Advice for Fanfiction Writers

[Captain Tammo]

Another question: How much emotion is too much?

I think having an emotional scene is a great way to tie things together and help your reader stay involved with the story. I think it was in Dusktail by Darkenmal that there was a scene in which a hare experiences some PTSD and it was very well done. There was no physical action going on, but I thought it was one of the best scenes I'd read so far in that story. So emotional scenes can be a good thing!

In terms of how much emotion is needed to create the scene, I suppose the right answer would be "as much as the scene requires".

If you're talking about the number of emotional scenes in a story, I believe it would vary from story to story and with writing styles. Sometimes those emotional scenes, whether they're happy ones or sad ones, are needed to balance out all the fighting and gore of the story, and vice versa. I would suggest experimenting a little bit with that ratio and see what sits best with you. If you feel like more emotion is needed, then you're probably right!

[Hickory]

Dialogue Tags

When a character is performing an action related to speaking ("said", "yelled", "whispered"), use a comma:

"I'm pretty much a Grammar Nazi," Skyblade muttered.

When a character is performing an action unrelated to speaking ("sat down", "looked around", "punched someone in da face"), use a period:

"I'm pretty much a Grammar Nazi." Skyblade rolled her eyes.

[close]

I'd like to add just one little thing here, 'cause I've seen this mistakenly done as well.  If the paragraph mentions speaking but has a direct object in it, you also use a period.  Like so:

Correct vs incorrect

CORRECT: "I'm really mad."  She said this with a smile on her face.

INCORRECT:  "I'm really mad," she said this with a smile on her face.

[close]

The "this" (or "that", or "it") is the direct object of the sentence, so, yeah.  In that situation, they shouldn't be one sentence.  Split them into two or remove the direct object.

I'm fairly certain that "I'm really mad," she said with a smile on her face." is also a viable means of writing.

[Jukka the Sling]

@Sagetip  Yeah, that's what I said - you can leave the comma if you remove the direct object.

[Aimless Gallivanter]

Im just gonna leave this here for when you cant think of the word you need

  http://chir.ag/projects/tip-of-my-tongue/

[Gonff the Mousethief]

My gosh, there is a ton of good stuff on here to learn from!

Okay, so this info ins't necessarily just for fan-fic writers, but this can certainly help.

Disclaimer real quick. I am mostly a self-taught writer, only truly being taught anything about writing from my English books (Which that was just basic grammar rules). So this information may be suitable for you or not.

First, if you are using a lot of new elements the reader is not familiar with, such as magic or a new land, don't just stick them in there and expect them to understand it all. Ease them into it. Let them learn with the characters, or get a grasp of the concept before using it as a regular. However, one really good quote (From who I cannot remember) that I remember to use is "Explanation kills writing". Don't just sit there and explain all of it to the reader. Make it interesting, and not just a whole lot of text telling about what this is, or what a character will be doing. Show it, don't explain it. If they are going to leave a place, don't state it and tell why. Let the characters discuss it and let that be a way for a reader to see what is happening.

The other point I have is don't just type something up just to get praise for it. Writing, especially based off another's life work, should be something heartfelt rather than a quick scheme for some view and comments. Never do it for what the reward, do it because you have a passion for it.

[The Skarzs]

Now, I would like to say about the "if they are going to leave a place" that Gonff said, if your story is in the (very rarely) second person or first person, this style of writing requires that the reader is being told their thoughts (because they are the protagonist- Second person), or they are actually reading the thoughts of the protagonist (first person).


Also, on those writing POVs:
First person: Very often a style that beginners choose because they can make the character to be them, and write easily because of that. However, the view is restricted to a single person and the way they think and the things they see. There is no insight into the antagonist's side, they might not know what's going on around them, they are biased, etc. This view is often used for mystery and thriller (or even super hero) because those genres benefit from the suspense the single-minded way the story is told brings. Surprises galore.

Second person: This one is tricky for fiction because the writer is telling the reader what he, the reader, is doing. It does, however, surprise the reader, make for the most personal of all the styles of writing, and tests the skill of the writer. It's limiting the freedom of mind the reader has, but it does have good control over the story. Create your own adventure books are one of the few genres that work for this style of writing, but it's a well-used style for non-fiction.

Third person: This is the most common style of writing for fiction because it offers the most freedom for both the writer and the reader. There are also several ways of writing first person, the main two being:
Third person omniscient- covering all emotions of all characters with unlimited knowledge of every decision, variable, and outcome.
Third person limited- The focus of the story is on one character, their actions, the setting around them, and the actions they do.
With these are a plethora of options. How omniscient or limited is the narration going to be? Fully omniscient is almost humanly impossible, and fully limited is just that: Limited. So there is an ability for the writer to stretch either one as far as they want, with room for some fluctuation as necessary for the story. Also, the "personality" of the narration is a useful tool. It can be very consoling and gentle with the protagonist, but also proud and heartless like the antagonist, or be wholly in line with the protagonist's goals the entire story, or even have a very neutral stance about the whole thing. As above said, this can fluctuate to help with the feel of the story at any time.
One flaw to this style is that inexperienced writers can have a tendency to head-hop, or change the character the story is focusing on too quickly, making the connection between the reader and the protagonist weaken. It's fine to change from one character to the next to help with the coverage of the story, but care must be taken that enough time is spent between the switches.

