The Art of (Anime) Fan Fiction
by rawrchelle

1. Learn the language you plan to write in. Learn the fluency, the style; whether it be in formal literature, or in day-to-day conversations. Get your grammar and spelling down pat—because that’s the easiest part. Make sure you have all of your mechanics in place.

2. Always read over your work. It helps to read out loud; you might often find awkward sentences or points where something doesn’t flow properly if you hear it in a normal voice. Descriptions, paragraphs, metaphors, and all that good stuff you learn in English class—make sure to keep all of that in mind while writing as well.

3. Know your style. There’s a point in every reader’s life where he or she has no idea where he or she fits into the world of literature. Your writing can include fancy, complicated words for more sophisticated and mature people—or it could be comprised of simpler terms that are meant for a younger and more casual audience. You can be good at humor, angst, horror, suspense, drama—find your strength first, exercise it, and then work your way into genres and styles that you want to experiment with.

4. Always fully develop your characters. It often helps to write extra scenes that won’t be seen by the general public to experiment with your character’s reaction and personality. (That is, if you’re making an OC. Always, always make sure it’s not a Mary Sue. I cannot stress that enough.)

5. Always plan your storyline completely. That way, you won’t run into a dead end later on when you’re writing on a whim.

(The points prior to this should be present in all types and forms of prose. The following then dives into anime fan fiction specifically.)

6. Let’s face it. