I've seen a lot of stories on here that, no offense to anyone, frankly aren't too good. Some are quite lovely, so don't take this entirely the wrong way, but I think some of the people here need some tips on how to write. (Even those of you who are good might want to look over this.)

 

Here's how to stop my eyes from bleeding:

 

Be Interesting______________

I DON'T WANT TO READ ANYMORE FANFICS THAT BUTCHER Kingdom Hearts. I think we're all kind of sick of these (they're everywhere, not just on KH13.) Either the characters completely stray from their personalities, or the author introduces some wacky new Mary Sue organization member. Can some people write good KH fanfics? Obviously the answer is yes, and you should learn from them. Some good KH fanfic authors specifically are Jason1 and Mystics Apprentice, if you want to reference some of their work.

 

Fall In Love With Your Characters_________________________________

I mean it. Fall in love with them. Before you even begin writing your novel (short story, whatever) get a feel for your character. Write short stories that no one else will ever see, but that give you insight into your character. I’ve had characters that I’m so in love with that I’ve dreamed of them. If readers can see how attached you are to a character, they’ll feel the same sort of love. I'm so sick of reading (on this site, they tend to be KH universe OC's) about characters that I just don't care about. Okay, okay, so there's some action. Great. Wonderful. Or maybe there's a plethora of dramatic emotional scenes. Also great. The thing is, I really don't want a lot of either of those. You've got to have a balance, because no, your character is most likely not some kind of heartless killing machine, nor a loser with dramatic reactions to small events. I don't give a damn about your character unless you make me.

 

Try Something New_________________

I love escaping into fantasy books, both ones I’ve written and ones I’ve read. The problem is, I’ll get too settled into fantasy. I’ll become stuck in that theoretical rut of boringness, and never progress. You have to stray outside of your comfort zone, and try writing a different genre. I tend to struggle with romance and horror, so I make a point to occasionally write in those themes. It helps one become a more well-rounded writer, not to mention that you’ll probably get some ideas for a novel written in your favorite genre. Most of the people on this site seem to only write KH fanfiction, and it's getting old. They're all basically the same (yes, there are some plot variations obviously, but the original characters, OC's, and general direction of the plot are always very similar.)

 

Take A Break____________

I speak from experience when I say that when you finish a novel, you’ll feel like a god. You’ll think it’s pure gold, and that you’re the best writer who’s ever lived. I finished my first novel when I was eleven, and looking back at it, I literally shudder. I’d thought it was a work of art, and after reading it again a mere two months later, I could barely stand to look at it. Once you’re done, take a break from that specific piece of work, and return to it after at least a month. Otherwise, you might not see some glaring errors. For instance, there's in particular one author on this site whose plot isn't bad at all, but he/she doesn't do a good job of writing. There aren't many spelling or grammatical errors, but the whole thing is just bland and in script. (Yeah, half of the fanfics on this site are in script. PLEASE stop using script unless you're writing a movie or a play. If you're actually trying to write a story, you DO NOT WRITE IN SCRIPT.)

 

Shut Up_______

I listen to music while I write, but I always keep it low, like white noise. It’s frustrating to write, and it’s easy for you to lose your train of thought when you hear noise. For instance, right now I can hear my brother talking to a friend on the phone as I write this, and it’s getting difficult for me to concentrate. NOISE IS MESSING UP YOUR CONCENTRATION WHETHER YOU CONSCIOUSLY REALIZE IT OR NOT. Noise also messes up your readers. Lu Xun does a pretty damn good job of incorporating music into his stories--he sets the tone well, and the music is just the little extra touch of sparkle. I haven't seen anyone else on here pull it off. Unless you're a pretty freaking good writer, don't add music. If you need music to set the tone, then you've got some writing issues that you need to work out.

