You're probably tempted to let this be a tl;dr post (and I don't blame you) but hey, it miiiiiight help just a little bit to at least skim over.

This chapter will be devoted to me giving advice (I don't know why but I started laughing really hard after writing that. Lol watch out, that can't be a good thing). Of course, if you don't particularly fancy any of these methods or tips then, by all means, I will not be offended if you do your own thing. You do you.

STORY PLANNING

For story-planning, I'm sure that everyone knows a productive, standard way of doing it; and so the techniques I will be presenting are alternatives to the "normal" way. Likewise, if your standard planning method is working perfectly fine, then you may skip ahead to the "Character Planning" section. But to those who want to try something a little different, I hope this will be of some help to you.

The following two techniques were copied from this article. If you'd like to check it out, there are others that you may like more than the ones that I've posted below. (I just chose the ones that seemed most doable and realistic for fanfic writers)

1) Tentpole Moments

All stories require certain keystone events in order to advance the plot. For example: “Jimin must walk into the coffee shop, so that he can see Haru cheating on him.” You might have five, maybe ten of these. Write them down. These are the elements that, were they not included, the plot would fall down (like a tent without its poles). The narrative space between the tentpoles is uncharted territory that you may fill in with details and less-important events of your choosing.

2) Zero Draft

AKA, “The Vomit Draft.” Puke up the story. Just yarf it up — bleaaarrghsputter. You aren’t aiming for structure. Aren’t aiming for art or even craft. This is just you getting everything onto the page so that it’s out there and can now be cleaned up. Any wandering ideas, character plans, quotations that you want to use, etc. should all be jotted down. And, once you've gotten every last bit out, sort it into the storyline's chronological order.

Another important aspect of story planning to take into consideration is educating yourself. If you are writing a story about a certain place, a specific school, someone with a disease, whether it be mental or physical - you must Do. Your. Research. Okay?

Of course, it is important to keep in mind that there are aspects besides the plot which must be planned as well. For example: what will your title be? Which prompt will you use? And, evident because of the large bold print right below this sentence, what about the characters?

CHARACTER PLANNING

It is too often that I find myself encountering the same characters over and over in different stories, and I want to help prevent that from happening in NYNS. Because who wants to read a fanfic based on clichés?

The most interesting stories usually manage to highlight the main character(s) in a way that creates an unforgettable impression in the reader's mind. This can be done in many different ways; for example, giving him/her a weird hobby, seemingly insignificant quirk, or funny personality trait. However, when deciding what you'd like to have stand out about your characters, it is important to beware of the clichés - I want to see more than an Onew whose diet consists of nothing but fried chicken, or a Kai that spends 24/7 in the dance studio. Speaking of, I'd like to place an emphasis on how characters that excel in arts (drawing, singing, dancing, etc) must have another memorable factor about them. If Kai dances, then that's great - but there needs to be something else present to set him apart from the all-too-common clichés. For example, in Looking for Alaska, the main character had an queer interest in last words and in Devon Delainely, the girl has a serious problem with lying. (Also, remember that it doesn't have to be a physical thing; it could just be a unique personality trait). Just give your characters a little sparkle that makes them meaningful.

Next I must make a statement about Mary Sue: Make her nonexistent.

If you are unfamiliar with the term "Mary Sue," allow me to enlighten you with a little bit of info about her (and don't let how I keep saying "her" confuse you - it can totally be a guy too). Mary Sue is a term which describes automatic suicide in the characterization portion of the rubric. Just kidding (but seriously). "Mary Sue" is a character with poor development, meaning that she doesn't change throughout the story, and tends to be annoyingly perfect. Basically, she is hugely lacking in the realistic spectrum. Here is a straightforward and comprehendible article to further explain signs of a Mary Sue. Some more signs are listed here.

I will point this out on a separate line because I believe it is rather important: Don't think that, just because your story is a or has no OCs, that you don't have to worry about Mary Sues. Sure, it's a lot harder to dislike your bias than it is to dislike an OC who you've never known of before, but this doesn't mean that using idols equals a free pass to clichés. I would highly suggest taking this quiz to be sure.

With all of that said, you are probably wondering "Well, damn, she's told me everything I shouldn't do. But what the hell am I supposed to do now?" And, well, you can do whatever you want. Just go crazy and have fun! And trust me - if you make an interesting character, the story will be a billion times more exciting to write.

Buuut, if you do want some more help, just read this for a nudge in the right direction and don't hesitate to ask me any questions you may have.

Hope this helped!

If you'd like to know anything else about planning besides the storyline and characters, leave me a comment and I'll add it to this chapter