Writing Tips: 

Someone asked me for some writing tips recently and … I thought I’d make this quick blog before classes started again and I ran out of time. 

I made this LIST of grammar and writing rules in 2012, and most of it all still applies today. To add to that …

1.    Each chapter update should be at least 2000 words. That should be your goal for the minimum. There is not much solid plot progression you can do with less than that, and if you only have 1000 words, it’s usually better to just not update and wait until you have time to write more. 
 

2.    Lately, I’ve gotten into the habit of writing an entire story (anywhere from 14k words to 40k+ words) before posting it. Doing that just allows you to just write the story, instead of letting your writing be influenced by external things. Also, I find that the story comes out more cohesively when it’s like that. For example, when I was writing chapter by chapter in the past, I would suddenly think of a great idea but then realize that it contradicts something I had written before. When you write out the entire story first, these kinds of things aren’t a problem. I usually write the entire thing, and then edit and post chapter by chapter. Also, there are times when I write like 5k words and then the story fizzles out. If you posted as you went, you would have yet another unfinished story waiting there. However, it's better to just keep it as WIP on your computer and maybe one day go back to it and finish it or revamp it. Writing entire stories, however long, before posting is very common on LJ but not as much here on AFF. 
 

3.    Editing is important. I slack on this due to time constraints but ….it’s really important. 
 

4.    Don’t write aus without research. For any sci-fi, historical aus, that is obvious, but just in general, you should still research. If you’re going to set a story in Paris, don’t write it without any idea about what Paris looks like or what customs the French have. I wrote a story about a stolen painting, and although the painting and artist was one that I made up, I did research on expensive paintings and history of art thefts. 
 

5.    Always cite your sources. If you were influence by something (tv show, anime, manga, movie, book, anything), include it in an author’s note and credit it. 
 

6.    Always include warnings BEFORE the story (so in the foreword or before the specific chapter). Most important ones: character death, non-con, dub-con, mpreg, violence, gore, any kinks.
 

7.    Be realistic. My motto has usually been: don’t make my OCs to anything that I or my friends wouldn’t do. Have realistic reactions and realistic responses. 
 

8.    Read fics by good authors (not necessarily fanfiction – REAL BOOKS). You improve a lot by reading other people’s work and learning from it. 

9. Use italics and bold words carefully and sparingly. Too much of it can really ruin your writing. You want to make the readers understand your main point through your words and how you protrayed the characters/the plot. By bolding it or putting it in italics, you're shoving it in their faces.

10. Use common sense. This seems silly, but really. If your character is Chinese, don't give her a Korean name and vice versa. Also, make sure the name you used is actually a word/name in the right language. I've seen some dumb Chinese names on here that weren't even Chinese words. 

Websites/resources I use:
 

Wordcounter.net – I used this because when you paste your work in, it gives you a panel on the right side that lists statistics like average words per sentence, and reading level. Also, the keyword density on the bottom will let you know if you overuse a certain word. It also strips out the formatting which makes it easier for me to copy into AFF/LJ editors
 

Hemingway editor – I use this but only sparingly. It highly sentences that are “hard” to read, phrases with simpler alternatives, adverbs, and passive voices. I find that the “hard to read” thing is sometimes helpful because it does point out some complicated sentences. However, I often make a stylistic choice to ignore those warnings. Adverbs – should eliminate. Passive voice – should eliminate. However, again, I make the decision once I see what the app highlighted because sometimes it’s a stylistic choice.

Can be reached on line and twitter @_anniewithlove or here with PM (really bad with responding tbh) if you have more questions.