 

Hello, Mary Sue_______________

Does your character remind you of dark, mysterious Edward? Of innocent, hopeful Scout Finch? Of broken, demented Macbeth? If so, throw them in the dumpster of Mary Sues. Your character is probably going to bore me to death if they’re exactly like someone else I’ve read about. Now, that’s not to say some of the same elements can’t exist. A man seeing ghosts and slowly going crazy after a traumatic event? Okay. What I don’t want to see is a man seeing ghosts and slowly going crazy after his wife convinces him to kill a beloved king and best friend. Sound familiar, Macbeth? Of course, ANY character could be related to another, but what I don't want to see is an exact replica.

 

IT’S THE FINAL COUNT DOWN_________________________

I always see people so hyped up over finishing their novel in a month or a week or something else ridiculous. Don’t rush into finishing something. In my opinion, that is the worst sin a writer can commit. You are neglecting to really spend time with your characters, and to enjoy writing itself. If it’s taken you two years to write five chapters, then you’ve got some motivation issues, but if it takes you two months for five chapters? So be it. Writing isn’t a chore; writing is a privilege that a good portion of the world will never enjoy. Think of how low the literacy rate is in some countries–do you think, even if there was a Shakespeare hiding among them, we would ever know? They would never even have the chance to write, and here you are with a computer. So take your time and just be happy that you are free to write whatever you please. (That means don't rush out a new chapter every three hours--it'll probably suck anyway, because I doubt you edited it.)

 

Let Me Tell You A Love Story

________________________

Granted, as stated before, I am not generally a romance author. Although I tend to read a lot of that genre, and incorporate it in bits and pieces into most of my novels. So I think I've got at least a grasp of what I REALLY don't want to see you doing in your romance. Oh, random person comes out of the blue and falls in love in three minutes, leading to a dramatic make out scene two paragraphs later? Please don't make me suffer through reading that. If they have some sort of reason (ex. They have to kiss to wake the sleeping princess; someone's out to kill people without a girlfriend/boyfriend, etc.) then that is understandable, but someone falling in love in a few minutes and kissing in the same scene? No. Just. No.

 

Back To Kindergarten

__________________

Actually, this doesn't apply to a good portion of the authors on KH13, thank god. A lot of you are pretty good about this, but as always, there is also a high number of authors who aren't good at this. Spelling and grammar at the easiest parts of writing a story. Even if you struggle on getting it right the first time, then you've still got Spell Check on your computer. If your excuse is that English is not your native language, then I understand. Then again, I only understand to a certain extent. You should always try to write in your native language, unless you're fluent in another language. (And most of the people on this site are pretty good at English, even if it's a second language.) Post whatever you've written in your native language on a writing website for people who speak the same language. THEN you can work on translating it, because you will have gotten it right from the start.

 

I have about fifty million more things I could say, but I'd be getting quite nitpicky, so I'll stop now. Guys, PLEASE don't take this the wrong way. I haven't seen any author on this site without any writing talent. You all have got it, you just need to hone it. (Myself included; no one's writing is ever perfect. You can find plenty of flaws in Harry Potter and Twilight too.) If anyone else would like to add anything, feel free to.

Lovely guide I'd also recommend before even posting a story on here and/or instead of writing it on here use your writing program (Microsoft Word, Open Office, etc.) which helps you do your paragraphs, periods, help with spelling errors in sense of different spellings and such.

Thanks for the guide. I'm trying to write stories of my own..but frankly, I'm crap at it, and I know it. I could go on some long list about what my failures are; but who wants to hear that? Maybe writing isn't really down my alley.

 

But thanks for the guide! I'm sure a lot of people will benefit from it.

You have no idea how many times I've wanted to go to the Unpopular Opinions Thread and complain about how much most of the stories in the Writing section suck.  The only one I can think of at the top of my head who actually displays some competence is Mystic's Apprentice, as you said.  I didn't say anything because I currently don't have anything of my own to showcase and I didn't want to come off as a hypocrite.  But what really got to me is the people praising these stories, and the authors will take this as a sign that they're competent at what they do when they're absolutely not.  The only reason I hadn't torn any of them to shreds is because I don't wanna stomp on anyone's fun.  It's like me with my art--I know I suck but I like doing it, and I'd rather not have anyone tear me a new asshole.  Believe me, they have far, far more to learn than what you've listed here.

