Pricklestar's Writing Tutorial

Take this step by step tutorial to write great fanfiction at the best of your ability.

Step 1 - Planning it all
Your fanfiction is going to go no where if you don't have it planned out. Start with a good idea and work around. If something in the plot doesn't make sense don't keep going and try to blow over it or around it. Try to fix the plot so it makes more sense. An example of a odd plot problem:

Poppyfur is a calm she-cat that had no desire to go on an adventure, yet at one point in your plot she becomes leader. That obviously doesn't fit that well so maybe tweak your plot: Instead of Poppyfur becoming leader, Icefur does. Or tweak Poppyfur's character. Maybe Poppyfur is now courageous.

Once you have a good feel of what is going to happen in the beginning, middle and end begin. Sometimes you don't have it ALL planned out, which is fine as long as you know the big compoinents of the plot. Sometimes, leaving small areas undecided can make it more fun to write as you come up with great ideas on the spot!

While your planning your plot, you also need to think up your main character(s) and setting. Try to make your main character(s) have interesting traits or maybe interesting history. This will make the reader want to read on, to learn more about this character. You need to have a good view of your main character(s)' point a view, it'll be much easier to write. You can't have a grumpy character suddenly acting nice and sharing with everyone.

Also, try not to copy the total warriors story or anyone elses' fanfiction. Getting ispirations and ideas from fanfiction is one thing, copying and stealing is another. Try to add a few original ideas to your fanfiction.

Step 2: Writing your Fanfiction
Are you ready to start your fanfiction?

Have you got almost all of your plot planned out? Do you know the setting? Do you have your main characters and their traits and some history planned out? If so, then you're on step 2.

There are a few things to remember while writing, one of them is grammar and spelling. Without grammar and spelling, it looks sloppy. Obviously typos pop up here and there and there is always going to be some, but try to not always make mistakes and if you do, it's quite easy to fix. Just delete 'em and fix 'em.

Some Great tips on Grammar and Spelling:

-Chatspeak should not be used, like I said, it looks slopy

-Try not to just use "said" here are some others: whispered, yelled, grumbled, murmured, cheered, hissed, called

-Usually, unless the same person is speaking, you leave a line of space before writing what the other person said. It's kind hard to explain, so here is an example:

"Nice day, Joe," Frankie yelled.

''"Yes it is!" Joe yelled back.''

Instead of:

''"Nice day, Joe,"Frankie yelled. "Yes it is!" Joe yelled back.''

Personally, I don't do it everytime somebody speaks, I find it looks too choppy. If it's a conversation and somebody asks a question I usually keep the answer on the same line, becuase it's the same topic. When somebody asks a new question, it gets it's own line. Also, If you do a line like this:

''Ed looked up at the sky, "It is a pretty day." ''Don't space out a line, like this:

Ed looked up at the sky, 

"It is a pretty day."

That is not proper grammar.

-Notice how in the examples I would put commas in certain places. Put a comma either before somebody speaks and you are about to start your quotation marks("-Quotation Mark)- Eva' said, "I know." Or if the quotation marks came first, where the period should go. If you're using Exclamation marks (!) or Question marks (?)- "I know," said Eva. Or "I know!" said Eva

-Always remember your punctuation marks (! ?, . ")

Follow these Grammar/Spelling tips and everything should be pretty good.

Using Descriptions
Sometimes fanfiction can become bland from the lack of adjecives and descriptive sentences. Adjectives are words that are used to describe things: Red, dark, funny, cool, soft, annoying, Yellow, mean

Using adjectives adds colour in your fanfiction. It also helps describe the setting. Ed looked up at the bright blue sky.

Adding descriptive sentences will help describe your setting and what not. The snow sparkled in the sun.

Another great thing is to use Similies and Metaphors.

The dreaded Writer's Block
Writer's block is when you have run out of ideas and are finding it hard to continue on with your fanfiction.