Rules for Writing Fanfiction

[Brynnie-chan]

Ladies, gentlemen, nerds, WoW players, and Trekkies of all ages. I'm sure at least some of you, like me, love reading or writing the occasional fanfiction, but feel somewhat guilty because of all the negativity attached to fanfiction as a whole. What I want people to learn is that there's such a thing as good, respectable fanfiction. It may be hard to find, but I know it is out there. So in order to help these people, and to help future and current fanfiction writers tell the difference, I'm proposing a set of guidelines. But I can't do this by myself.

Basically, this is half a game and half serious. I'm gonna post some of the guidelines I've made up for writing fanfiction. The next poster adds some of their own, then again in the next post, and so on. So here we go - let's make fanfiction less awful!

1. Mary Sues/Marty Stus are off-limits. No exceptions. NONE.
2. Keep everyone in character. If you can't, don't write it. If it’s a crack-fic, make sure we know that.
3. Spell correctly and use good grammar.
4. OCs are okay, but make every effort to keep them from being a Mary Sue. If this is impossible, don't write the fic.
5. No extreme Deus Ex Machina. The bravest writers can hurt their favorite characters.
6. There is no such thing as perfection.
7. Accept constructive criticism, and avoid flame wars.
8. Know how to laugh at yourself and the series for which you are writing.
9. Self-insertions aren’t necessarily Mary-Sue fics, but be careful. Write yourself as if you really WERE yourself, not as if you’re just the way you want to be.
10. Reader-inserts can become Mary-Sue fics if the writer isn’t careful. Make sure this is something that not just you would enjoy.

[Wendybird]

11. The cool, mysterious character you love is cool because he doesn't go around gushing feelings and talking about his past. Add too much of these and he will stop being cool, and I will hate you.

[Joel Fagin]

12. Do not crossover universes and characters just for the sake of crossing them over. I'm looking at you, Russel T "Lets-pit-the-cybermen-against-the-daleks" Davis.

13. Learn to write first. Please?

14. It must stand alone as a story. It should not rely on the fandom being fannish in order to appeal to them. If you can't bring anything new or interesting to the story, scene, characters or plot, don't bother.

15. These rules are there so you think before you break them. If you know what you're doing, you can defy any of them you like.

16. Assume you don't know what you're doing.

- Joel Fagin

[Killbert-Robby]

17. You will NEVER be this awesome http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxyZaZlaOs

[Metruis]

THANK you. Finally, someone acknowledges that fanfictions are not just the churning bowels of the internet spewing forth the regurgitated remains of literature!

It's hard to find, but it's out there. I've managed to convert people who believed that Star Wars fanfiction was awful. Sadly, there are people who believe that since fanfiction is only for fun, it shouldn't have to be written well. I grieved when someone got mad at me for being happy that over the course of a few years, a fanfic group I was involved in went from bland to astounding with criticism because, ooo, they hated criticism and it was all for fun. It's those people who keep the stigma of 'fanfiction is freaking awful' over fanfiction and the handful of us who want to write it well just can't escape it. (sighs)


18: All fanfictions have the potential to be awesome. There is potential for AU m-preg, slash, pairings, and even you + character pairings to work out and be a freaking amazing work of fanfiction. Do not make the mistake of believing your fic is that amazing. It isn't.

19: There are always exceptions to the rules. Even Mary/Marty Sues can be written correctly. I mean, they're rampent over real writing too. You cannot write them correctly. If you cannot make an original character more than an all powerful, perfect chosen brat, don't write fanfiction and expect it to be taken seriously.

20: Warn us at the beginning of the fic if it's going to be AU pairings. They can work. But not everyone wants to read them.

21: Fanfiction is practice for real writing. Remember that no, you will not be publishing it. But yes, it is practice for character building, writing witty and appealing dialogue, and making plotlines work.

22: If you don't want critique, stop freaking flaming those of us who do want it, who do take it seriously, and don't just write fics for FUN. We're having fun becoming better writers, stop trying to attach your horrible literature tags to us. It's hard for us to correct the belief that fanfictions aren't all bad when you guys are out to make sure they stay bad... with the internet comes criticism. If you don't want it, say so and save the hardship of accidentally getting some critique when you didn't want it and potentially learning something about writing a coherent, good story. I will accept that not all fanficcers will learn to write but warn us that you don't want to ever learn to write before you post it and I won't tell you to learn to write.

