Fanfic help, for a Novice writer

[BloodOathHooves 2]

I've done 2 or 3 fanfics requested by a few friends of mine,

which to them, were quite decent,

I've also written a couple of originally stories, based on characters I create,

and I'm wondring...

where should I get started?

I've never written a ponyfic,

can somepony get me a general list of what guidelines I should follow in my Fic?

Edited November 7, 2012 by BloodOathHooves

[Silverwisp the Bard 2,353]

No real guidelines, since it's art. A few of my personal guidelines:

-It should feel canon (no gore, alicorns, assault rifles ect.)

-It should be as long as necessary, but not longer

 

Once you're done, feel free to let me know, I'll gladly take a look at it.

[Colt 555]

For me the most duccesfull aproach it has been to expand the world of MLP by elements that could fit in the show but are no near the original storyline.

 

 

As for an advice, if im able to give one, try to isolate whats what you are going to share with your words. It can be a tangible concept or a intangible assets A place, a feeling, an adventure, a lesson, and use the ideas in your mind to achieve it. For me ths works to keep all in a place, and not losing the point and keep the reader in the line.

 

Also I'll be happy lo read what ever you want to share.

[Standard User 2,127]

Tell YOUR story. Don't let anyone else change your message.

 

When you're writing, treat your story as if it is Shakespeare reincarnated. During editing, treat it like it is the worst thing ever written.

 

Also, PM me please. I love helping out with writing. :3

[Genepool 224]

I've done 2 or 3 fanfics requested by a few friends of mine,

which to them, were quite decent,

I've also written a couple of originally stories, based on characters I create,

and I'm wondring...

where should I get started?

I've never written a ponyfic,

can somepony get me a general list of what guidelines I should follow in my Fic?

 

Never truly written any type of Fiction, and MLPFIM is my first so I kind of know how you feel. It really comes down to many factors, but i'll list several that I have seen:

 

1. OC Ponies - If you are writing fresh then it is best to avoid OC pony stories. These have to be written with extreme tact to make sure they don't come across as self-inserts, grand standing of your character, etc... . Writing about current characters within the fandom is somewhat easy due to the quirks you understand from the ponies. You could carefully tread into the OC realm by introducing passing ponies who deliver small exposition to the main character of the story and have that be it. If people receive the story quite well then you can start branching out.

 

2. Research, Research, RESEARCH! - I don't read fanfictions, but one thing I often hear about is people not doing research towards the characters they are writing about. Twilight for example is obsessed with school, perfection and what not. To have her suddenly be a slacker/lazy character needs to have a good reason behind it. Same with Rarity being an uptight neat freaky suddenly becoming a hillbilly type slob, doesn't work unless you have good backing for it to happen.

 

3. Where to go? - Fimfiction is a good place to post up your stories as i've found out. I wouldn't hit up EQD since they are just as uptight about grammar and such, best of the best and all, just as Rarity is uptight about cleanliness.

 

4. Standard avoidable tropes - No "Dark and Stormy Night" things, don't do alicorns unless you want to be condemned right off the bat, nothing super out of the ordinary*, and the like. *Note: When I would say out of the ordinary, I mean a human comes to Equestria and suddenly rules over it, this is just horrible story telling from what I hear.

 

Beyond the Show vs Tell, Purple Prose, and what not those are the rules I tend to follow. Though #1 I kind of broke myself, due to the fact my first story I published on Fimfic has only OCs in it with passing mention to Celestia.

Edited November 7, 2012 by Genepool

[CloudFyre 848]

(Lots of text.)

 

Agreed.

 

I would also suggest fanfiction.net, although it's not built JUST for MLP.

 

No "Dark and Stormy Night" things.

 

I kind of agree here, but I disagree as well. (This is just my personal opinion here, so take it with a grain of salt.)

 

For me, the "dark and stormy night" is the perfect intro to a HiE story, as long as it's worded well. You can't just walk out and say "It was a dark and stormy night", but you can make a beautiful intro by pulling the reader into a few paragraphs detailing the environment.

 

If I want to get my reader's attention, the best way to do it is through a description of something they're not used to, because it forces them to imagine what it's like. The moment I use words to make my reader engage in thought, I have them hooked. Thus, it's good to do something like this within the first few paragraphs. (I usually don't start with dialogue, unless it's really good dialogue.)

 

For example: the average person doesn't walk out in the rain for fun, so from the very start I like to let them know exactly what the main character is feeling when he's being forced to stand out in the elements. The colorless landscapes, the dark and misty grey horizons, and the feeling of liquid ice spattering on your skin and running down your clothes make for a very engaging read (although I wouldn't just use just that sentence to get the idea across, I'd use a few paragraphs).

