RYO'S TUTORIAL
How to write a good fanfic.
So you want to write a fanfic or you have been writing ones and yet you do not how to properly write one. Well, hopefully this tutorial will help you. It is not my job to flame, nor to be all cute and say your fic is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I am here to help you how to learn the proper way to write fics with grammar, structure, and proper format.
1: First you need to decide what type of story you will write. Do you want romance, thriller, adventure, action, comedy, or a combination of any of them?
2. Once you realize what type you desire, you then need to plan the plot. Every story needs a plot to keep the fic moving along. Without it, the fic is basically a dud.
3. You need characters. These may be from the show you are writing about, or from your own imagination. However with new characters you need to be careful! Characters that are too strong, too pretty, handsome, with no weaknesses, whether physical or mental or emotional are simply boring. Well it is okay to have characters that are strong and good looking, make them believable! Say for example, you have a female character and she was incredibly beautiful. Why not make her a klutz? Or give a nervous condition or something else? Give her a background where things are not so perfect for her at all times. You could even make her look less attractive to another character, even if she may be attractive to someone else. Do this for male characters if you have them. And don't use the common cliché where her parents suddenly died when she was little and she was an orphan who had to struggle to survive. Think of something different for your character. This way they don't become common Mary-Sues or common John-Sues. And if they have armors or power, for goodness sake, give them weaknesses, whether physical or mental. Weaknesses is what brings a character to life. Even Superman the Man of Steel, had his weaknesses.
4. Now that you have your characters ready, how will you begin your story? Often stories do not start with words. It usually begins with some kind of action. Think of an action that may have happened in your life if you have trouble writing. Sometimes though, not often, fics can and do start with some words. But always follow it immediately with an action!
5. Remember to use proper grammar and spelling! There are words that sound alike, but are spelled differently. They are called homonyms. Words such as: There, they're, their, your, you're, dough, doe, poor, pour, sphere, spear, for, four, and so forth. The mother of all homonyms? The ones with there, their, and they're. If you are confused at what each one is, take a visit to the dictionary. You may also be able to find a suitable homonym site online someplace.
6. Proper spelling. People do have problems with spelling. Some may be typos, but when you have it throughout your fic, admit it; you've got a problem. Word pad and notepad are the worst to write stories on. They do not give help when writing a wrong word. Microsoft Works and OpenOffice are programs that do help with spelling and with grammar. Even if you use Front Page, you will still see pointers when you spelled a word wrong. The only complaints I have against Microsoft Works is that it tends to underline any word it does not recognize. If you are unsure of the spelling, try the dictionary if you can. Often it may be a different word from another language and you will have to add it in. Do not add English words, other than fictional names, if they are spelled wrong! And you will know when you type out an English word and you see a red mark underneath it. That is when you should check your dictionary.
7. Paragraphs. I don't know how many times I've seen Firestorm or Rowen cringe when they came across a story with little to no paragraphs. A good fic must have paragraphs. Paragraphs are used whenever a different character speaks or when a new action is formed. Take a look at some novels in your library. They are the best sources for understanding paragraphs.
8. Sentence Structure. This is hard for some people. I'll do my best to explain though and give examples as well. First, every new sentence begins with a capital letter. Nouns often describe a person, place or a thing, and often the names of people, streets, cities, states, countries, and names of rivers, and titles of people are always capitalized on the first letter. Examples: Dr. Kunts, or Emperor Sakio always begin with a capital letter. Pronouns do not begin with a capital letter unless they are the first word in a sentence. Also, remember to use the correct marks when having a character speak while doing an action. Example A: Harriet paused a moment. "No, I do not think I'm all that," she said softly as she glared in anger, "as you may think you are, Kevin." She then walked away, leaving him alone. This is the proper way to write a sentence with an action.
The wrong way to write this sentence would be: Example B: Harriet paused a moment. "No, I do not think I am all that," she said softly as she glared in anger. "As you may think you are, Kevin." And another way would be: Example C: Harriet paused a moment. "No, I do not think I am all that," She said softly as she glared in anger, "As you may think you are, Kevin." Do you see what I mean? If you read a novel from the library, take careful note to the sentence structures. Other sentences can be written this way, and most often are. "Wow," the girl exclaimed, "I never knew how much trouble one bird could be!" Or maybe this. "There isn't much time for me to stay here," the boy said sadly.
Whenever you have a character speak first, followed by who was speaking, never put a period down after the sentence. Instead use a comma. A period signifies the end of a sentence, and when you have it like this: "There isn't much time for me to stay here." the boy said sadly. It sounds and looks wrong. And it will still sound wrong if you write it this way: "There isn't much time for me to stay here." The boy said sadly. Although you have your first sentence in full term, the second one is more like a fragmented sentence and needs to be combined with the first. How do you do this? Put a comma at the end of 'here', lowercase the word 'the', and there you go. It should look like this: "There isn't much time for me to stay here," the boy said sadly.
9. How long should your fic be? That depends. What type of story are you writing? Comedies are generally shorter, while other genres are longer. When writing certain types of fics, do not write short chapters. This is annoying to readers. A good chapter should be between four to eight pages long. The maximum number is about eleven to twelve pages. However some readers cringe when dealing with a fic that has forty plus chapters, while each of them are about ten pages long. That is when you might want to consider keeping your chapters at a minimum of eight pages.
It really all depends on you and what you want and how you can do it. Be careful not to go too fast in your storyline, such as jumping around and such. Give your characters thoughts and feelings as well, or with an air of mystery to them. Intriguing characters are often the best ones in my opinion.
10. What happens if you need an idea? While most people take their ideas from someone else's fic, you may do the same, however not use the entire idea, nor copy word for word! Change some things around! Don't use exact actions someone else may have. The fanfic idea about Cye being Talpa's son, written by Firestorm, came from Saendie's (er, is that spelled right?) fics Separate Ties and Ties That Bind, and Severed Ties. However, instead of writing it completely like Saendie's, she changed the plot and story line. People tend to get annoyed if you use their entire idea, although some may not mind it. Why? Curiosity actually. They want to see how your fic will turn out to be when you use their idea.
11. Above all, practice! Don't let someone's words: You suck, or your fic is the worst thing they've seen, cause you to stop. Listen to good criticism. Talk to your English professors, ask for their help, or even ask a Literature Professor. Get their ideas and opinions. And be sure to read books from your local library. See how the authors do it. You may notice mistakes in the book as well, because even editors aren't that perfect. The more you practice, the more you listen to advice and apply it, the better you'll become. I wish you all luck.
Oh, if you notice any grammar or spelling mistakes, let me know, please? I have to go to soccer practice now, and don't have time to check at the moment. Thanks! *runs off with a soccer ball*