#my greatest little joy is having a thread in my friend server where i can yell stupid shit about deep space nine

[cinnabarlab]

[ghoste-catte]

I was curious what advice would you give to someone new to writing fics? I've been wanting to get back into it but haven't seriously written something since high school. I hope this isn't an annoying question or anything!

Not an annoying question at all! I'm just a little worried that I won't have terribly good or useful advice. To be honest, I also sort of stopped writing in earnest right as I finished high school, and didn't pick it back up until my late 20s. It's certainly an adjustment! But I think the few things that really helped me get back into writing fic as a hobby and something I spend quite a bit of time on would be:

Write for yourself first, then find your other motivations. My original inspiration in getting back into fic writing was that there just were not that many fics I liked for my favorite pairing, and I wanted more of them, and I especially wanted more with the tropes and characterizations I wanted to see. I think at the very core of anything you need that internal spark that drives you. At the same time, for me at least, if I just relied on my own drive, I would not get much done; I need some external guardrails. So having people send prompts, or writing for particular events, or writing stuff for friends really helps me to get my ass in gear and finish stuff. That may not be the perfect motivator for you, and that's fine! You just gotta figure out what is.

Be open to inspiration. Anything and everything can be spun out into a story with the right tweaking. Obviously stuff like music is a classic inspiration source, but I've also pulled ideas from poetry, from memes, from Reddit threads, from YouTube videos, from rambling conversations on Discord and from real life to make fics out of. So many times, someone will post a silly Twitter screencap, and I'll think, There's a fic in this. And a lot of the time, there is! Research is a wonderful thing, but so is serendipity. If you're out there actively looking for ideas, eventually one that you like will stumble past you.

Find your community. I can genuinely say I never would have finished more than one fic if I didn't have fandom friends to talk to about even stupid headcanons, to bounce ideas off of, and to encourage me (and to encourage them in turn!). Discord has been a godsend, and some of my closest online friends are people I met in the GaaLee discord server. As I've gotten more comfortable as a writer, I've also joined general writing servers and Reddit communities and have found them immensely helpful on both a motivational level (bingos, sprints, owe-me challenges) and on a craft level (plot workshopping and writing ethics and live grammar help). It's a lot easier to think about fic ideas and hash through problem moments when I have a constant stream of fandom-related chatter coming from the little people who live in my phone! Ao3 is an amazing website, and it's great as, well, an archive, but it isn't social media by design. If you want conversation and human connection and cheerleading, you've gotta forge out and find it.

Make it a habit ... If you want to produce anything longer than a couple hundred words, you really have to set aside time for it. And writing is just like knitting or dirt biking or painting little model figurines: the more you do it, the more easily it comes. When I was first getting back into the proper swing of things, I committed myself to 30 minutes of writing per week. Just 30 minutes. I didn't even hit that goal every week, but there were tons of weeks I got on a roll and went over that amount, and by the end of the year I'd written over 200,000 words. I used to spend an hour laboriously tip-tapping out 200 words, but now I can easily blow through 1k in a 50 minute sprint. It's all about training that muscle.

... But don't make it a chore. With fanfic, you aren't doing this as a job, and you aren't ultimately doing it for anyone other than you. That means you can take breaks when you need them, you can set deadlines and then fail to meet them, you can write stuff and then decide to never post it. When you start getting burnt out, when the practice loses the joy and energy, stop. There's no 'hustle' here. In our capitalist society we're so trained to push past our limits and keep going even when it hurts us, but the hobby you do for connection and relaxation and whatever else shouldn't be like that.

Ignore metrics. Sometimes stuff isn't gonna get hits, or kudos, or comments. There are some basic 'rules' as to the stuff that does and doesn't get traction, but every time you post something it's a roll of the dice. If you're focused on watching that kudos counter tick up, you will get bummed out fast. And any writer will tell you that the stuff you think is your best work will never be the stuff that gets the most accolades. So you have to find something else to give you a sense of success. For me, it's watching my wordcount go up in my stats and those occasional comments where someone has a lot to say and that one person who always leaves me a <3 emoji (and, shout out to @egregiousderp, having someone to have long one-on-one conversations with about the stuff that never made it to page).

