Guide to Writing Fanfiction
By Geographee
The best writers are also the best readers. By reading the works of others you learn what fits and what doesn’t, it opens up your imagination to all the possibilities. People who write well are usually very well read, they have learned at the feet of the great authors who came before them. It is my august opinion that every writer started out with the basics. In this section you will find a lot of links to resources to help you write better. If you want to be a great writer, the best advice I can give you is to look through the resources below, all of which give great advice to aspiring authors.
Note: These lists of resources are by no means inclusive. A lot of good information for writing is available.
Contents
Resources on the Web
Because many good websites exist as guides on how to write well, I am not going to repeat anything they say here. Instead I am going to includes links to good websites that are good resources for writers. Please be sure to visit and learn from them!
Inescapable is a Twilight Fanfiction Critique site by Alcyone. She does a wonderful job of breaking down what makes a good story. Her Writing Resources page gives some great advice to aspiring authors and contains some great links to writing good fiction.
Pel and Firefly have created a great compendium of common fanfiction irritants at Ramblings and Thoughts. Although specific to the Twilight Universe, their advice rings true throughout multiple fandoms.
Dr. Merlin’s Guide to Fanfiction is one of the greatest articles ever written. Every new fanfiction author should read it.
Wayne Schmidt’s This and That, has a great guide for fanfiction writers that also includes some good links about what to do and what not to do when writing.
Printed Resources
There are several good books out there that pertain to writing. Some are about style, others about plots and characters. Here are a few of my favorites. (All links are to Amazon.com)
The Elements of Style by William Strunk, E.B. White, and Roger Angell
On Writing Well by William Zinsser
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
Literature and the Writing Process by Elizabeth McMahan, Susan Day, and Robert Funk
Rhetorical Grammar by Martha J. Kolln
Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell
The Grammar Bible by Michael Strumpf and Aureil Douglas
Masters Class in Writing Fiction: Techniques from Austen, Hemingway, and Other Greats by Adam Sexton