 

 

Okay, I'm done with my writing bias now XD

 

The best thing you can do is just to start writing. Check out a few fanfics, and steer yours somewhere new. The best part about writing, is that there are no limits. If you can imagine it, you can make it a reality. In the fic I'm writing right now, I'm explaining concepts that aren't even perceivable by any human senses - which will definitely force my reader to think a little. Since I can only describe the concepts in human terms, they'll be able to impose their own ideas of what it would feel like - meaning that, even though everyone reads the same words, some will imagine the sensations in entirely different ways than others. It makes it more engaging and more entertaining.

 

I'd consider a story to be a success when my reader spends time outside of reading it to imagine what it would be like, and I suppose that is my ultimate goal. If I can brighten someone's day and give them something to imagine/think about at work/school/wherever, then I'm happy.

Edited November 7, 2012 by CloudFyre

[BloodOathHooves 2]

Guys, I really want to thank you for taking time out of the way to help me out here,

I'm going to try my best to make a good fanfic, just not sure of which ponies/interactions betwixt ponies I shold dare to go with, for example, if I ship, I'm afraid to go to far, or make a pony say something he/she may not say.

 

Im just afraid that with the stories I realease onto here will end up like the ones on other sites I've written for, being drowned in new, and better stories, and collect dust until they decay until I've completely forgotton about them.

 

Its like this:

either I want people to hate it so bad, they actually ackowladge that, surprisingly, I'd be ok with that, because then people that may like it will come along when people that hate it publicise their hate for it, its all complicated stuff, and I try to do what I think is best, but usually my stories leave bland taste in my reader's mouths, and regret reading them, they're crative, but they just don't go beyond the actual read, and that scares me into massive writer's blocks,

 

So, I ask...

What do?

[CloudFyre 848]

Guys, I really want to thank you for taking time out of the way to help me out here,

I'm going to try my best to make a good fanfic, just not sure of which ponies/interactions betwixt ponies I shold dare to go with, for example, if I ship, I'm afraid to go to far, or make a pony say something he/she may not say.

 

No problem! In all honesty, you've conquered that first issue. If someone is shipping too much, they probably don't know it. You know exactly what you want - and what you don't want. Knowing that, you can adjust your writing accordingly.

 

Im just afraid that with the stories I realease onto here will end up like the ones on other sites I've written for, being drowned in new, and better stories, and collect dust until they decay until I've completely forgotton about them.

 

Its like this:

either I want people to hate it so bad, they actually ackowladge that, surprisingly, I'd be ok with that, because then people that may like it will come along when people that hate it publicise their hate for it, its all complicated stuff, and I try to do what I think is best, but usually my stories leave bland taste in my reader's mouths, and regret reading them, they're crative, but they just don't go beyond the actual read, and that scares me into massive writer's blocks,

 

So, I ask...

What do?

 

Don't ever fear that. Write because you want to. I considered it a success if I got just one person to enjoy themselves. If everyone else hates it, then so be it.

 

Don't worry about how it turns out. Ever.

 

I started writing to brighten people's days. That was it. I didn't write for fame, I didn't write for publicity, I just wrote because I loved it. I was happy with just the few hundred views that I received over time.

 

Then yesterday, someone messaged me out of the blue and asked when I would publish more to the web. I thought it was silly at first, because I had never considered myself all that great. I told him that I was honored that he had thought of me, and that I was indeed writing more for the future.

 

Out of curiosity (since I hadn't done this in at least 9 months), I checked the stats page, and I had the most beautiful surprise that I could ask for.

 

I had over 31,000 views on that same story.

 

31,000! I wouldn't have ever dreamed of something like that. I'm still bewildered (as I just learned of that yesterday!), but it left me with one very important thought: Always, always write with because you want to. The views will follow naturally.

 

I say just start writing. If you need help, there are plenty of us who can proofread/make suggestions. I'm sure that once you make it that far, the positive reviews will start to trickle in.

[BloodOathHooves 2]

Cloudfyre,

 

Thank you for your encoraging words,

I've begun my fanfic,

It's a Vinyl/Rainbow Fic, with possible shipping,

but I'm not sure, I'd like you to review it, but should I put it here, or PM you?

[HunterTSN 1,444]

The #1 thing that I believe you need is characterization, you have to give your characters personality or your story will be boring to write, read, and will go nowhere. Also have someone edit you as you go, like pre-read each chapter. If you're looking for someone I am almost always free. PM me and I can help out some more.

