Writing fan fictions can be very fun. Whether it's a story you're writing by yourself or something that you're doing with a friend, if you have inspiration and know exactly what you want to write, it's very enjoyable and something that I personally love to do in my free time. However, there's something else out there that makes your time over at ff.net or any other fanfiction site even more enjoyable: Mingling among other writers.
Now, you may be asking, "What difference does talking to other writers make to my writing?" And the answer is, a lot. Lets take a beta for example. I remember a person reviewing a story of mine once. I replied back thank you to her, and that eventually started a whole conversation and discussion between us. She suggested getting a beta for my fics to make the story seem more sophisticated, and said she would be happy to do it for me. I agreed. And from that day on, she has been my beta and a very good friend. We discuss anything and everything, she gives me ideas and suggestions, stayed up late at night with me online helping me with one of my fics, and giving me her honest opinion of everything. And because of her, my writing improved tons.
And there was another girl who writes about the exact same characters and pairings as me. We hit off as soon I replied back to her review. She asked me to help her with one of the chapters of her story, and I did. And that was a great writing experience for me. It gave me a chance to write about a story and world outside of the one I write about, and I had a great time.
And then there are the forums. I am a member of the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges, and that place is amazing. You get inspirations and ideas, join competitions, talk to other people with similar interests, and is a great place to cure your writer's block.
When writing, it's important to make yourself a part of the fandom you're writing for, and not just be another writer in the corner. Be an active member, join forums, review people's work, get help from a beta, help someone if they need it, be a contributor, because when you're a part of the community, it will help you improve your writing along the way, and most of all, it makes you feel like you truly belong in that place.
Now, you may be asking, "What difference does talking to other writers make to my writing?" And the answer is, a lot. Lets take a beta for example. I remember a person reviewing a story of mine once. I replied back thank you to her, and that eventually started a whole conversation and discussion between us. She suggested getting a beta for my fics to make the story seem more sophisticated, and said she would be happy to do it for me. I agreed. And from that day on, she has been my beta and a very good friend. We discuss anything and everything, she gives me ideas and suggestions, stayed up late at night with me online helping me with one of my fics, and giving me her honest opinion of everything. And because of her, my writing improved tons.
And there was another girl who writes about the exact same characters and pairings as me. We hit off as soon I replied back to her review. She asked me to help her with one of the chapters of her story, and I did. And that was a great writing experience for me. It gave me a chance to write about a story and world outside of the one I write about, and I had a great time.
And then there are the forums. I am a member of the Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges, and that place is amazing. You get inspirations and ideas, join competitions, talk to other people with similar interests, and is a great place to cure your writer's block.
When writing, it's important to make yourself a part of the fandom you're writing for, and not just be another writer in the corner. Be an active member, join forums, review people's work, get help from a beta, help someone if they need it, be a contributor, because when you're a part of the community, it will help you improve your writing along the way, and most of all, it makes you feel like you truly belong in that place.
