#ffxvhoe writing advice

[ffxvhoe]

Heyo! I was wondering if you would be up to giving tips for aspiring writers. I want to write for FFXV, (And other fandoms), I have a big idea, but I've never written a story before. Sure there have been things on wattpad before but not many people use wattpad anymore imo. So any tips for a novice writer? Sorry if this just sounds like rambling. -🐔

Ahhh wattpad lmao I actually just posted something on there for the ff/kh secret santa that they hold every year ((I was actually a part of the very first one they did I think about 5-ish years ago??)).  But anywho, onto answering the question at hand!!

So we’re gonna start off with the harsher things first.

Know and come to terms with the fact that you will always be your worst critic and your biggest fan.  I know that may sound contradictory but one thing that I’ve come to realize through my years of writing for different fandoms is that you will always be more in love with your ideas than anyone else will, but by that same token you will always find more faults with your writing.  You’ll know exactly what you want to happen in your story and you’ll be able to map it out in your head so when you can’t get the words just right or the atmosphere exactly as you’d like you’ll become frustrated.  When that happens what you’ll ultimately need to do is step away from what you’re writing and come back to it.  I know that for me personally, if I try to write through my frustration it’ll just continue to build and build until I either hit writer’s block or start to hate my story.  When that happens take a step back.

Know and come to terms with the fact that you will not get the comments, reblogs, and validation you’re looking for right off the bat.  Hell, you may not even get it several months in to your blog.  It will feel discouraging and you’ll probably play with the idea of not writing anymore on more than one occasion.  I still go through phases of this myself.  Sure there are ways that you can “get popular fast” which blustersquall talks about here rather eloquently.  Whether you use those methods is up to you ((I’ll admit to using some of them myself when I first started)) but while they do work, in the long run it’s kinda like selling yourself short tbh.

Those are my two main -- more negative -- points of advice for new fandom writers.  Now onto more positive ones!!

It’s a really good idea to surround yourself with other writers!!  They’ll usually be the best people to go to when looking for concrit because, well, it’s their craft too.  They’ll also be the best people to kinda help you when you’re feeling down about your writing since they undoubtedly go through the same struggles.  It’s also a good networking opportunity sometimes too.  That may seem shallow, but if you’re good friends with other writers you can always be sure that you’ll get some reblogs that’ll help get your work out there.  Tit for tat though, be kind to your fellow writers and reblog their stuff too!!  I know that it may seem selfish ((and there definitely are people that only act friendly to other writers for the publicity of it)) but so long as you 1) don’t expect them to always reblog your work 2) be an actual friend and 3) return the favor, it’s not using them. I’m sure some people will disagree with me on that but I stand by what I say.  There’s definitely a fine line, but you can certainly walk it if your heart is in the right place.  It can be scary putting yourself out there, yes, but honestly some of my closest friends on here I met because they’re also writers and I love their work!!

If you plan on taking requests that’s fine, but make sure you still write some content for yourself.  If you have an idea for a story that you really want to write whether it be long term or short term then do that.  If you treat writing as an actual job ((esp when you aren’t getting any actual revenue from it)) you’ll burn out quicker than a match dipped in kerosene.  I admit I’m still struggling with this a bit, but it really is nice to write something that you’ve been dying to write for a long time.  And who knows?  Maybe someone else will have been looking for that content and you’ll finally be able to give it to them!!    

On a similar note remember that you dictate what you will and will not write.  Some people don’t like to write smut and that’s a-okay.  Some people prefer to only write smut and that’s a-okay.  Some people would rather not write reader inserts and some people would rather only write reader inserts.  Some people would prefer not to write things that are too personalized and some people are open to writing more personalized requests.  All of these things are FINE and it is up to you to decide what you want to write, not anyone else.  A “Rules” page is your friend.  If someone sends a request that doesn’t follow what’s on the “rules” page kindly redirect them and ask them to read the rules before requesting.  It’s just common courtesy.  On that same note though do make sure that your rules are clear so there’s no confusion!!

Anyway, these are the main things that come to mind as far as tips/advice goes for new writers!!  I hope that this helped my dearest Chicken Anon and I wish you the best of luck in your writing endeavors ^_^