Fanfiction Tips - Tumblr Posts

Writing Description Notes:

Updated 14th June 2024 More writing tips, review tips & writing description notes

Facial Expressions

Masking Emotions

Smiles/Smirks/Grins

Eye Contact/Eye Movements

Blushing

Voice/Tone

Body Language/Idle Movement

Thoughts/Thinking/Focusing/Distracted

Silence

Memories

Happy/Content/Comforted

Love/Romance

Sadness/Crying/Hurt

Confidence/Determination/Hopeful

Surprised/Shocked

Guilt/Regret

Disgusted/Jealous

Uncertain/Doubtful/Worried

Anger/Rage

Laughter

Confused

Speechless/Tongue Tied

Fear/Terrified

Mental Pain

Physical Pain

Tired/Drowsy/Exhausted

Writing Description Notes:

Updated 17th July 2024 More writing tips, review tips & writing description notes

Facial Expressions

Masking Emotions

Smiles/Smirks/Grins

Eye Contact/Eye Movements

Blushing

Voice/Tone

Body Language/Idle Movement

Thoughts/Thinking/Focusing/Distracted

Silence

Memories

Happy/Content/Comforted

Love/Romance

Sadness/Crying/Hurt

Confidence/Determination/Hopeful

Surprised/Shocked

Guilt/Regret

Disgusted/Jealous

Uncertain/Doubtful/Worried

Anger/Rage

Laughter

Confused

Speechless/Tongue Tied

Fear/Terrified

Mental Pain

Physical Pain

Tired/Drowsy/Exhausted

Eating

Drinking

Writing Tip - Unnecessary Descriptions

More writing tips

We all know the importance of making a story immersive with detailed and vivid descriptions. They truly bring the story to life and get you hooked right away. That being said, there is such a thing as unnecessary descriptions. What do I mean by this? It means a description that doesn’t need to be there. I’ve been guilty of this in the past, which is why I’m always adapting my writing style (something I’ll discuss in a future tip). That being said, what’s an example of a pointless description? I’ll show some from stories I’ve read, but I won’t include author or story names because these tips aren’t about badmouthing people; they’re about helping others improve.

Example 1:

“Without her tailcoat on, the only articles of clothing that covered her torso were her bra (which couldn't be seen) and a white undershirt.”

They didn’t need to mention the bra. Simply stating that she wore a white undershirt would have been enough.

Example 2:

“The sun was shining brightly in the clear blue sky, with no clouds in sight, making the day sunny and bright.”

They basically said the same thing twice, repeating it unnecessarily. They could have ended the sentence after saying there were no clouds in sight.

Example 3:

“Jessica picked up her phone, which she had bought two years ago from a shop in a small town she visited during a road trip. The shop had a quaint little sign painted in faded yellow, and the owner had a peculiar habit of wearing mismatched socks.”

This is nicely described, but what does it have to do with the actual story? Jessica picking up the phone was just a simple action. Unless the phone and where she got it from become crucial to the story, there’s no need to say where she got it from.

Example 4:

“Carlos wore a shirt with 14 buttons, each perfectly round and made of plastic, with four tiny holes for the thread to go through.”

Again, nicely described, but did we need to know the specific number of buttons on his shirt? Just saying he wore a neatly buttoned shirt would have been enough.

...

With those examples in mind, how do we avoid unnecessary descriptions? Here are some things to keep in mind:

Focus On Relevance: When it comes to excessive detail, focus on what’s actually relevant. For example, if you write about a character drinking from a cup of coffee, don’t feel the need to describe what the cup looks like. Focus on the sensory detail of the coffee with a simple sentence rather than unnecessary specifics about the cup's appearance.

Avoid Irrelevant Backstory: As in example 3, don’t bother with irrelevant backstory. Focus on the action relevant to that moment rather than including unrelated details that don’t impact the current scene.

Avoid Repetition: Like example 2, don’t feel the need to say the same thing twice. Provide a clear image without repetition.

Avoid Overly Specific Details: As in example 4, don’t go into too much depth about how many buttons are on Carlos’ shirt. Keep it simple and focus on what’s important, like Carlos’ neat appearance.

All in all, unnecessary descriptions can slow down the pace of the story and take readers out of it. Focus on the details that enhance the story.

YOU— YEAH YOU! DO THIS THING WITH ME!

THIS IS YOUR AGGRESSIVE SIGN TO CREAT EVERY DAY FOR ONE YEAR.

