Writing a Story

[Grtxkkyz 388]

Hello people.I need help!!!I want to write a fanfic,but i don't know how to make a good plot and story cause i don't have many imagination when it comes to writing.Could you please help me???

[NewCalamity 3,454]

All authors' writings reflect upon their own personal experiences and conflicts. Write what you know, and what you love.

 

JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings was heavily inspired by the First World War, as he served in the trenches as a British soldier.

 

You can always find something to relate to.

[Strafe 594]

Try coming up with an idea that's not so original and start adding elements to it that make it different from other fan-fics. Sorry if it's not much; that's all I have to say.

[Bugz 159]

All authors' writings reflect upon their own personal experiences and conflicts. Write what you know, and what you love.

 

 

Then the writer of Sweet Apple Massacre is pretty fu*ked up.

[Dark Qiviut 22,445]

The way I go about it is to start with an idea based on two to three pieces of criteria:

 

1. One based on a concept that you're very familiar with. Base something off experience, whether it's happy or sad. That's up to you. If not, think of one that people seem to have done before. A common idea that you KNOW you can understand and write about. As you work on your idea, concentrate on how you can twist it up to make it unique to you, but make sure your little twists are executed well.

 

2. Make sure your idea can work as a one-shot (a story confined to one chapter, regardless of length). One drawback that I've seen from beginner writers is how they'll attempt to write a multi-chaptered story to initiate their fanfic career. Work on one-shots first so you can get the grasp of writing a story and then expand into multi-chaptered ones once you have the experience. Of course, there are exceptions to this, but it's not recommended.

 

3. An option, but ask yourself if the idea could work with the characters accurately. In other words, will the situations be in character for your cast? This is one huge stickler for fanfic devotees (and canon purists, too). It doesn't HAVE to be completely in character if you desire to, but in-character fanfic will make your characters, plot, and logic surrounding it plausible as readers read your story. If you want your fanfic to be in character and your concept in its outer core doesn't work, then you could toy with the idea until it works for the character or save it for another story and come up with another relatable idea that does work well with your cast. This is up to you, as you're in control of your story, so you work on it the way you want it.

Edited May 5, 2012 by Dark Qiviut

[Cain 24]

First off, to develop the skill of writing, don't focus on one genre of writing. If you -want- to write MLP fanfiction later on when you've developed your writing enough, fine, nobody's stopping you.

But a writer needs to be able to write a variety of genres and employ various feelings in them, even if the ones he/she doesn't want to focus on are pretty bad, but in the world of writing, practice is key.

 

And the best thing to start writing is to find something that inspires you.

Something you really like, or something you just happened to come across that you really liked.

 

I'm a bit of an aspiring writer myself, and I've written half-stories with varying genres/themes. I remember, I read a webcomic that for some reason really inspired me to write something based on it, and I did. In about 15 minutes I'd written almost 2,000 words without stopping.

 

So in summary:

1. Don't try to focus on one particular genre while starting out.

2. Try to find things that inspire you

3. Your muse could be anything.

4. Don't be afraid to write something that you think you'll do badly in, even something that's basically poop on a paper is still a learning experience!

 

Good luck!

[EmmerichWolfe 47]

You have to emotionally invested in your work, so think of something that moves you, then translate that allegorically into, well, the MLP universe.

 

I won't go into my fanfic, but the novel I'm currently working on presents my ideas on politics, religion, philosophy, and psychology in a steampunk-western setting. Basically, I gathered a bunch of topics that I had a lot to say about, placed it in an interesting setting, developed a few characters, and went from there.

 

Once you find something, don't start actually writing right away. Come up with plot elements (events that your characters will go through) and try to arrange them chronologically. Then, work on an outline. I suggest the snowflake method (you can google 'how to write a novel using the snowflake method). This will be an arduous task if you aren't invested in your work. Well, honestly, it can be arduous even when you are, but well worth it in the end.

 

Most importantly, though, have fun!

[Hat988 108]

There are lots of structures you can study to help you get a plot that reads well and doesn't drift. I got most of them from a really handy book but they are probably available online too (what adventure, romance, tragedy etc plots usually have.) These structures are useful because many problems with pacing and overall coherence can be fixed with them.

However, read them enough so you remember but don't excessively refer back and write by the numbers. Write as you would normally, but with a structure in the back of your mind. The structures can be better used as diagnostic tools once something is written - like shaping your clay. But you have to have the clay down first.

 

Something you might feel is that it is difficult to be original. There are many sources that say there are no original plots (even if the claim is rather unfalsifiable.) Two points to remember: it doesn't matter if a story has been done before if you can do it better. And you have to know where the box is before you can start thinking outside of it.

 

Don't feel pressured to do so, but see if you can write every day and at a specific time. Similar to the circadian rhythm, doing an activity at the same time every day trains your mind to ready itself for the activity and work at a fuller capacity. Doing this also gives you practice. If you don't feel like you are improving, think of the probabilities - practicing every day gives you a high chance of improvement. Not practicing obviously gives you zero chance of improvement.

 

To address your perceived lack of imagination: figure out the scenario and put familiar characters in (e.g. mane six.) When you are not sure what to write, think of what the characters would do.

 

Hope that helps

Edited May 11, 2012 by Hat988