#IProofreadButAmTired

[precursor-ao3]

Jazz music from a noir film plays in the background. I approach you in a dimly lit alleyway, wearing a black trenchcoat and fedora, eyes hidden behind dark-tinted sunglasses. I check my surroundings before lighting a cigar, taking a long drag before slipping you a fat stack of Benjamins. Wisps of smoke drift out of my mouth like phantoms or some fancy shit like that. Smoking's bad kids don't do it. I peek at you from under my glasses and ask you, "How do you write? Got any tips and tricks?"

I accept your bribe and silently judge you for poor taste in tobacco products.  Vape life is best life, and I whisper, “Mad clouds bruh,” before asking you if you’ve ever been slapped in the face with 500 dollars.  Assuming the answer is “No,” I proceed to give you your first experience. *slap*You’re welcome.So! Tips and tricks with writing. 

1. Download Evernote on your phone and whatever you write on at home.  It’s a cloud-based app that makes taking notes during random smacks of inspiration on the go super easy.  If a line or an idea hits me at work harder than $500 in cash to the face, I can type it up and it automatically gets synced with “home base,” allowing for easy copy + paste transfer to a word doc. 

2. Use Dropbox in the same manner, but save your rough drafts/outlines/bigdickdocs in folders.  Also cloud-based, and it makes writing/editing in multiple locations easy.  And…you know, hard drives fail.  Dropbox, in the last 3 years that I’ve trusted it with thousands of hours worth of work, has not.  Unlike my father.  He’s failed me more than Dropbox.  #DeadBeatDadJokes3. Join the Fanfiction Reddit.  Lots of community posts for betas requests, beta offers, more “tips and tricks,” and there’s even a Discord to get involved in. I can safely say I wouldn’t have been able to develop half of how much I have without those folks; specifically one person in mind - @tafferling.  Read her stuff.  It’s great.4. Personally, I like to use Text-To-Speech to edit.  Balabolka is my favorite application for this, as having your work read back to you can help catch a lot of errors and make things flow better. 5. As for the writing itself, I have a very long and complicated process.-Take obsessive notes and write down one-liners as they pop into mind.-Research every note taken within the fandom until eyes bleed.-Take more notes.-Keep notes posted on left side of monitor while writing, and inject written one-liners, scenes, ideas, etc. into chapter as you go.- “Transcribe,” dialogue/cutscenes in the game (or whatever you’re writing about) during periods of writer’s block; you’re still making progress, but through busy work.  Re-watching certain things may actually help break through said writer’s block.-Keep track of chronological order of events as per fandom wiki; or have a solid plan/explanation in place if you decide to break them.-Take.  More.  Notes.-Form a general outline that you feel generally good with, and accept the fact that it’s going to change at least 50 more times before the fic is complete. I usually do this by making chapter titles with bullet points under them.  Sometimes I insert important events from the fandom or ideas/scenes/etc. just to keep track of it all.-Plot main events and let things blossom in between as they will; but also refer to original outline to reinforce that the timeline is being honored.-Edit until eyes AND ears bleed.-I’m probably missing a few steps, but my brain has been so viscerally damaged by trying to put the steps of my work into…words.  #NoSenseMadeBut hopes it made sense?I also think it’s very important to not beat yourself up about your early works.  My first fic, while I take pride in the complexity of the plot and “not being a typical crossover,” is definitely flawed beyond what you’re used to seeing in Deviant Behavior.  Even the early chapters of Of Steel and Stardust, my main work, need some reworking.  Writing is all about trial and error.  You cannot learn from mistakes without making them, and taking constructive criticism gracefully. Other than that, I can’t stress how important it is to interact with your readers.  I have met all three betas of mine (@mjrgenmatt, @elegantn7, and @celestiellie) through two fics I have written, and they’ve become great friends in the process.I hope this way-too-long answer to your question helps.  TL;DR: Take lots of notes, edit until you have a bloody mess in front of you and possibly a migraine, and don’t be a dick and ignore people who are trying to help/show enthusiasm for your work. Precummies out.