Don't strive for perfection. It's really easy to want your first ever fic to be a complete showstopper, the best fic fandom has ever seen, hitting all the tropes and the ideas and the characterization that you just know fandom is missing and would be everyone's top favorite if only it was written. This is a trap. No one fic can be all things. Most people who want to write an epic as their very first venture will not see the end of that epic, because they haven't put in the practice hours to make something on that scale work. That's not to say you can't start out with a big, sprawling multichap, just don't expect it to be the greatest thing since sliced bread if you're just starting out, and be okay with abandoning it for greener pastures if you get to that point. Think of the first time someone makes a vase out of clay or bakes a loaf of bread. That's never their best vase or their best bread. If they keep up with it, they'll make more and better vases and loaves. Likewise, your first fic is probably not gonna be your best fic. See it for what it is: your launchpad.

You can't edit an empty page, but you can over-edit a full one. This kind of spins off of #7, but if the words aren't there, you can't fix them. Daydreams and headcanons are fantastic (and god, how many times have I wished for a speech-to-text engine that projected my falling asleep thoughts onto a Google doc for later perusal), but they aren't fic. If you want to write fic, you've gotta get comfortable with the idea of sloppy outlines and rough first drafts. You can't build a house without a frame and you can't build a man without a skeleton (I mean, you can, I guess, but he'd be one floppy man). The nice thing about fic is that it doesn't matter if that frame is structurally unsound or the skeleton has 18 too many bones, you can clean that up in the editing process. But you can't start hanging curtains and arranging furniture in something that doesn't even have walls. That's the process. But! Also know when to set down the editor's pen and say, "Okay, this is good enough for government work", and call it done. ("Done" doesn't have to mean "posted", but it does mean, "I'm done picking at this for now, and I'm gonna go write some more stuff".) Over-editing can make stuff seem laborious and forced, and it prevents you from actually improving. To continue belaboring the house metaphor, you can spend your whole life rearranging furniture in just one room, but the end result of that is a pretty narrow existence and a room with a lot of footprints and tracks in the carpet.

Write shit down. When you have ideas, jot them down--in a notebook, in a Google Doc, in the Notes app of your phone, in pen on the back of your hand. You think you will remember that brilliant line of dialogue or sparkling snippet of narration or genius plot that came to you in a dream, but you Will Not. Write it down. Write it down. Write it down! There have been so many times when a fic was completely saved by past!me having written down my shower thoughts about what happens next in the fic, that present!me had completely forgotten about and was floundering over.

Have fun with it! Try different stuff. Try stupid stuff. Try experimental stuff. Do stuff you've never done before that you aren't sure will work. It's important to get comfortable with your niche (for example, I know I'm never going to be the sort of person who writes intricate plots of intrigue or super long 100k epics or detailed battles), but you can't find that niche unless you explore lots of different niches! Figure out what you love and what you absolutely hate, and then keep doing the stuff you love.

Okay, so that was actually TEN things, but ... I hope you still found this helpful. Feel free to send another ask if any of this was confusing or unclear. Good luck with your fic writing and, if you want, send me a link to what you've written once you've written it! I'd love to read it.

[klngofdarkness]

Discord Thread Archive - #2

This is a thread written on “Klonoa Party”, a server on Discord with Maxipawz, available on Twitter and DeviantART.

Characters: Lephise, Ghadius

Setting/s: Kingdom of Cress

Notes: This thread takes place shortly after Klonoa: Door To Phantomile and this thread.

@driftstar13

"Interesting..." A haunting voice echoed through the hallways as an unfamiliar figure wandered them, lost in thought as he pondered how fae had him continue to exist. Luck wouldn't be smiling upon him today. would it? No, it was too good to be true. "What happened... is quite interesting." He seemed to mumble to himself aloud.

@maxipawz

A figure of much smaller stature was trailing right behind the strange person. She seemed to look a little more carefree, even twirling around one, letting her ponytails swing around. "Ahh...goodness, early day, and the sun's already out..."