 

Thank you for having the guts to do what I want to.  Also, props for doing it in such a way that people won't hate you.

THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL! 

It makes Lee want to cry..... ;-; 

"Sniff" Lee wishes u were on Fanfiction so Lee could ask u to be her Beta!!! "Sniff" 

Thanks for mentioning me in the music part! This guide is great, good job Lexi! Btw, sorry for not having read the story you asked me to... it's because of the holidays, but I will try to do it tomorrow!

This is not only brilliant, but very helpful!

Thanks for the guide. I'm trying to write stories of my own..but frankly, I'm crap at it, and I know it. I could go on some long list about what my failures are; but who wants to hear that? Maybe writing isn't really down my alley.

 

But thanks for the guide! I'm sure a lot of people will benefit from it.

 

It's alright, no one starts perfect. I've been writing since I was eight, yet I've still got a long way to go. We all do, so don't worry. Even authors like J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan haven't finished learning yet.

You have no idea how many times I've wanted to go to the Unpopular Opinions Thread and complain about how much most of the stories in the Writing section suck.  The only one I can think of at the top of my head who actually displays some competence is Mystic's Apprentice, as you said.  I didn't say anything because I currently don't have anything of my own to showcase and I didn't want to come off as a hypocrite.  But what really got to me is the people praising these stories, and the authors will take this as a sign that they're competent at what they do when they're absolutely not.  The only reason I hadn't torn any of them to shreds is because I don't wanna stomp on anyone's fun.  It's like me with my art--I know I suck but I like doing it, and I'd rather not have anyone tear me a new asshole.  Believe me, they have far, far more to learn than what you've listed here.

 

Thank you for having the guts to do what I want to.  Also, props for doing it in such a way that people won't hate you.

 

I know how you feel. I occasionally post stuff, but my favorite/best novels I never share online, so I've really got very little to contribute myself. I've tried commenting on people's stories before, but they don't usually seem to care, even if they're polite about it. I might add some more stuff to the list later--I had more ideas but then I decided I was lazy and the post was already fairly long.

 

Haha, I'm sure some people probably hate me write now. Thanks

THAT WAS BEAUTIFUL! 

It makes Lee want to cry..... ;-; 

"Sniff" Lee wishes u were on Fanfiction so Lee could ask u to be her Beta!!! "Sniff" 

I was actually thinking about making a fanfiction account. I'm on my laptop so I can't IM, but if you shot me a PM, I certainly wouldn't mind taking a look at some of your stuff and starting my own account. (:

 

Thanks for mentioning me in the music part! This guide is great, good job Lexi! Btw, sorry for not having read the story you asked me to... it's because of the holidays, but I will try to do it tomorrow!

I figured I had to mention you, because you're the only one I've seen who can do it well. Nah, don't worry about it, I always procrastinate about reading other people's stuff, too. Life's more important than the Internet.

Something I'd like to add; before you posts something, be sure to read it yourself once you get done a chapter, or have someone else proofread it, preferably someone who knows what they are doing while doing so. You'd be surprised how many things you messed up on, or what you could add on to make your story better.

 

This is a great guide, and I applaud you for it.

 

Edited January 2, 201312 yr by Xedvon

Also...people need to update there stories (Like me ;_; ) good job, you hit the bulls eye. Now I SHALL GO TYPE!

 

*o*

Edited January 2, 201312 yr by Sodom

Good tips. 

 

I really like the idea of falling in love with your characters. Most of my story ideas actually start with the characters, and the plot comes afterward. Just from a conceptual stage, ideas come much more easily when the characters of the story stand vividly in your mind. The problem I come across, though, is that sometimes I start to prefer certain characters so much that the plot starts becoming centered around them. Frankly, I don't like reading/watching/playing/etc. something that is too focused on one particular character, so I don't want to write something like that. 