23: Do not expect to be taken seriously.

24: Go find rules for writing real fiction and apply them to fanfiction. Fanfiction does not equal no plot, no characters, no storyline. If it works in real fiction, it applies to fanfiction. The only difference between fanfiction and fiction is that in fan fiction you might be using characters you did not create in a world that you did not create!

25: If you can't write them in character, go write original fiction. Yes, you can still write Frodo in character while writing slash, dangnabit! Stop turning them into fangirly fantasies!

26: I don't care that her parents died when she was seven and she was taken in by her cruel grandparents and then ran away to be raped by orcs and was then saved by Legolas, I still f***ing hate her, please make her die. I don't care if you make her become a man-hating lesbian, forever scarred for life or whether she fell quivering into the next man's arms or I DON'T FREAKING CARE WHAT YOU USED IT FOR. Rape is not a character building plot device! Rape is not an excuse for not having a personality! Rape is not a way to build your OC's character. This does not mean it cannot be used, it just means that it should not be used for every single female character you want to either break, make kickass, or make into a man hating lesbian to fulfill girl on girl fanfic slash fantasies instead. Likewise, her parents dying is not an excuse for not developing her character. Yes, we know she's going to become a misanthropic cynic and run away because she stayed with her cruel other relatives or whatever. It's not an excuse. If you can't make her character become that way without traumatizing her, if you have to use traumatizing events as an excuse to give her any personality, write another character. Traumatizing events are not a replacement for character building! I LIKE traumatizing characters, but GIVE THEM A PERSONALITY FIRST. Stop excusing them away by saying things like 'oh, she was raped'.




Forgive me, I mod a fanfiction forum and I've seen the best and worst of fanfic.

[Brynnie-chan]

THANK you. Finally, someone acknowledges that fanfictions are not just the churning bowels of the internet spewing forth the regurgitated remains of literature!

It's hard to find, but it's out there. I've managed to convert people who believed that Star Wars fanfiction was awful. Sadly, there are people who believe that since fanfiction is only for fun, it shouldn't have to be written well. I grieved when someone got mad at me for being happy that over the course of a few years, a fanfic group I was involved in went from bland to astounding with criticism because, ooo, they hated criticism and it was all for fun. It's those people who keep the stigma of 'fanfiction is freaking awful' over fanfiction and the handful of us who want to write it well just can't escape it. (sighs)

I know! I have a friend who is an amazing writer, and could be really famous. I mean, the first time I heard a Stephenie Meyer book, I thought she could have written it. But then I hear everyone saying that Twilight reads like a bad fanfic. Then of course, everyone began to bash fanfiction. As a writer myself (I have a Hellsing fic that I think is rather promising, but isn't done yet), I know there's such a thing as good fanfiction. You just need to know the difference.

...I think you and I are going to get along just fine.

26: I don't care that her parents died when she was seven and she was taken in by her cruel grandparents and then ran away to be raped by orcs and was then saved by Legolas, I still f***ing hate her, please make her die. I don't care if you make her become a man-hating lesbian, forever scarred for life or whether she fell quivering into the next man's arms or I DON'T FREAKING CARE WHAT YOU USED IT FOR. Rape is not a character building plot device! Rape is not an excuse for not having a personality! Rape is not a way to build your OC's character. This does not mean it cannot be used, it just means that it should not be used for every single female character you want to either break, make kickass, or make into a man hating lesbian to fulfill girl on girl fanfic slash fantasies instead. Likewise, her parents dying is not an excuse for not developing her character. Yes, we know she's going to become a misanthropic cynic and run away because she stayed with her cruel other relatives or whatever. It's not an excuse. If you can't make her character become that way without traumatizing her, if you have to use traumatizing events as an excuse to give her any personality, write another character. Traumatizing events are not a replacement for character building! I LIKE traumatizing characters, but GIVE THEM A PERSONALITY FIRST. Stop excusing them away by saying things like 'oh, she was raped'.