@driftstar13​

"The sun has always burned in my eyes." Ghadius complained. "When it comes I'd rather hide away. You must understand..." Sure, it made sense. He was quite pale after all, at least from what could be made out from his face.

@maxipawz

"I don't blame you. The sun is rather strong during this time of the day, and the heat is just too much for me. These are days where I wish I didn't have to wear such heavy clothes." Lephise sighed softly. "Let's just stay indoors all day. It's much cooler."

@driftstar13​

"You are quite agreeable, Songstress." Ghadius observed, bending down a little to glance back at her. The only part of his face that Lephise could really read was his mouth, which carried a little smile. "Yes, that would be preferred. But it's not like you must keep me company. I am not a mischievous child wishing to cause a scene as soon as it is left unattended. I promise you, I will do no harm."

@maxipawz

"Ohh, believe me." The Songstress giggled, "I am a little rambunctious myself, but I know my limits. I might be more of a handful to you than you are to me." Bravely, she decided to reach up to gently touch the king's beak-like mask. "Besides, I've had my fair share of younger kids running around the place. It's...an experience. An experience I don't have to clean up."

@driftstar13​

"Hmm?" Ghadius kind of just froze in place as Lephise reached out to hold Ghadius's mask. Was she trying to take it off? He just patiently stood there, not sure what exactly her gesture meant. "Is that so? I haven't seen many children, but their nature is very... inspiring."

@maxipawz

Thankfully, Lephise showed no signs of wanting to de-mask Ghadius, merely petting his beak as a sign of friendliness. A weird way to do it, but well-intended. "They're the most innocent ones of this land, so naive and adventurous. They give me the motivation I desire whenever I am slow. Though, I must give my condolences to the parents of those with children who just love to get into trouble. It's...rather humorous."

@driftstar13​

"That is true. However I've never experienced that for myself." Ghadius explained and stood up, denying Lephise the “tuch bek". He simply continued wandering, "I have not met children. Not many, at least. I'm quite sure that they'd run to their mothers crying if they witnessed me. I understanding that I am not what this world considers 'beautiful'."

@maxipawz

Lephise want tuch bek. Bek was tuch. Lephise was satisfied. "Aaaah...I wouldn't say all of them would. In fact, it takes one curious, brave child to let the others know you are no threat. Once one starts climbing over you, the others will, and then you will have wished they were afraid of you." Lephise giggled, placing her hand below her mouth.

@driftstar13​

"I had to learn this the hard way." Ghadius stated, "Having creatures thrown at you is more painful than it appears. I've underestimated the strength and perseverance of that dream." The entity cast his gaze up, pondering. "Klonoa..."

@maxipawz

"Klonoa..." Lephise spoke up. Her eyes trained to the ceiling, as she lost herself deep in thought. She remembered that bouncy hero. A charming friend of this world. It was such a shame she could not personally offer more appreciation for his hard work. If only he could've stayed. "I believe we all have. It's not every day a young child is brought to our world, capable of feats far surpassing ours. Perhaps those are the greatest heroes." She stopped her ramble for a moment, glancing to him. "On the bright side, I assure you these children don't nearly do as much moo-flinging."

@driftstar13​

Ghadius lowered his gaze, and stared down the hallway. It was empty, but he could still see that child making his way through all the same, batting aside any enemies that he had thrown his way. He and that prince, Hewpoe. His gaze eventually sunk to the floor. "I understand." he spoke, accompanied by an idle chuckle. "It doesn't compare to the pain of failure, dear Songstress... Or the pain that I have caused you."

@maxipawz

"Hmmm.." Lephise sighed idly, her head tilting. His words didn't bother her too much. She knew there was some sort of soft side to him, though the challenge was finding it. "Pain and failure bring out the worst in us, but sometimes, they make us stronger. A little suffering goes a long way. Believe me, children can be a nightmare. It really isn't that much of a comparison." She giggled once more.

@driftstar13​

"Children are not comparable to nightmares." Ghadius exclaimed, and his voice became uncharacteristically loud as he laughed. He probably didn't expect her to say that, and it just amused him to no end. The entity turned around, once more facing Lephise. "It is funny, how you can simply laugh it all off... It's necessary to move on, isn't it? After all, dwelling in the past is a miserable thing to do."

