Writing

How to Write Fanfiction When You Have Anxiety or Depression

April 4, 2020 // 2 Comments

Fanfiction writers are, by and large, solitary creatures. We feel deeply, read empathetically, and think critically. These introverted characteristics we tend to share can help us create rich story-worlds, compelling characters, and strong emotions in our writing. However, these characteristics can also bog us down if we’re suffering from mental illness — anxiety and depression are common experiences in today’s world and can make doing tasks like fanfiction writing seem impossible. //

Making The Switch from Fanfiction To Original Fiction

November 28, 2017 // 4 Comments

Many fanfiction writers come up against obstacles, AUs that just won’t work or a plot point that veers too far out of character. I have quickly realised, however, that these obstacles are nothing compared to the task of coming out of fanfiction and beginning to write original fiction. Points I hadn’t even considered about writing had suddenly appeared and I started to worry if I was completely out of my depth. I tried to search for anyone in the same situation and found nothing out //

How to Win NaNoWriMo

October 25, 2017 // 0 Comments

pink letters fall from the fridge to the floor

So you’ve decided to do it. Every November, during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, for short), hundreds of thousands of writers across the globe pledge their fealty to the writer gods and commit to writing a novel in one month. 50,000 words in 30 days. 1667 per day. And I’m not going to lie to you. It’s hard. Really hard. But you can do it. I know this because I’ve done it. In the past two years, I’ve gone from writing as an occasional hobby to punching out over half a //

How to Talk to a Beta Reader About Your Fanfiction (Before, During, and After)

August 11, 2017 // 1 Comment

Writers, by nature, keep a tight hold on their work. They obsessively craft and edit and rework until it’s just right (or, at least, just right now). So the thought of handing over your fanfiction to a beta reader for feedback can be, well, terrifying. There is plenty of advice to follow for how to be an effective beta reader, but what about some guidelines for writers? That’s where we come in. Here are some tips on how to talk to a beta reader about your fanfiction… without //

How to Be a Fanfiction Beta Reader

June 30, 2017 // 0 Comments

So you want to be a fanfiction beta reader? It’s a tough job, but if you take the right approach, beta reading can be immensely rewarding. Positive aspects include getting editing experience, discovering new authors (before they are famous), and giving back to your fandom community. But most betas will report it’s the relationships they build with their writers that makes beta reading worthwhile. Cultivating these relationships, like any other, takes open and honest communication //

Plot? What Plot? How to Write an Outline for Your Fanfiction

April 21, 2017 // 2 Comments

There’s a great debate in fic writing circles about whether being a plotter or a pantser is a more effective approach when writing fanfiction. Whether or not you have a penchant for research, however, it is undeniable that every story requires at least some design. Personally, I enjoy the freedom of sitting down in front of blank page and seeing where my imagination takes me… writing by the seat of my pants. However, I am also painfully aware that starting a fanfic without a plan can //

How to Finish Your Novel

January 25, 2017 // 0 Comments

So you’ve started writing a novel. Maybe you took the plunge after years of dreaming about getting your brilliant idea down in book form. Maybe you participated in November’s NaNoWriMo competition. Maybe you’ve unearthed an incomplete manuscript on your laptop. Whatever the case may be, perhaps the most important (and difficult) part of writing a novel is… finishing it. At this year’s Hal-Con, I attended a panel with the modern master of urban fantasy, author Charles de //

How to Set (and Keep) Fandom Goals

January 4, 2017 // 2 Comments

Did you have a good fandom year? I sure did. I was fortunate enough to become the Editor of FAN/FIC Magazine, for which I personally wrote 27 articles about craft, culture, and community. I also won NaNoWriMo by writing the third instalment of my Drarry fanfiction (currently unpublished). Finally, I discovered Supernatural and, after watching all eleven seasons, joined the nuttiest (and most kickass) fandom on the Internet. These are all fandom-related things I accomplished this year, some //

Afanasy Nikitin: The Man Who Journeyed Beyond Three Seas

November 23, 2016 // 0 Comments

Flamboyant But Forgotten is a regular column by contributor Rachel Cohen. In this column, Rachel highlights some of the lesser-known historical figures whose backstories, personalities, and occupations make great fodder for creative fanfiction writing. Whenever I miss the gym one time too often, or generally consumed by existential self-hatred, I go jogging. Because when I jog, my hate extends to everything. I especially hate doing that thing which is the essence of jogging – putting //

Why NaNoWriMo Works for Me

November 2, 2016 // 0 Comments

As many of us already know, the first step in becoming, as they say, a “real” writer is to, well… write. Not write when the mood strikes, not “tomorrow,” not when you have some time off. To write (and to write well) involves a consistent effort. A daily regimen. The flexing of a muscle. Writing is a practice. And what better time to begin that practice than National Novel Writing Month? NaNoWriMo is an annual novel-writing project taken on by professional and amateur writers //