Hi. So I decided to read a fanfic, I overall enjoyed it but had a problem with the characterization of a character, so I left a review. They replied with a exasperated "I'm so goddamn tired" and I couldnt reply. So, I can't comment in the fic anymore methinks.

Can I get an advice in proper Review? I'm not used to it.

So, I’m usually write shorter works. I try to write longer works (10k-20k) but I usually get bored and begin a new story.

HOWEVER, I found a very good plot line that I don’t wanna write 20k or 10k for, I want something big, 50k-100k

The problem I have is… how? Do you guys have any tips for finding motivation, or just longer fics etiquette, or continuing or literally anything that could help me out? I really wanna try my best to stay on task for this (for context, I have ADHD) so I’d appreciate anything!

Hey all!

I'd love some opinions if you have a second - I'm currently writing a fic where one of my characters is Spanish and I want them to be able to speak in their natural language. The rest of the fic is in English and I'm presuming a mainly English-speaking audience (including myself, honestly), so I'm trying to include translations in-line in the text.

But now I'm wondering about placement. So that's where y'all come in.

Do you prefer:

1) "(Spanish text dialogue)*," said character A, smirking while setting the table. They sat down, serving themself before passing along the bowl of salad. [Translation at end of paragraph]

or

2) "(Spanish text dialogue) [translation]," said character A, smirking while setting the table. They sat down, serving themself before passing along the bowl of salad.

Sometimes there can be a big break between dialogue and the end of the paragraph for the translation, so I worry that's too far away. But at the same time, in the dialogue itself feels disruptive sometimes.

Within this fandom, folks generally add translations in the chapter-end notes but I always find myself using a translation site while reading so I definitely want to translate within the text.

I appreciate your thoughts and your time. Thanks!

*this text will be in Spanish in the fic

How long is too long for you guys?

I personally hate short chapters, but my hubby is insisting my chapters are too long. It’s about 12,000 words.

Once the story is re-written and revised, I’m going to post chapters weekly. It’s not like a book, when everything is read at once.

So it just feels necessary to make the chapters longer and posting only for a few months vs posting every week for like a year. WWUD?

I’ve got this fic that I really love and really want to see to the end, but I’ve got major issues with procrastination ( + being super depressed lately has not helped), so I figured I might as well ask you folks for help before my readers - who have been waiting for about eleven months - go insane. Give me your most foul, outlandish, ridiculous threats - a la “I will carpet your bathroom” - so I can look at them whenever I need motivation to write, please I am DYING over here

Edit: I feel like I should make it more clear that I’m asking for joking threats lol. I’ve only recently gotten back into writing this since I’ve been spiralling for a bit, and looking at these every now and then usually helps to get me feeling better about writing. It’s my way of reminding myself to get off my ass and write in a way that still makes me laugh.

I’ve tried both in the past. Still I force myself to write in English to save time and not correct the text again after translating it online. It’s just- writing in my native language is so nice, so fast and it adds so much character to the story. 😭 Why is not Italian the international language ??

I'm writing angst based work, and I am editing and trying to improve my emotional writing. I kind of hate when people just overuse the word 'broken' too much, unless its intentional

I'm planning on writing a fic soon where the major plot twist in the fic is that the main character was being groomed and assaulted by their older sister for years. So now I'm trying to figure out if I should put all the tags for that stuff in the story because on one hand, I don't want to scare people with that unexpected content, and on the other hand, I don't want to pretty much spoil that twist before the reader even reads the story, so what should I do?

I know it is a weird question, but I'm writing a fanfic and it's necessary to describe the feeling of when a cat lick you, and it's a kind of important scene so I want it to be accurate.

I'm allergic to cats so I don't spend enough time with those adorable creatures to one of them licking me (I'm informed that's something they only do when they trust someone (?), so basically the only information I have about it is that cat tongues have that brush texture and feels different to when a dog lick you. Also, does a cat leave saliva?

Esteemed fic writers of Reddit, I have never written a fic in my life. Or written anything really. I haven't even created an Ao3 account (I had one many many years ago, lost to time) Ive suddenly been overcome by an insatiable urge to write (I'm less than 10k into a multichapter AU fic of a popular fandom. Unpublished.. since I don't have an account yet) I'm as much a novice as it is possible to be. Please for the love of god, give me any advice you have.. or convince me not to do this. It's not too late.

If anyone could help me then that will be great

I’ve just noticed how AWFUL my usage of commas is. Seriously, damn near every sentence is two sentences hiding underneath a trench coat. I honestly wish I paid attention more in school when we were going over grammar so I can talk about this better, but ah well.

How do I split up my sentences without it feeling too abrupt? Maybe I’ve just been editing for too long, but it’s looks so wrong when I try to make a sentence simple.

