Writing: Thoughts and Tips
Description
This is for people who want to a) get more viewers and subscribers, b) figure out what's turning people away, c) learn the conventions that no one has told them but they've been expected to know and use, or d) simply improve as a writer.
First of all, this is not a rant fic that's designed solely to complain about the trends on AFF. It will address some of the trends, but it will also objectively explain their faults and provide alternatives. It is intended to actually help people rather than simply rage at them.
In this "advice fic," I will be offering my thoughts on how to go about writing and ways to improve on what you've already written. This series will contain my opinions, meaning that not everyone will agree with what is said and what I say isn't necessarily the One Absolute Truth, nor will I attempt to claim it as such. When I say "right" or "wrong," that's still an expression of an opinion. Moreover, what I'm providing are general guidelines rather than absolute rules, so deviation from what I say doesn't mean you're automatically "doing it wrong." However, I would advise that you think carefully before writing something or in a way that is usually seen as a "don't."
Please understand that I'm not trying to be a Nazi about what anyone writes. Really, this is just me promoting a particular standard that I prefer. This is targeted toward people who take writing seriously and care about improving. If you write purely for fun or don't care about improving, that's not an issue as long as you respect those who do write seriously and don't demean their efforts. You are free to do whatever you want with your own writing since I have no power to control what you do or don't write. I think it should be apparent that you can and will still have an audience on AFF even if you do the things I say to avoid or don't do the things I encourage.
Warning: I might make use of sarcasm for satirical purposes, so if you don't handle sarcasm well, this is not for you.
Leave a comment or message me (PMs are preferred) if:
- you have any requests for a particular topic or rule/convention that you want me to cover.
- you think something I've said that's of a factual nature is wrong. Ex: comma rules, tenses, definitions, etc.
- you think anything is confusing and/or poorly worded.
If you want me to review a story you've written, I have linked to my review shop in the Affiliates section.
Disclaimer: Please note that I will not and do not intend to single out any author here on AFF in the content of this series. The examples I use will either be made up by me for the purpose or extracted from my own work. Any similarities in these examples to existing works are intentional in the idea that I'm trying to illustrate a point based on things and trends I've actually seen around AFF but unintentional in the fact that I'm not trying to point fingers at any particular authors and [figuratively] display their dead bodies for public viewing. tl;dr: The point isn't to humiliate anyone.
Foreword
Table of Contents
Introductory Comments - These chapters are to get you started off on your writing journey.
Chapter 1: Letter to Subscribers
Chapter 2: The First Thing About Writing
First Impressions - These chapters are less about your writing itself than marketing it, i.e. attracting an audience and/or not turning the potential audience away.
Chapter 3: First Impressions: Part 1 - Titles
Chapter 4: First Impressions: Part 2 - The Description and Foreword
Chapter 5: First Impressions: Part 3 - Tags and Presentation
Chapter 6: Conventions for Formatting and Punctuation
The Essential Questions - These chapters are arguably the most important ones in this guide. They cover the vast majority of the elements you need to consider while crafting a story.
Chapter 7: The Essential Questions: Part 1.1 - Who
Chapter 8: The Essential Questions: Part 1.2 - Who (Continued)
Chapter 9: The Essential Questions: Part 2 - What
Chapter 10: The Essential Questions: Part 3 - When and Where
Chapter 11: The Essential Questions: Part 4 - Why
Chapter 12: The Essential Questions: Part 5.1 - How
Chapter 13: The Essential Questions: Part 5.2 - How (Continued)
Chapter 14: The Essential Questions: Part 5.3 - How (Continued)
The Writer's Toolbox - These two chapters are dedicated to the basic mechanics of writing and contain some quick references that will help you with things like spelling and grammar.
Chapter 15: The Writer's Toolbox: Spelling and Vocabulary
Chapter 16: The Writer's Toolbox: Grammar
The Writing Process - These chapters explain the process of writing a story beyond just writing the words down (or typing them up).
Chapter 17: The Writing Process: Research and Planning
Chapter 18: The Writing Process: Editing and Revising
Chapter 19: The Writing Process: Writer's Block
Decisions, Decisions - These chapters cover certain things that are really up to the author's discretion.
Chapter 20: Decisions, Decisions: Character Names and Length
Chapter 21: Decisions, Decisions:
Stereotypes and Cliches - These chapters are devoted to explaining the inaccuracies and pitfalls of various stereotypes and cliches.
Chapter 22: Stereotypes and Cliches: Part 1 - Nerds and Kingkas/Queenkas
Chapter 23: Stereotypes and Cliches: Part 2 - Rich People and Poor People
Chapter 24: Stereotypes and Cliches: Part 3 - Ice Princes and Gangsters
Chapter 25: Stereotypes and Cliches: Part 4 - Maids and Orphans
Chapter 26: Stereotypes and Cliches: Part 5 - Players/s and Anti-Romantics
Chapter 27: Stereotypes and Cliches: Part 6 - Spies and Bodyguards
Digging Deeper (In Progress) - These chapters cover some of the deeper things of writing. Writing is not always just for entertainment, after all.
Chapter 28: Digging Deeper: Part 1 - Theme
Chapter 29: Digging Deeper: Part 2 - Symbolism and Allusion, Intertextuality and Subtext
Coming Soon
Chapter 30: Digging Deeper: Part 3 - Conflict
Chapter 31: Digging Deeper: Part 4 - Irony
Chapter 32: Digging Deeper: Part 5 - Satire
Affiliates
Asterisks: Review Service - My own review shop. Read the rules and stuff before requesting and asking questions, please! I also review part-time at Gotta Catch 'Em All Review Shop.
Deep Thought - Scheherazade's inspirational musings and story ideas up for grabs.
Recommendations
Here are some other "advice fics" that other AFF users have written on the dos and don'ts of writing. Note that this is not me giving a stamp of approval for everything these authors say. Some of the stuff they say overlaps and agrees with what I say, but they also offer additional and/or different views on certain topics, plus some bonus humor. You as a reader and writer get to decide who you agree with [more] and whose advice you want to follow, if at all. If you know of any other good ones, feel free to message me a link, and I'll add them to the list as a resource for everyone. I'll update this list as I find more.
Grammar Tipsy by MusicChibi and Scheherezade - I haven't read all of it, but based on what I've skimmed, this one focuses on the nitty gritty details of grammar. It does touch on other aspects of writing as well. Great for non-native speakers of English who really want to get the basics down and probably helpful even for those who are fluent.
How to Be an AFF Writing God by Kay_tea114 (former) and MusicChibi (current) - A workshop for writers that follows a more casual structure but is no less informative.
Why people hate your story by DeviLaugh - This one talks a lot about writing in terms of marketing. Your readers are your consumers, and your stories are the goods that you're trying to get them to buy into. It not only addresses what's good and what's bad in writing but also explores what's popular and successful on AFF and why.
101 Sins to commit in a K-Pop Fanfiction by Scheherazade - As evident from the title, this one focuses more on what you shouldn't do. It's also pretty hilarious since it's pure sarcasm. More entertaining than helpful, perhaps.
The Dream Oasis; Writing Tips by TiaraL - General writing tips and Q and A sessions.
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