Okokokokok so the goal is essentially what I said above. Write/draw something every day for a year. I know that sounds like A LOT but even if you can spare 2 minutes in your day to quickly scrible something into your notes app that's perfect.

Why should you bother with this?

You will end up at 365 pieces by the end of the year

you will improve your skills

you are bound to find some gold

even if you miss 1/3 of the days you will still have 243 things!!!

helps you be more in tune with your feeling (especially if you treat it like a journal)

you can try out different styles in a judgement free zone

uhhhh you love me

you will learn how to be more creative

you will have content to post on your blog/publish/submit to contests

you will have something to keep you going/motivated

you won't be alone

AND LOTS OF OTHERS I DONT HAVE TIME FOR

So this is your sign to write with me

(don't worry about starting on the same day just start making stuff)

I will be posting the things I write on @rheas-poetry-motivation

JOIN ME 🫵

Tagging people for reach and cause i love my moots:

@mister-dirty-hands, @bamb1fawn, @outromoony, @themortalityofundyingstars, @garden-of-runar

@ancientpokemonrock, @ang3lic-t3ars, @justiceforplutoo, @albatris, @gayafaaryn

@lorelangdon, @imastoryteller, @chaoticcandle, @gildy-locks, @jamespotterbbg

@seekmemystar, @tequilaqueen, @picklerab23, @a-k-oblackhat, @leahnardo-da-veggie

Oh no! My magic system has taken my soul! (why you are working too hard on your magic system)

I don't say this a lot, but the ideas around creating magic systems are way too strict. People will go to writing checklists and follow "writing experts" advice. It'll be something like "what is the cost of using magic?" or "who can use it", which are fine. If that helps you, continue doing it.

In my humble opinion—

YOU DO NOT NEED TO FOLLOW A DIFFERENT SET OF RULES FOR THIS PART OF YOUR STORY! Honestly, that's probably going to make it a lot harder.

What type of magic/supernatural occurrence works for the story you are telling?

Do that.

If you need less of a power imbalance, create costs of using magic. If you need limitations, add limitations. If your story works better without them, don't include them.

All you need to do is make sure you are consistent.

DO WHATEVER SERVES YOUR STORY, NOTHING MORE OR LESS IS NEEDED!

A little PSA for people who use AO3…

Gen refers to fic that is not focused on romance. If your fic is not a romance fic, please give it this tag.

Other refers to fic that is focused on romance, but is not specifically male/female, male/male, or female/female (like an OT3 (ship involving 3 people), a ship involving characters that are not male or female, etc). IT IS NOT FOR PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS. IT IS FOR ROMANTIC ONES. please for the love of all that is holy do not tag your family-relationship-centered fics as “other” you are going to give people a HEART ATTACK.

“Character/Character” is for romantic pairs. “Character & Character” is for platonic relationships like friendship, family, etc. Please do not tag family-centered or adult-and-minor-centered platonic character relationships as character/character for the love of all that is holy

The E rating is for smut and literally nothing else (unless you have other unusual reasons to rate it E–I’ve seen people apply it to non-smut fics as a deterrent to keep minors away from it, but keep in mind it’ll make it so people who are trying to avoid smut will not find your fic). Your fic that has a lot of graphic violence but no sexual content does not need an E rating.

The M rating is for fics that would basically be rated R if they were movies, and may contain graphic violence, some sexual content, and generally more serious subject matter than you would typically show a teenager. However, if your fic is almost entirely smut, please just give it an E rating.

Also, when you post a fic, you WILL want to give it a rating, or else AO3 will assume you’re probably posting smut and will warn everybody who clicks on your fic that it may contain adult content. If you don’t want that on your fic that contains no adult content at all, please just give it the proper rating instead of not rating it at all.

this post brought to you by PLEASE LEARN HOW THE TAGGING SYSTEM ON THIS WEBSITE WORKS YOU ARE GOING TO GIVE EVERYONE A HEART ATTACK

Writing Description Notes:

Updated 9th September 2024 More writing tips, review tips & writing description notes

Facial Expressions

Masking Emotions

Smiles/Smirks/Grins

Eye Contact/Eye Movements

Blushing

Voice/Tone

Body Language/Idle Movement

Thoughts/Thinking/Focusing/Distracted

Silence

Memories

Happy/Content/Comforted

Love/Romance

Sadness/Crying/Hurt

Confidence/Determination/Hopeful

Surprised/Shocked

Guilt/Regret

Disgusted/Jealous

Uncertain/Doubtful/Worried

Anger/Rage

Laughter

Confused

Speechless/Tongue Tied

Fear/Terrified

Mental Pain

Physical Pain

Tired/Drowsy/Exhausted

Eating

Drinking

Warm/Hot

Okay never mind, ao3 isn’t all fixed because it is being repeatedly shut down by religiously and politically motivated hackers through a “DDOS” attack. So that’s great. Good luck to the ao3 staff that have to deal with this issue, we love and appreciate you!