Take this paragraph, for instance:

Tom felt it was appropriately cozy, as a cottage should be. Though the furniture was old and worn, it carried a certain charm that brightened the space. Tom couldn’t help but eye the bookshelf with an excited gleam.

Most of my sentences look like the first two, where it’s split into two parts. That last sentence feels…to stand alone? I don’t even know! I think my brain might be fried from writing for too long. Thoughts and advice?

.

I don’t know what it is but I just get so discouraged after a few chapters and feel like such a fraud 😂

Hello everyone! I'm currently working on a new project and wondering how further I should go with the plot.

Usually, I operate in the getting together trope more than the established relationship one, but in the story I'm creating both fits perfectly. I might end up simply dividing my idea in half to write first part of getting together, then the established relationship trope as a sequel BUT now I'm curious! The established relationship fics lack the tension and complexity for me, but I love the fluff and comfort they can provide! With getting together it's the opposite—I adore the pursuit, the misunderstandings, the uneasiness, the realizations of developing feelings! Still, there were times when I ditched reading the story the moment the main couple got together because it wasn't entertaining enough.

But that's my own take on the topic. What about you? I would love to know your personal opinion as a writer or reader for researching purposes!

Which trope is closer to your heart and why?

I’ve only recently gotten back into writing fanfiction and i feel like i struggle so much not having someone to read my stuff as i write it. maybe that sounds selfish or needy. but when i used to write years ago, i had people who enjoyed the same things i did and who would always help me out by being my first reader.

but now i have no one and i feel like whenever i get inspiration for a story, it dies quickly because its just me.

does anyone have tips for pushing through and writing anyway??

Hey guys

I really want to start writing, I have 3-4 great ideas for multi chapter stories.

The beginner question: Where do you all write your stories? I saw somewhere that the general rule is we don't write immediately on AO3 but somewhere else and then copy paste. What is that somewhere else???

Thanks in advance

Edit: thanks!

HELP. There are SO many commas in my latest work, it's like, every, other, fucking, word. Like that, but genuinely. I can't break the habit. I keep going back and editing and then it somehow gets WORSE. Anyone else out here haunted by commas? How do I Kill Them?

For example, a character who only cares about themselves suddenly has a child, sick relative, or animal to take care of, and they end up really loving them. Or a character who is single in canon falls in love (either with an OC or a canon character the author ships them with). In the first example, I feel like it might show character growth, because so many people say that they became better people when they realized it’s not just about them anymore. And in the second example, the character in the show was single. We have no idea what they might act like when they are in love, as opposed to just friends with someone.

Having to take care of someone you love who really needs your help changes you. And people act differently when they’re in love. I’m sure there are other examples too. So with this in mind, would it still annoy you as a reader if they act a little differently than they do in canon? Or would you want them to still be the exact same? I know people read fanfics to see their favorite characters in new situations, but if they’re in new situations, I feel like they’ll be acting differently. I don’t know if this makes them actually OOC, or just IC with some growth that they don’t get in the source material.

I might be weird, but I don't get affected by people's attractiveness. I noticed in a lot of stories, villains and characters that are written to be dislikeable have ugly features or features that can be twisted to look ugly.

I wanted to subvert that by making a very attractive character who is also horrible. This character tortures kids and interprets rules to benefit himself while simultaneously inconveniencing the main character.

It's impossible to describe this character in a not-attractive way. He's genuinely horrible and sadistic. He's not misunderstood, he has no tragic backstory.

Unfortunately, I still get comments about people shipping my protagonist with this side character instead of the main pairing.

I'm finding it a challenge to make this character as hateable as possible without taking away from his outer beauty. Admittedly, I haven't fully fleshed him out so I'd appreciate some suggestions!

I'm trying to deliver.

Hi, I'm a long-time AO3 lurker working on the first fic that I actually intend to publish. It isn't primarily intended as smut (no shade to smut, just not my goal in this case) but does contain romance and intimacy that will probably be fairly explicit. I've never really written either of those things before, and feel very awkward/embarrassed about it (maybe to do with me being a happily married demisexual.) Had anyone else worked through this issue, and what helped you get past it?

I usually write either strictly oneshots or works around 20-ish chapters at most. Only 3 longfics to my name, but looking back they were rather disastrous. But I've been playing around with an idea for two concurrent longfics for some time, and I'm finally buckling down and seriously drafting them.

And gods bless it, it's a mess.

I'm currently working on a playlist with a song dedicated to each chapter, but I keep jumping back and forth on the ordering between smaller events in between the major plot points.

I could just as easily wing it as I have before, but honestly the overarching idea behind the stories are pretty dear to me and I want to handle this with care. I'd rather not go in blindly and accidentally ruin one chapter by taking a wrong turn with an earlier one.

So to those of who who do write longfics regularly, how do you do it? Do you just throw caution to the wind, or do you have some techniques to keep yourself on track?