fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #2567 ]

[ SECRET POST #2567 ]

⌈ Secret Post #2567 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Tumblr and/or social justice in and of themselves aren't fandoms, unfortunately.

Secrets Left to Post: 04 pages, 077 secrets from Secret Submission Post #367.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 1 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

01. http://imageshack.com/a/img138/4027/f3i2.jpg

I know what you mean op. I don't really have any advice but... Yeah. I know what you mean.

OP,

The only way you're going to get good at writing is by doing it. If you've got good story ideas, you can approach some of the writers and find out if they're willing to beta what you've written, just remember, you need a thick skin for edits.

Some of my best online friendships were made through offers to edit/be edited by people, so it can work!

(reply from suspended user)

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-12 22:55 (UTC) - Expand

Holy shit, are you me? I'm writing again for attention-whoring reasons too (at least partially) and I want fanartists to make cool art of MY fics instead of the shit fic that's out there.

And hey, look; all fandoms will be full of shitty fic. That's just a rule. You're not 'ruining' anything by taking a stab at it. But every person who writes that shit will eventually get better (hopefully) because they dared to take the first step.

Every single creative person, from artist to writer to musician or whatever will always make crap at first. That's okay. You just gotta keep practicing, read good writing that you like and learn from it, accept critique, and keep trying.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-13 06:07 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-18 16:22 (UTC) - Expand

Nobody will ever know, OP. And if you don't even start, you won't get any attention at all. If you're just starting out, it's inevitable that you won't be as good as people who've been practising for years, but even those who are good at it started out with nothing, just like you are.

Gotta start somewhere, OP. Why don't you try writing a few fics without posting them first for practice? You can figure out how you like to write and what suits you best and then you can post it for people to see once you think you're ready. Gaining attention isn't always a quick and easy process; usually it builds up over time. And if these fic writers you like are cool, you can always talk to them anyway about how your'e starting out. You never know, they might give you a hand. :]

On an unrelated note: OMIGOSH THAT BABY PENGUIN ;____; I WANT TO CUDDLE IT

Does your fandom have an anon/kink meme? Or could you find one for a fandom you do like? You could use writing for that as a kind of practice run, maybe, and deanon as you gain confidence?

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-13 02:15 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-13 12:46 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-13 19:58 (UTC) - Expand

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(Anonymous) - 2014-01-18 16:25 (UTC) - Expand

Don't let anyone tell you that you're writing for the wrong reasons. You can write for whatever reason you want.

The way to get better is to start writing and get experience. You'll even have a leg up on people like me who never get feedback because I'm too cowardly to show my writing to anyone. Feedback is exactly what you want. Take advantage of that and use it to improve.

Aaw OP. You can't clog up a fandom just by posting a few of your works. Why don't you try just talking about your ideas and headcanons, see if anyone will join in? It might be slow going at first until people begin to recognise you.

WTF is wrong with that penguin??

Re: OT

caerbannog - 2014-01-12 21:54 (UTC) - Expand

Re: OT

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-12 22:15 (UTC) - Expand

Re: OT

caerbannog - 2014-01-12 22:30 (UTC) - Expand

Echoing everyone else--just start writing. Your first fics may be bad, but you'll never get better if you don't practice. And you can start making connections and friends by having people beta read for you.

Every-one starts writing somewhere, OP. No-one explodes as a brilliant writer from scratch, and the more you write the better you get.

Fanfic writers, and I should think all authors, love people approaching them, talking to them, discussing plots and characters. If you like certain authors review them (if you haven't already) That was how I got to know people when I was new. And do write :) You may find it's the most enjoyable thing you ever do!

Everyone has their own motivations for writing. And I have yet to know of a fandom who don't appreciate contributions, any contributions. You're motivations for writing might stay the same or change over time or maybe you'll discover it's not for you and find another way to engage. You won't know until you try and yeah, the feedback will vary. The more you post, the more feedback you are likely to get and the more chances of interaction with the 'BNFs' who, mostly are just people and if you say hello and are friendly or comment about something you like in their work, will be more than willing to chat with you.

- a former "BNF"

As long as you're happy, write. Who cares why? you don't have to tell anyone. And if you're not that good? So? Everyone starts somewhere.

OP, as others have said, the only way to get good at writing is to write.

Just do it, write a story and put it to one side for awhile. Maybe start a 2nd story. Go back to the first and read it over, edit it or rewrite it until you are happy enough with it to put it out there.

You'll get better over time.