...Oh my God, you just reminded me.

27. Fanfiction reviewers/flamers: Remember that awful story you wrote when you first got into fanfiction? Remember how crushed you were when those negative reviews started popping up? Does every writer REALLY need to go through that? Offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism, don't just tear down what could be a promising writer. Tell them EXACTLY what you don't like about the fic. Be gentle, but firm.

Forgive me, I mod a fanfiction forum and I've seen the best and worst of fanfic.

Not at all. Fanfiction needs more experienced defenders like you!

[Killbert-Robby]

THANK you. Finally, someone acknowledges that fanfictions are not just the churning bowels of the internet spewing forth the regurgitated remains of literature!

Well they kind of are. But at least if you know what you're doing its "Check it out I'm about to set my rainbow colored puke on fire" than "Aw man my hot dog didn't digest..."

[Wendybird]

Not all of them, but then my definition of fanfiction is broader than most. It includes Star Trek books, the Mary Russell mysteries, and Brust's My Own Kind of Freedom. That last one proves even if you only count stuff that will never make it to print, there are some gems.

[Joel Fagin]

28. Show don't tell.

29. Find out what "show don't tell" means.

30. Don't assume you know. Really find out, okay? Seriously.

31. When dealing with characterisation when the characters are put outside their comfort zone and their personality breaks down, make sure you engage... Wait. Have you looked up "show and tell" yet? You haven't, have you? Go and do it now! I'm not saying anything else until you do!

32. Still waiting.

- Joel Fagin

[Phact0rri]

One of the biggest gripe I have in fan fiction is that they aren't actual stories people write a scene of maybe five hundred words. if your going to put in the work, make a story. I do enjoy some comic fan fiction. I even written a little. course mine has been less fan fiction and more "these guys suck in execution so lets make them cool in execution"... what ever thats called.

[Prettysenshi]

33. Slash fanfics should NEVER including animals. I don't care what you're writing. Don't use it, kay? It's gross.

[Ahaugen]

28. Show don't tell.

29. Find out what "show don't tell" means.

30. Don't assume you know. Really find out, okay? Seriously.

31. When dealing with characterisation when the characters are put outside their comfort zone and their personality breaks down, make sure you engage... Wait. Have you looked up "show and tell" yet? You haven't, have you? Go and do it now! I'm not saying anything else until you do!

32. Still waiting.

- Joel Fagin

you remind me of my Grade 9 English teacher

[Joel Fagin]

you remind me of my Grade 9 English teacher

Yay! I'm terrorising students even on my holiday! I should get a bonus for this.

- Joel Fagin

[Dreamaniaccomic]

34. Don't go and write a "fix fic" in which you change the gender and name of the main character in addition to turning yourself into the stories official Purity Sue and God-Mode sue despite being a cynical, hateful b****, rape half the canon, leave the other half completely untouched to the point of simply RIPPING IT OFF THE PAGE, then claim that your a.) the greatest thing to happen to fanfiction and b.) you are NOT Bi, despite extremely gratitious passages involving sensual massages (shudder ).

I'm looking at you, THE GIRL WHO LIVED!!!

I usually don't react this strongly to anything, but as a fairly enthusiastic fan of Harry Potter, I believe death is far too good a fate for the author of that fanfic. I would sentence her to read her own work for all eternity.

[KWill]

I would sentence her to read her own work for all eternity.

You should read the TVtropes pages you link to... =P

[Mr.Bob]

35. Please keep the sex scenes to a minimum or forgo them altogether.

[Phact0rri]

35. Please keep the sex scenes to a minimum or forgo them altogether.

ultra important if you are still a virgin.

[Jesusabdullah]

But what if the genre is the sort that kinda requires a sex scene?

[Killbert-Robby]

But what if the genre is the sort that kinda requires a sex scene?

Then you're writing an abomination from the get-go

[Phact0rri]

But what if the genre is the sort that kinda requires a sex scene?

Then you're writing an abomination from the get-go

*writes his 'Jenna Jameson' fan fic*