people will see a fandom thing and be like "why isn't this a fanfic" "why is there no fanfic about this" my brother in christ, because you're not writing it

patronising little fuck

reblog if you’ve read fanfictions that are more professional, better written than some actual novels. I’m trying to see something

Sharing fanfic updates be like

This is me officially stating that i have written my very first fic and posted it for flufftober (after spending hours speed writing it cause i totally forgot that september would actually come to an end eventually)

it's Welcome Home-based cause of course it is, those silly puppets have been infecting my brain for months and I'm not even mad about it

Here's the link if you decide to read it, I hope you like it and maybe stick around for more in the future :3

Libraries are the best.

Different Plot/Story Structures

There are a lot of different plot structures that you can play around with when writing a story. This post is just providing some of the more common ones for you to know. While these structures are not to be adhered to completely, they can provide a good basis to get a story running and help keep it on track.

Freytag's Pyramid

Freytag's pyramid is one of the oldest and most well-known story structures. It consists of five acts: introduction, rising action, climax, falling action, and conclusion. Falling action and conclusion do not mean a decrease in intensity, but rather a shift in the plot or the stakes for the characters - aka surpassing "the point of no return." What works about this structure is its ability to heighten action in a story and introduce plot twists to make a story grip the reader.

Save the Cat

Save the Cat is a newer structure that was initially constructed for TV shows, but it works well in a larger story as well, regardless of medium. It breaks up the story into an A-plot and B-plot, shifting action between the two to balance intensity with moments for the action to cool down. Typically, the A-plot has higher stakes than the B-plot and is the main focus of the characters. What works about this structure is that it effectively utilizes side-plots to not just accompany, but enhance the main plot.

The Fichtean Curve

The Fichtean Curve is essentially a series of mini-stories that build up to a greater story, with the stakes elevating during each story. It's similar to a TV season that has several episodes, each one advancing the plot while providing a smaller story that keeps the excitement continuing. What works about the Fichtean Curve is the freedom to move non-linearly through plots, using perspectives of different characters, different settings, and different mini-plots to enhance the story.

Free-form

Free-form is exactly what it sounds like: letting your mind run free while writing your story, disregarding traditional story structures and trusting yourself. This doesn't work for everyone: in fact, I believe that almost all writers need at least a little bit of structure when writing. But mapping out a beginning and end, and letting yourself find your own path to connect the two is what works for some writers. Besides, you can always go back during editing and figure out the most efficient way to map the pieces together!

i’ve started to think about ao3 audience interaction as kinda comparable to doing a live reading in an intimate little bookstore, like kudos are everybody who stayed til the end and applauded, comments are everybody who waited to come up to talk to you afterwards, and bookmark comments are the little snatches of conversation you overhear outside.

this helps me feel better/less anxious about responding to comments with some form of thanks, because if someone walked up to me in person and said they liked my work right after reading it, i would compulsively say thanks. it also helps contextualize audience size in a healthy way i think, bc most of us naturally crave more attention on our fic, but if we were actually in the room with even like 20 people applauding and five people waiting after to tell us how awesome we are we’d be fuckin elated.  

Best writing advice I've ever been given and I still stand by to this day is that if you're stuck on one line, the real problem is ten lines back. Sometimes you have to go back to go forward and get yourself out of a corner

Second best writing advice which is exponentially more chaotic is discuss your idea with someone at both 1am and 1pm. If it sounds good at both a reasonable hour and a lawless hour, it's a good idea