@MELIN2006 asked: When you write your stories how do you not get bored with them? I've tried and I get bored of my own stories before the first chapter. How do I keep it interesting for myself and others who would read it???

The truth is I do get bored with my own stories. It happens a lot more than you think. The most glaringly obvious examples are my Yang series and Honor Bound, as both have been discontinued at this point. I have tried to revamp my Yang series in the hopes that in reworking it, I can find that spark I once had for it, but so far I haven't had much luck and it's been gathering dust.

On the other hand, sometimes there are stories that I am always excited for. And I think there are a few different things that I, and you as an author, must do to make sure we don't get bored. Let's talk about fanfictions, first.

Fanfictions can often times feel like a struggle, especially when the story is supposed to follow the events of the show. It can feel like you're just rewriting what someone else had already done, and it leaves you feeling unfulfilled. In this regard, it is important that your story be different. I think this is one of the reasons I abandoned my Yang story. Because it simply wasn't different enough. All I did was simply insert my character into the events of the show and I added very little else to it. That was intentional, though. Because I was a new writer when I made the story, I wasn't confident in my own abilities to create an engaging narrative and needed to rely on the work someone else already did. And the first few of my stories were very much like that. Not a lot of original content. Poorly developed characters. I used a world and characters and plotlines that already existed because I wasn't ready to do the heavy lifting myself.

Now, some seven years later, I feel confident enough to take the training wheels off. I have written stories that take place in someone else's universe/world, but tell a new story in that setting, such as my Strength of a Soldier/Wings of a Valkyrie book. And now I have begun plotting and writing my own original series. 

Still though, I enjoy the world of fanfiction because I love the characters and the stories and I know other people love them, too. But now I am confident enough in my own ability to write my own story, such as with my My Hero Academia books. 

That being said, how do I not get bored with them? Well, I would say there are two big things. The first is proper planning. Writing without a plan can be hard because you have no idea what your building towards. No idea what the payoff is. It's the problem I'm seeing with the MCU right now. The culmination of the first four phases has arrived and now it feels like they're treading water when the story should have ended. If you don't know where you're going, you're not going to know how to get there and it will show. 

For me, I know exactly where I want to go with my My Hero Academia story. Also importantly, I have 'checkpoints' if you will. Certain parts of the story that I am excited to get to. For instance, when the main character takes off his blindfold for the first time and I can reveal to my readers what power lies behind his eyes. I was so excited to write that part that it helped get me through some of the slumps. Similarly, I am very excited for much of season four. How my character will react to learning about a quirk erasing drug. How he will respond to meeting Eri, who is essentially a reflection of his younger self. And, of  course, how his relationship with Yaoyorozu will continue to develop. These are all things I am very excited to write, and it all comes from proper planning. Knowing what my story is in advance and subsequently knowing how to get there. 

The second thing is knowing my readers want to read what I have to write. The only reason I'm still active is because there are people like you, the person reading this, who are excited to read my stories. Love and War was put on hold for a long time, and I'd almost abandoned it until there was suddenly an explosion of people commenting on it or messaging me wondering when they would get the next part. I know how frustrating it can be to finally find a really good story only to see it abandoned. And that, combined with the love and support from my audience gave me the motivation I needed to see it through. And now, I think it is one of my best pieces.

This holds exponentially more true for my My Hero Academia story. Partially because I just think it's better and more fun to write, but also because I think people will enjoy it more. Because of the nature of the story and the character I've created, the work and care I've put into it will result in a more satisfying payoff. There are just more moments that I think my audience will have a big reaction to with this story. Like when I finally revealed his quirk. When I finally reunited him with Kendo. When I finally had him take off his blindfold and open his eyes for the first time. And these things elicit a big response from my readers because I planned for them to. It wasn't an accident that I teased his quirk and didn't reveal it until four chapters in, just like it wasn't an accident that I had the other characters in the story wonder what was under his blindfold. I build the suspense and I teased the answer. By giving small parts of the bigger picture, the reveal is made so much more satisfying and epic. Hell, I spent two and a half books putting emphasis on the importance of first names in Japanese culture so that when the main character calls Yaoyorozu, Momo, for the first time it feels huge. And likewise, when he gives her permission to call him by his first name, it's so satisfying.

If you'll bear with me a little longer, writing the scene during the training camp where the character takes off his blindfold I was very excited about because I thought it would be awesome and I knew my readers thought it would be awesome. Inspiration for that particular scene came to me from my childhood. Watching the show X-Men: Evolution we are always shown just how powerful Cyclops is in those brief moments he loses his glasses or visor and loses control. While those accidents aren't necessarily cool themselves, the build up over three seasons to see him face off against Juggernaut by taking off his visor and releasing the full force of his power was something so incredible to me as a young child, and it clearly left an impression. Basically, if you think something is cool, someone else will think it is cool.

Now you might be thinking, that's all good and well when you have an audience, but how do I find that type of motivation when I don't have a following. Same principle. If you have a story to tell, I guarantee someone else will want to read it. I had never written anything before posting for my first time on Wattpad, but now I have an audience that loves what I do, and I am so grateful for it. So just write something and someone will listen.

My final thoughts are that the best way to avoid getting bored with your story is to make sure you've planned it thoroughly. Know where you're going. Plan checkpoints along the way, because four books off is a long time to wait, both as an author and a reader. I can't expect my readers to wait for my main character and Yaoyorozu to get together for four seasons without building to it, so have something to tide them over. For me, the first thing I teased was the nature of his quirk. Then it was his relationship with Kendo. Then it was opening his eyes. I give my readers questions they want answers to, and I offer them an answer to keep them motivated to read, and to keep me motivated to write. Now it is how he responds to Eri, how he becomes a hero, how he and Yaoyorozu will progress until finally I write their first kiss. 

Make sure to develop your characters so that the evolution of them as a person and their relationships with others is satisfying. Build to badass moments, don't just drop them out of nowhere. Make sure your character has room to grow. An overpowered character with no challenge or growth is not one anyone wants to read about. It is in learning who they are and watching them struggle that makes the fact that they couldn't do something two books ago so incredible when they finally can. 

TL;DR

Make sure you plan your story and your characters development, both as an individual and their relationship with others. Know where you're going so you know how to get there. Give your audience something to look forward to.