One very important thing to remember is that you must not switch from one point of view to another. This would be extremely confusing, and interrupt the flow of the story badly.

[Skyblade]

One thing I just read is that instead of writing a lot, write to improve. Specifically, to improve your weaknesses. Now, I personally think building on your strengths is crucial as well.

So I'm gonna ask: What do you all perceive to be my strengths and weaknesses in writing? And don't worry about hurting my feelings; I need to be able to take it

[Eulaliaaa!]

I think you're very good at making really loveable characters when you want them to be liked. You're also very good at backstories and plots. I think you have a lot of good ideas, and you should definitely keep writing - it's a talent not everyone can say they have. I always enjoy reading your stuff. Though one thing I would work on is the bad guy's motivations. I've not read a whole lot of your villains, but I did notice in the Crossover RPs and some short stuff you shared that a lot of the bad guys were bad just because the good guys were different or good. In real life, someone most likely won't be bad because they like being evil - they justify their actions instead. They believe they've been wronged, they're the victim, they deserve something, or they misunderstand a situation. Other than that, I can't say there's much to criticize. You make good characters, stories, dialogue, and I like your writing style.

[The Skarzs]

Believable villains are definitely a must.

[Skyblade]

@Eulaliaaa! Thank you so much for the kind and helpful post.

You haven't read much about my villains because I developed them more recently, starting around winter. That's also when I became more cautious about sharing my work with others. Since then, I think my villains have improved, but I've no other opinons to go on yet. Do you mind reading and commenting on a PM with info about my villains?

[Eulaliaaa!]

I would love to help out - you've done a lot to help me

[Brinty]

There is some great advice on here. On the old forum there was a page for carry on fan fiction were different members wrote each chapter, but you couldn't write two in a row and each chapter had to be 500 words or more. That way no one person had to commit to writing a hole book. Would anyone be interested if I started a carry on fiction on this forum??

I looked around and there is already one in the making so ignore this comment.

[Captain Tammo]

So I learned something new when it comes to making memorable characters and side characters. The area that I want to focus on in this particular post is showing character development in a character who doesn't have much "screen time" so to speak. Now, while this is something I haven't done in my own writing yet, it is something I'm eager to try out. I think there's a fine line to be walked here, though. Because otherwise your development will come off as a rushed job.

Right now I'm reading Dracula by Bram Stoker. In this story, Stoker establishes Dracula as one of the greatest villains I've seen in a book yet! And he does so almost entirely through indirect means. The count has a strong presence in chapters 3 - 5, then disappears for about 20 chapters and reappears in chapter 25 with a single set of lines. That's it so far (I'm on chapter 26 of 27 now). We learn in those early chapters what the villain is about - he's an evil man who doesn't appear in mirrors or casts a shadow; he has harry palms; can control wolves and possesses immense strength. Oh, and he wants to suck one of our hero's blood.

But then, everything changes and we don't see much of Dracula anywhere. The characters of the story are there piecing together bits and pieces of what's going on and the reader picks up on certain hints in every-day journal entries that suggests the count's presence lurking in the background. As time goes on, the reader sees more and more of this and the tension grows. Dracula turns into a very well-developed villain that is also shrouded in mystery. A few glimpses here and there of him describe a man with seemingly red eyes, a long beard, pale skin and sharp teeth and the reader knows oh my gosh, that's him! but just as soon as you see him, he slips into a crowd or disappears somewhere.

I found it really amazing that Stoker could make a character, especially a central antagonist, so interesting while showing so little of them. There's a reason this book is a classic! Another comparable character is Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs (note that that book/movie is rated R, so it may not be appropriate if you're a younger user of this site). In that movie, Anthony Hopkins makes history as one of the greatest villains in cinema, yet only has 15 minutes of screen time in a 2hr 15min film.

So if you're looking for a way to develop a villain or a character important to the story, try this approach. Keep them mysterious, their appearances few, or show changes in how people see them over time. You may find that you've created a character that keeps the reader on their toes! There's a certain thrill in not knowing everything that is going on in the villains head!

[Ashleg]

Good tips, but don't be afraid to show their personality a bit.
One can know the character's goals and that they're mysterious, but one can drop hints and leave clues, still being mysterious, while not making the villain totally scarce.

Voldemort is like this: he is spooky, mysterious, and he has his moments where he actually gets decent chunks of screen time.

[DelenatheWanderer]

I have some advice that is hard but true: The first draft is probably going to be horrible.
Yes. Of course, I'm not saying that there are not bits and pieces that are good, but at least read back through and change some factors. For example:
"I hate cheese." Delena said.
Kinda boring, right? But if I make a few changes:
"I hate cheese!" Delena muttered.
See the difference? Engaging your readers is an important thing.
And the most important part - don't feel embarrassed to ask a question. We all need help sometimes. I hope this helps somebody!