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@Fanfic - First Time Writing Fanfiction

This article was originally published in the official Wattpad Fanfic book, "How to Write Fanfiction", on August 19, 2018.

So, You Want to Write Your First Story?

by Avery Mason Paige

* * *

Before We Get Started...

So, you want to write your first story? The first (and most important!) thing to remember is this: no one (and I mean no one) ever starts out with — or ever fully achieves — perfection. Perfection is purely subjective, meaning that no two people will ever have the same view of it. What one reader may deem as "the perfect story," may not be another reader's cup of tea.

It is important to remember that as you embark upon this journey (that is, writing your own story) that you are going to make mistakes. Your story will most likely not be an instant success. And, though there will certainly be readers that love it, there will also be those that may criticize it. And all of this is okay. All of this will help you grow as a writer.

Whether it be posting what you thought of as a completed chapter with a pesky grammatical error that eluded you, or writing yourself into a corner that results in having to go back to change some of the story (JRR Tolkien did this many times while writing The Lord of the Rings), or publishing a new update that has a continuity conflict with something you had written previously (most notably, JK Rowling herself was guilty of this with the first published edition of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, in which *SPOILERS* the graveyard scene depicted apparitions of Harry's parents that were released from Voldemort's wand in the wrong order), just remember that you are human and tackle these challenges as they come. All great authors had to start somewhere, and it was usually at the bottom with very little writing experience.

Alright, you have accepted the fact that the first thing you decide to write and (possibly) share with the world is not going to win you a Pulitzer Prize. I would now like to offer you a few bits of advice to help you get started, most of which I discovered while planning my first real attempt at writing anything of substance:

Tip #1: Start Small

My most well-received published story, American Noise (a Captain America fanfic), started out as nothing more than a random scene that crossed my mind: A Post-Avengers/Post-Thaw Steve Rogers wandering around an antique store with a melancholy look on his face. Where the idea came from, I could not tell you. However, regardless of its origins, the thought intrigued me. I started thinking (or, I guess you could call it daydreaming) about why Steve was there, his exchanges with other people in the store, how he felt about those exchanges, etc. And BOOM! I was creating a story without even realizing it.

The point I am trying to make is that a story does not need to be an epic-length tome akin to War and Peace. A story can be only a few sentences or paragraphs long that describe a single image or emotion. You do not even have to provide too much context. In the fanfiction community, these types of short stories are most commonly referred to as drabbles or one-shots (depending on length). They are a great way to get your feet wet if you are just starting to think about writing for the first time.

Tip #2: Plan for the Long Run

Oftentimes, these smaller scenes can develop into larger narratives as inspiration begins to take hold. One thing that has been greatly beneficial in my own writing process is outlining where I want the story to go and specific events that need to happen in order to get there. This kind of note-taking will help to keep you on track as your story grows. I cannot even begin to count the number of times I went back to my outline and found a critical note for the story that I had completely forgotten about while working on the next chapter.

Another resource that is great to have in your arsenal is character biographies, especially if you are creating your own characters to include in your story. Everything from hair/eye color, to the street they lived on as a kid, or where they went to school are things that can be useful to you down the line. There is no bit of information too small. You do not need to include all of these bits in your actual story but having it handy as a writing reference can help you plan how your characters will interact with each other, as well as how they will grow as individuals over the course of your story.

Tip #3: Keep It Social

Anyone who reads American Noise may be tired of hearing this, but a HUGE reason as to why I have kept up any kind of writing momentum is that I was lucky enough to find an amazing beta/proofreader, whimsymuse. They are even giving me feedback on this article! More than just an editor for grammar, I am able to bounce ideas off of them and get truly honest feedback, such as "I like where this is going, but it might be better if you worded it this way," or "This confuses me. What can you add to make it more clear?" or (my personal favorite) "Stop stressing about it and just get the first draft done, even if it's awful."

If you're visiting Wattpad using a laptop or desktop computer, you will be able to easily access Wattpad Clubs (wattpad.com/clubs). This is a great place to meet and converse with other writers who may also be writing a story of the same genre as you. There are a lot of helpful people over there. As of this writing, the Fanfiction club has a pinned conversation titled, "The Help Desk - Need Help With Your Story? Come On In!" which I believe speaks for itself!

Also, it is always great to get feedback from friends or family in real life, if you have the opportunity. Of course, there is the strong likelihood that some biased people may tell you that everything you do is amazing... But everyone needs that self-esteem boost once in a while, right?

Tip #4: Write What You Know

Yeah, this one is a huge cliché. But it is actually a very solid piece of advice, especially for someone who is just starting out. Readers will recognize and appreciate authenticity immediately, and your work will be all the more refined for it.

I am a native New Yorker, and American Noise takes place entirely in Washington, D.C. When I started writing it, I had never actually been to that city before. It was extraordinarily serendipitous that I was given the opportunity to visit Washington, D.C. for an extended weekend after posting only a few chapters. Before that, my main references for the city were how it was portrayed in the movie, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Google Maps. The trip had a profound impact on me. My stay happened to coincide with Memorial Day weekend and there were veterans, parades, and commemorations everywhere. My personal experience in Washington, D.C. completely reshaped certain parts of my story, and I actually dedicated two full chapters based on that experience. To this day, those two chapters are still what I personally believe to be some of my best writing. Ever.

But writing what you know does not just have to be about including places that you have seen firsthand or specific subjects that you have actually studied in school or with which you have professional experience. It can — and should — be about what you have felt. Love, pain, happiness, sadness, stress, weariness, cold, warmth... These are all common human emotions and feelings. Include them when writing about your characters. Your character went to the beach in mid-summer without sunblock? They're going to feel it for a while, so describe that sunburn. They got the dream job they interviewed for? This is probably the proudest moment of their life, make sure the reader feels that pride, too.

One Last Thing...

I hope that some of you reading this have found it to be helpful. However, there is one last thing that I think would be important for you to keep in mind: you can read all the "how to write" articles you can find, you can scour the internet for tips on writing methods and how to actually construct a story, but unless you actually make the decision to start writing that first sentence, it will all be for naught.

I am a firm believer that there is a great story waiting to be told inside of everyone. But the vast majority of people will never manifest that story into a form that is shareable on a grand scale, such as writing.

If there is anything that you are going to take away from this article, let it be this: from the moment you pen (or type) that first sentence, you are a writer.

So, what are you waiting for?

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