 

 

What really sucks, is that I read the first post in this thread, and all I can think about is the KH FanFic I wrote. I was so proud of it at the time (I think its going on two years since I finished it), but my writing has improved so much since then that I cringe looking back. Forgetting that it simply doesn't work with the newer revelations in the KH story, it was written haphazardly. Chapters were written in single sit downs (sometimes multiple chapters at a time), and I really just made it up as I went along. The only solid thing I had for the story line was the deaths of certain characters, some events, and the climax. The final chapter is really what I think I did the best on. The end was the most fleshed out part of the story, and it was the only chapter were most of the text wasn't dialog.

 

Anyway, thanks for tips. I'll try to remember them if I ever get myself to write the story that I want to. That's another of my problems, I'm too ambitious and end up with too much that I want to do. The story I want to write is the sequel to a trilogy I also want to write, and has a prequel that evolved from a simple character back-story to a full blown story of its own. Five full "novels", one world/timeline, complex workings of the world, all interconnecting. Not to mention that I've only the bare bones of most of the stories, so there's so much more meat to be added.

You totally had my complete respect at the 'Love your characters' and the music part.

 

And as far as I know, music also evokes emotions and imagination too 8D

I feel being offense but thanks for the tip...

Agreeing all the way. We, like the Harry Potter fandom, have kinda been on the reputation of the sucky. Namely lots of High school AUs and argues over pairing. I write a lot of KH stuff under the penname of Zeldahearts1337 on fanfiction.net, and very rarely am I able to find a kingdom hearts fic of decent quality. I have yet to check out the stories here, but I hope people will listen to this post and understand that writing is an art: YOU NEED TO DO IT LIKE YOU WOULD ART, OKAY?! You also need to practice. I have been writing fan fics for years and I'm still not amazing.Kt rant over, ta ta~!

Agreeing all the way. We, like the Harry Potter fandom, have kinda been on the reputation of the sucky. Namely lots of High school AUs and argues over pairing. I write a lot of KH stuff under the penname of Zeldahearts1337 on fanfiction.net, and very rarely am I able to find a kingdom hearts fic of decent quality. I have yet to check out the stories here, but I hope people will listen to this post and understand that writing is an art: YOU NEED TO DO IT LIKE YOU WOULD ART, OKAY?! You also need to practice. I have been writing fan fics for years and I'm still not amazing. Kt rant over, ta ta~!

 

The more popular a fandom is, the more people write for it, and statistically, the more of it will suck.  The high school AU can be done well, but it almost never is due to how they forsake just about everything that made the source material interesting, including the characters' basic personalities (EmoPunk!Roxas is stupid).  You can have an AU taking place in high school while still retaining Disney and magic and heartless, as long as you put in the effort to figure out how to include them, and good writing is a requirement no matter what your plot or setting is.  It's not enough to just practice--you need to know how to practice to get good at it, and most fic writers don't know.  Some people say that fan fiction is like exercise for real writing, and I agree; just like real exercise, you need to do it right to get the benefits, and if you don't, you either get nothing or you hurt yourself in the long run.

The more popular a fandom is, the more people write for it, and statistically, the more of it will suck.  The high school AU can be done well, but it almost never is due to how they forsake just about everything that made the source material interesting, including the characters' basic personalities (EmoPunk!Roxas is stupid).  You can have an AU taking place in high school while still retaining Disney and magic and heartless, as long as you put in the effort to figure out how to include them, and good writing is a requirement no matter what your plot or setting is.  It's not enough to just practice--you need to know how to practice to get good at it, and most fic writers don't know.  Some people say that fan fiction is like exercise for real writing, and I agree; just like real exercise, you need to do it right to get the benefits, and if you don't, you either get nothing or you hurt yourself in the long run.

Hmm, well put. Yeah, I probably said that pretty badly ^_^* (scoots away feeling terribly stupid)

This wonderful guide has just made me realize how many mistakes I tend to make... I've being trying to write and finish a story since I was ten, and I never manage too. And I guess I do have several Mary Sues on my stories... Maybe I should eliminate those and try to make my story more understandable plot-wise...

 

Thanks for the wonderful advise, I may finish one of my novels someday!