I sympathize OP, but you have to remember that everyone starts somewhere. The writers you admire didn't spring from the womb knowing how to write well, they started by churning out not-so-great stories. Over time, the not-so-great stories got better. Having no practice is an easy obstacle to overcome, because all you need to do is write and keep writing. That's it. Getting better at it is not something you can achieve just by talking about plot and characterization; there's no substitution for writing and learning from your mistakes.

But on the flip side, you don't have to be a writer to talk about plot bunnies and characterization. It helps, but it's not mandatory. You also don't have to share your stories with the fandom unless you want to, so there's no worry about "clogging" it up. (Although really... the majority of the fics in any given fandom will be bad. That's just how things are. Even if you wrote fics of your own and they didn't turn out well, they'd be a drop in the ocean. So don't sweat it, and just write if that's what you want to do.)

I guess having social reasons for writing can be a good motivator, but damn, I would run out of motivation so fucking fast if that was the only reason I did it. If you end up having fun being creative even for that reason, it's a good energy and if you're not very good, so what, you'll improve. But I knew somebody in an old fandom who pretty much admitted that she didn't enjoy writing, she just pushed herself to do it so she could contribute to the fandom, and even though some people who were her friends recced her and gave her good feedback, I...kinda thought she sucked and wasn't at all surprised to learn she wasn't genuinely into it. *shrug*

Edited 2014-01-12 23:11 (UTC)

Write for whatever reason you want to, OP. As long as you're having fun, who cares? All good writers were bad at some point and you'll get better with practice.

Echoing everyone else that if you really, really want to write, practice, but honestly, if your big motivation is to get the writers' attention and talk to them?

Don't worry about writing stories. Review. Message. You can write, but that's by no means a guarantee that people will think you want to be approached for conversation. My fanfic in the last five years or so has gotten me far, faaaaaaar less discussion than my willingness to kick the ball back-and-forth on meta. Further back, I did get most of my fanfic start in a small fandom where I ended up chatting to a number of the other writers, but it's because we would gush at each other in reviews and spread out to other topics, and a number of people we talked to weren't writers at all but read and reviewed through the same site.

(no subject)

likeadeuce - 2014-01-12 23:24 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

ketita - 2014-01-13 00:07 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

lunabee34 - 2014-01-13 00:32 (UTC) - Expand

I'm sure others have already told you that you can't get better at writing unless you write. So I will tell you that you shouldn't care about clogging up the fandom with bad fics. Wow, this free story was written someone who's just learning how to write? It's not going to kill anyone.

Read articles about writing. Get a beta. Practice on short ficlets before you try to plot something big. And perhaps hold back the first few things you try to write if you're afraid of being bad. But you won't get any practice, or get better, unless you start trying. Have fun!

*hugs*

hey, whatever gets you writing! i have a lot of ideas, but im a terrible writer because i rely too much on outside influence to keep me going. currently i have zero fandom friends to talk about fic with, and no one who would be excited once i finished, so i don't write. you never know what might happen OP so grab hold of your motivation while you have it :)

Yep, this. Writing fanfic doesn't function as some sort of all-access pass to a social group, OP. If you want to make friends, sometimes you have to make the first move.

1) Do you review a lot of fics? Do so if you don't already. Try for longer, thoughtful reviews that show people you notice and appreciate what they've done with plot and characterization-- the very things you want to talk about!

2) Do you keep up with an individual author's work? Ditto above. Read updates promptly, express your appreciate, and leave a nice, thoughtful review. You don't have to kiss ass, that's not the point. The point is finding people who have the same mindset about writing and fandom as you do and making a connection with them.

To be honest, writing to gain attention isn't a great goal, but if that's what you want then go for it. Just don't be surprised that it takes more effort to form genuine relationships with people than merely cranking out fic. Being a good writer doesn't hurt, but at the end of the day people don't make friends with stories, they make friends with people. If you want to talk meta and all that other good stuff, then have something interesting to say and say it.

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-13 00:38 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

(Anonymous) - 2014-01-13 02:19 (UTC) - Expand

"Clog up"? Honey, net space is practically infinite! You wouldn't be clogging up anything, and besides, you don't even have to share your writing publicly if you don't want to. If you have a few trusted friends who will give you decent feedback, you can share with them privately until you're a little more confident. (And I mean real feedback, not "omg everything you do is perfect" useless gushing, which is nice but won't help you improve.)

The only way to get better is to practice, find a style that's right for you, and feel your way through. Go for it! :)