put anything in your story just for the hell of it. Make sure everything has a meaning. Try to avoid stating something if it makes no difference whether you did or not...it's a great tactic for adding plot twists later on."

    • Leesha reminds us that:
      • You have to have "Conflict! To me a story (any story) is extremely boring to read without SOME conflict.

    • Viv sent in this one:
      • "Pick a perspective, just one, and stick with it. If Janie is watching Tom in the first paragraph and thinks that he's cute, *don't* tell us later on that Tom thinks Janie's hair is soft. Stay in one character's head. (Editors have killed for less.)"

    • Love says:
      • At least write about something you understand and can go into detail about. For instance, your main character can't be a surgeon if you have no idea the kind of instruments they use or the type of operations they give. And if you you still want your main character to be a surgeon, or if you want to include a detail to your story that you don't completely understand, either leave it out or LOOK IT UP! Research what your characters will be experiencing so the reader will enjoy themselves.


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