[Standard User 2,127]

One thing I've found necessary to right an absolutely excellent story (and live life to the fullest to boot): you can only write what you know. What do I mean by that?

 

I mean that you can only write different experiences and emotions if you yourself know what that situation/feeling is like. Sure, you could write a story about death and heartbreak, but if you have never experienced what death and heartbreak FEELS like then you can't describe it well to the reader. Similarly, if you've never felt pure exhilaration or fear or whatever, you won't be able to describe that feeling in such a way that the reader can feel the power behind your word.

 

If that doesn't make sense: go experience life, learn what it feels like to feel various emotions, write awesome fics with feeling.

[CloudFyre 848]

One thing I've found necessary to right an absolutely excellent story (and live life to the fullest to boot): you can only write what you know. What do I mean by that?

 

I mean that you can only write different experiences and emotions if you yourself know what that situation/feeling is like. Sure, you could write a story about death and heartbreak, but if you have never experienced what death and heartbreak FEELS like then you can't describe it well to the reader. Similarly, if you've never felt pure exhilaration or fear or whatever, you won't be able to describe that feeling in such a way that the reader can feel the power behind your word.

 

If that doesn't make sense: go experience life, learn what it feels like to feel various emotions, write awesome fics with feeling.

 

Precisely. The more detailed you become, the more fluid your descriptive writing becomes - and as long as you don't try and fake knowing something that's actually foreign to you, the sky is the limit.

 

Cloudfyre,

 

Thank you for your encoraging words,

I've begun my fanfic,

It's a Vinyl/Rainbow Fic, with possible shipping,

but I'm not sure, I'd like you to review it, but should I put it here, or PM you?

 

Whichever you prefer!

 

If you'd rather have only me review it for a while, I'm totally up for that! (I've been in need of something to distract me from Calculus homework every once and a while.)

 

If you want to share a draft without really "publishing" it to the web, you can upload it to Google Docs and set the sharing privileges to "private", that way only people with the link can read it. (You'd obviously have to send me the link.)

 

If you want, you can also turn on the editing features for guests (or for just me), and then I can add in colored notes for you to read.

[Clarity 3,094]

Some things that people seem to miss when writing are the dialogue.

 

Because most roleplayers/writers couldn't even write the dialogue with the right quotations.

 

If the character speaking has an action after the dialogue, then it's a period:

 

 

"I like fries." Clarity jumped happily.

NOT

"I like fries," Clarity jumped happily.

 

 

If the character speaking has a speaking action after the dialogue, then it's a comma:

 

 

"I like fries," Clarity remarked.

NOT

"I like fries." Clarity remarked.

 

[CloudFyre 848]

Some things that people seem to miss when writing are the dialogue.

 

Because most roleplayers/writers couldn't even write the dialogue with the right quotations.

 

If the character speaking has an action after the dialogue, then it's a period:

 

 

"I like fries." Clarity jumped happily.

NOT

"I like fries," Clarity jumped happily.

 

 

If the character speaking has a speaking action after the dialogue, then it's a comma:

 

 

"I like fries," Clarity remarked.

NOT

"I like fries." Clarity remarked.

 

 

While I am definitely an advocate for professionalism, things like this don't even phase me. To be honest, I had never heard of that until now. I'm not nit-picky about those kinds of things unless a) it's my work, or I'm doing a proofread.

 

Let's be honest: at the end of the day, will I care about who won the comma vs period battle? Of course not. I care about whether the main character of the story overcame the insurmountable odds, if he bled from his arms to protect a character, and whether he managed to score some cuddle time with a pony.

Edited November 8, 2012 by CloudFyre

[Clarity 3,094]

 

Um, excuse me...I was simply trying to help. That is a common error that occurs quite often and brings the quality of writing down. I never said I was bothered by it or that I obsess over it over the details of the writing.

Edited November 8, 2012 by Clarity

[CloudFyre 848]

Um, excuse me...I was simply trying to help. That is a common error that occurs quite often and brings the quality of writing down. I never said I was bothered by it or that I obsess over it over the over details of the writing.

 

Ack! Don't take it that way! I wasn't trying to say that it was annoying! I liked your comment! I was just saying that I don't really comment on something like that - I wasn't trying to imply anything. :/

 

Besides, I learned something new - and that in and of itself is an awesome thing.

 

(I was trying to be funny with the whole "comma vs period" thing. Maybe I should change that...)

Edited November 8, 2012 by CloudFyre