I can't agree more about
reading the faqs and of course there's the usual spellcheck, grammar check and fact check. Good topic, Car. I'll add some of my thoughts and experience here.
I feel strongly that members should not
start a new fic thread until they have been around for a little while and gotten to know the culture of this board and the soft side of how things work here. Leave feedback, participate in the games over on the Kitten, just get a feel of the community. A few of you may have heard me opine that there should be technical restrictions, like a member can't start a new thread until she has made a certain number of posts (say 5 or 10) or a certain time after they joined (say 1-2 weeks). Perhaps this comes across as harsh, but it's common sense ... you want to stay here a while, we want you to stay here a while, but get to know us a little first.
I've been thinking about the difference between "good" and "bad" fanfic. The truth is, there is no "good" or "bad" -- each
reader will decide for herself which fics they follow or not follow. While I'd all like to read all the fics on here, there simply isn't enough hours of the day to do so.
What lures me back to a fic? And why is it that I stop reading others? Here's my personal opinion. I read a fic because I find it interesting, it isn't full of errors and the story seems to be heading somewhere. Additionally, no matter how brilliant it is, I'll stop reading if I find it physically difficult to read. By this I mean single line breaks, no capitalization or bad punctuation. Now I'll freely admit that my punctuation isn't great, which is why I'm ever so grateful to my beta. And this brings me to my next point ... use a beta. Your beta doesn't have to be someone who looks over your story with a fine toothcomb; if you're not comfortable having your writing analyzed and dissected, just ask a friend to give it quick read, to make sure there are no glaring mistakes.
Think I veered off topic here. The discussion is "so you wanna post some fanfic..." And yes, I wanna post some fanfic. How do I go about getting my fic posted?
1. Outline
No hard and fast rule. Longer fics I usually outline, if only so I know where I'm going and I know how it'll end. I also try to keep notes as I go along, so I don't do a massive boo-boo in continuity. It's even more important in a non-canon fic. If I have Anya as the owner of a shop, I don't want her to all of a sudden become a professional softball player.
2. Post schedule
I've been burnt, because I started posting a fic, and now it's only a few chapters in and I haven't been able to work on it for many many months. People have been asking me for updates and I can't deliver.
I'm making a disciplined effort to almost finish a fic before I start posting. It's difficult, because there is so much pleasure when I post an update, to see the view counter creep up, and to excitedly read the replies from the readers.
It's up to individual writers of course. By all means post as and when you have a chapter finished, but don't feel pressurized or guilty if you have a few chapters saved up in case you get writer's block or you have less time because of RL commitments.
3. Write your story
It is your story. Sometimes there is a compelling reason why you write a story -- to get some feelings off your chest, you get hit by a miraculously inspired moment, or it simply begged to be written. Sometimes you labor long and hard but you only get 100 words. Don't give up. Write your story. But think about why you are writing it and what you want your readers to get out of it. Entertainment / fluff / comedy has the same place on this board as angst and other emotionally wrenching stories. The readers on Pens are astute and well informed. They will know, if you've put a lot of effort into your work, they will know and appreciate it. Conversely, if you hadn't taken care in your plot or the oft mentioned formatting and spelling, it will show and yes it will put people off. Expect to receive the type of reaction from the readers as the effort you put in.
4. Give and take
When I first heard about Pens, I was puzzled as to why it was so popular. I couldn't understand then why anyone would want to trawl through post after post of comments that seem to interrupt the flow of the story. I was used to reading a story where a chapter follows another.
Of course that changed big time the first time I got feedback.
Wow. What a rush. I couldn't get enough, it was great. Someone was reading my story! There was discussion on what I wrote, and speculation on what will happen next! I felt vindicated, like I was welcomed.
As a reader, please give feedback, no matter how brief. An internet forum can be faceless, feedback makes it less impersonal. Some readers are more verbose in their feedback, but don't get intimidated. Say what you feel. Just a "I read your story and I liked it" tells the writer a lot.
As a writer, I try to reply to everyone who left me feedback. (Yes, I've been guilty of not replying too, but I try.) The cycle of feedback and reply is how I made some great friends here, and I've been lucky to have interacted with some really awesome people through this process.
5. Enjoy yourself
Writing and posting shouldn't be a big chore. We get enough crap from school or work or the people around us. This is supposed to be fun. Be a part of the community and it will be.
Another thought is that writing need not be a solitary hobby. Yes, the majority of us write alone, and it's one of the reasons why we do it. There are other forms of writing too. As we have proved with Elemental, Fruitcake and now WTTV, writing in a collaborative setting is both fun and educational. I can't describe how my writing has improved since I got together with the group on our projects. Not to mention the social aspects too.
Get togthether with some friends, brainstorm and talk about fics.
Oops, long post and I'm not sure if I made any sense at all.
[br]