In the meantime, I have a few suggestions for readers during these trying times. It seems like ao3 has brief periods where it functions, so I would recommend that people find long and complete fics they’ve been wanting to read. Then download them because we have no idea how long this will be an issue, or when the site will be down again. The way I do it is by downloading them as a pdf on my iPad, and then saving it to the files app so they’re all in one place.

If you don’t want to download things you could also just open up a tab with a fic and click the “entire work” button so you have the whole thing opened already. You can do this with multiple tabs.

Alternate sites like fanfiction.net or wattpad are always an option as well, but I’m not that desperate yet.

Hope this helps! And once again, thank you ao3 staff for fighting to keep the site operational.

I'm thinking of writing fanfiction (for the first time). Got any tips?

YO WELCOME TO THE SCENE SON I’M GLAD FOR YOU let’s see…

1) Write what you have a passion for.  You will feel so much better if you do that.  Don’t insert things to please the fanbase (example: don’t shove in ships you don’t necessarily like just because they’re popular and most likely to get a happier/larger audience) because, looking back on it, you’ll not like it as much.  Write what makes you most comfortable because that’s the most important thing.

2) Don’t be afraid to embrace cliches! I know there’s a lot of shit against cliches but honestly, it’s a great way to start off.  If you wanna write person a and person b stuck in a hotel with only one bed that they HAVE to share, thEN FUCK YEAH WRITE THAT SHIT.  If you wanna write a jock/nerd au, go for it.  Cliches get a bad rep but honestly everybody loves them deep down.  If it’s a fandom cliche (cliche specific to the fandom/fanfics) and you wanna give it a shot, go for it! On the reverse, if you wanna avoid cliches and do something you’ve never seen before, do it.  Does the fandom lack a supernatural creatures mafia au? Go for it, write it.  

3) EDIT.  AND I DON’T MEAN IMMEDIATELY AFTER YOU’RE DONE.  You could always get a beta reader (godsends, really) for a second opinion/to check your stuff over, but if you don’t want that, here’s my advice.  Use Microsoft Word to catch spelling and basic grammar errors, and then save and log off for the night.  Wait a day or two before going back and reading it over with a fresh set of eyes.  That way, you yourself can catch things that Word can’t (characterization, continuity errors).  Editing is key, but don’t feel upset if you publish and realize you missed a word/misspelled something.  It happens to everyone and you can always go back and fix it.

4) BE CONFIDENT AND EMBRACE YOUR WORK FOR WHAT IT IS.  You put your time, energy, and creativity into it.  Be PROUD of your final creation.  No matter what anyone says, that fic is your goddamn child.  You can be critical of it, but at the end of the day it’s your creation and you will love it.

5) Breaks.  Look, some days you’re going to have enough energy to shove out ten pages worth of words, and others you’ll push out maybe two sentences.  Whatever the case is, take breaks.  You’ll burn out.  Don’t force yourself to push out one chapter a week/every other week if you can’t.  You will come to HATE writing fic if you do.  

6) PLAYLIST.  Music is great at getting you in the right mood for fic.  For example, if you’re writing angst, pick out the saddest Adele song and couple it with rainy mood on loop.  You’ll be able to express sad emotions all the more better because you can almost feel it yourself.

7) I always recommend publishing your fic right before bed to avoid review stress.  If you publish it while you’re wide awake, you will be refreshing your email every thirty seconds and the stress is not fun.  If you do it before bed, you sleep, relax, and wake up to something nice!

8) If you run out of ideas, go through a prompts blog.  Seriously, those things HELP.

9) Your fic will seem like shit to you.  You will think it’s badly written no matter how well written it is.  This is because you wrote it.  You’ve been staring at the screen for days typing this out.  You’re so used to it that you can’t help but think that it’s boring.  It’s not.  Trust me.

10) Have fun.  Honestly, fic writing is about YOU.  You and whatever you wanna do.  It’s about making you happy.  Making your ideas known.  So go for it.