Help! How Do I Start Writing Fanfiction?

Some advice on how to get started writing fanfiction. Learn some tips here on Shippers Guide To The Galaxy.

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[amycollins]

I started mostly I wrote stories that I wish to see

[charlotterose]

"Fandom is fundom. Or it should be at least". That was the cutest thing you've ever said! <3 Great vid btw <3

[quintencrook]

For everyone who worries about mistakes/typos, in the first edition of Christine Stephen King called a car a Ford when it was a Chevy. It was published with that mistakes. It happens.

[Biogrrrl]

I had fully expected to get a ton of hate filled feedback, but I was shocked when I didn't. Dunno if the people on AO3 are just nice, but even the most 'negative' review left was respectfully worded and the criticisms were on-point. I didn't have much anxiety about posting, but I was pleasantly surprised.

[vadalee]

I've always been a somewhat strong writer. As a school student, I have been tested and my writings, non-fiction, and fiction are have been in the top percentage of my grade. But fanfiction has always been my favorite genre of writing. I've loved writing fanfiction and would recommend it to writers of all levels. And writing fanfiction is shunned at my school. When I tell people I write fanfiction, especially my teachers, they'll say, "You are wasting your talent on unoriginal content. Try coming up with an original idea." I am still in school! Besides, I do this as a hobby. I write what I want, and fanfiction is what I write. I love it so much, and it has made me love writing.

[Giveupbit]

I wrote a fanfic once... my English teacher found it... I got an A+ even though it had some spice in it. 👏😂😭🙈

[SurahOnline]

*I began writing fan fiction when I was 8 years old. I never even knew it was a thing lol. I just did it* 😊 🤷‍♀️

[harlanhardway]

Talking with other fic writers really helped to demystify the whole thing for me. Even if you don't know any fic writers IRL, you can leave a comment on some of your favorite fics and see if anyone responds. Some authors don't respond to comments for various reasons, but a lot of them do and many are happy to talk about their work, especially if it's an active WIP that doesn't seem to be getting tons of attention.

Exchanging a few messages with fic authors made the whole thing seem less intimidating and also less like a giant sea of anonymous internet avatars and more like a fan community.

[zoezheng]

Writing down an outline is quite helpful in my case. It's no need to be long or specific, a few words will do jus fine. Also setting up schedules can do good, writing certain amount every day, posting it every two days etc. It will help you gain some kind of balance and patience, especially when you feel you have a long long road ahead.

[yaoiluverlife]

Ao3 is my place to go because they allow heavily explicit material. 😎 Also, I live for AUs and that is mostly what I stick with.

[demilts]

Writing from comics is a honest-to-god NIGHTMARE. It puts me off writing for the fandom i'm the most active in and I have the most knowledge in... because i'm so anxious that i'll get SOMETHING wrong and get criticized and the ENTIRE world will implode!

All exaggeration aside, it is my own insecurities that are stopping me from ever submitting my own work into the world wide web, but this is some excellent advice Sasha, I will take it to heart and try to remember it each time I doubt my abilities before posting.

[ness.ness.]

I started in a very VERY small fandom, and so I was super determined and motivated to start writing a fan fic for a ship that had never been written before. I didn't really think about it, I just wrote a chapter, and decided I wanted to write a few more. The fact that I was creating something new and unheard of pushed me forward. Though I never finished it, it was a great experience and it improved my writing too!

[sunnienelly]

May I just say, Wattpad is a very good place to post your fanfictions ❤.
Also, you all got this. I'm sure everyone here is a good writer ❤, I just started a Bluepulse fic and can't wait to finish it cause I know there is a lot of them (myself included) SHIPPERS UNITE! 💛

[crypticnerd]

I've wrote a few fanfics, but they're so bad, I've never posted them.

[tesreso]

AO3 tags *busts out laughing* i should not have been allowed to play with those~

Dumpfiles are great! Just throw ideas into them and use them if you find a spot in a fic! ;3

Also if you dunno if you should post something, show it to a friend or contact and author you like! I always like PMs on FF.net with ppl asking such and its nice to get some help sometimes, or just help others in the same situation...

I personally started writing cause i wanted to read stories i wasnt seeing, so i made them and its been an interesting ride ever since~

These are fun vids!

[trinitea]

I would laugh if you did a video on the ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir. I swear, there are many Canadian news outlets reporting on people writing VirtueMoir fics, it's hecka funny.

[DragonLandlord]

I started, and still occasionally do, write to fill canon plot holes. My oldest still posted fic was written because my favorite character did not change after a major story arc.

[RainStartsFalling]

I'm working on my first story at the moment. I'm writing in English even though it's not my first language. The story goes in the direction of "writing what I'd love to read myself". I have a rough outline for my plot, but nothing too definite or rigid. I'm not entirely certain about my ending because my characters seem to evolve in directions I had not entirely predicted. It's a gen fic focussed on the development of a single character at the moment but could evolve into a slash rare pare so the responses were not too many but I try not to let myself be discouraged. I try to keep a buffer of 2 to 3 chapters that are already finished so that I have something to post even if something disrupts my writing. But the buffer should not get too big, else I'd have to change a huge amount of stuff at a time. I'm happy about every comment I get but I have to admit that I could use more constructive criticism and prompts.

[shaycallum]

I started writing fanfiction because I wanted my writing to get better. People were way more willing to read about characters they knew than 50 pages of garbled nonsense.
I guess I was hoping that reviewers and commenters would tell me how and what to write so they would love my stories? In their way, they did, but it took a lot of time to decipher the responses I got. The time I spent being confused and frustrated was incredibly valuable, because it taught me how to understand criticism and how to apply that to my continued improvement.

I can say I really quite like my writing now. : D Don't give up! You CAN reach the point that you love your writing and you tell your stories the way you want. It just might take years to hone your craft!

[renaaxton]

thank you so much for this❤❤ i am considering writing fanfiction and this was really helpful.