@maxipawz

Ghadius' laughter sometimes struck fear into people, but Lephise could tell this was uncharacteristic of him. The way he sounded so genuinely joyed by such a comment. "Exactly. Moving on is a part of life, and humor helps us cope. It is one of the lessons Phantomile has to re-learn. This surely will mean more hearts may be broken as time goes on, but...well...we'll just have to teach them to come out stronger."

@driftstar13​

"Maybe so." The emperor commented, glancing out from one of the arches at the world below. "However these people enjoy to find something to blame, and surely they are blaming me for what has happened." He was right in a way. Ghadius was to blame for a lot of horrible things that had happened. "You may forgive me, Lephise, but Phantomile may not. They may continue to shun me, to shun nightmares and cast away the cruelty of reality. That's just the truth."

@maxipawz

Lephise soon joined Ghadius' side, glancing down at from the balcony with a bit more effort, being smaller. "It is a sad truth in your words. That is why I knew this world was so flawed. Once they learn to take their own actions to blame for their wrongdoings, I pray to see some change. I feel anyone can redeem themselves within time. Teaching the newer generations not to fear you is a step in the right direction."

@driftstar13​

Lephise was fair. It still felt odd, almost wrong, that she was giving him a chance. "To be able to breathe fresh air again has cleared my head just a little." The spirit reminisced, "I know that I am far from welcome. I am used to it. Do not waste too much time trying to make people accept something that they have long chosen to loathe." With that Ghadius kept walking. Where were they going again?

@maxipawz

"Under this kingdom, you are in safe hands." Lephise insisted. "They simply need their time. If ever. Otherwise, we just keep looking forward." She followed him out, also unsure of where they were going. Praying it wasn't going to be over the edge.

@driftstar13​

Suicide wasn't something that Ghadius was interested in. Maybe he was just happy that he could explore and be somewhere without being cast away. "Of course." He responded to her thoughts, "I suppose I must return to my kingdom. It has been without a ruler for so long. Until then..." The entity turned to face Lephise. "... is there anything you need or wish to address?"

@maxipawz

Lephise too wasn't a fan of going to commit die. But she was fond of how much her new guest wanted to explore. "Ahh, yes, to truly live side by side. Perhaps we could become that 'silly neighbors' cliche. I can peer over a fence and ask you what's troubling you." She couldn't help but giggle some more. "Oh, my funny bone will be aching tomorrow! And to think I'm not that old..."

@driftstar13​

Ghadius smiled. For someone to take their situation so lightly; it amused him. Perhaps it was what he needed, an aid to help his broken mind heal. Perhaps he wasn't too far gone yet. "I'm afraid that I've lost my humor over the years. That is, if I have had any to begin with." He observed, "If you call my name I will come. Do expect me to return regularly."

@maxipawz

"I can understand, after being without contact for so long..." Lephise spoke softly, her hands held together. "Ah, please do visit. It would be wonderful to have you around. I myself may offer a more lighthearted conversation rather than a deep, meaningful one, but you should come to me if you wish to clear your mind. Perhaps I can get you acquainted with others close to me."

@driftstar13​

"Of course. Your friendliness means a lot to me. It surprises me that I have somebody to speak to at all. I must appreciate what I have. I don't know much time I will have to appreciate it." The elder spirit elaborated, and nodded his head to Lephise. "I will see you, Lephise." Ghadius greeted and held out his cloak, a cloud of deep-purple smoke enveloping his form before he brought it together, disappearing suddenly.

@maxipawz

"See you around, neighbor." Lephise spoke farewel as Ghadius made his departure. With him gone, she was now alone, having the area to herself. She hustled her way over to a bucket that was sitting on the floor. Glancing around, she then placed it over her head. "Laaa, lalalalaaaa, laa laaaaa...laaaaaa-oho, it really does amplify my voice! Lalalaaaaa, laaaaa, lalalaaaaa la laaaaaa~ LaaaaaaaAAA-OW!" Her poor body tensed up as she pulled the bucket off her head. "...Well...if that doesn't wake me up, nothing shall..."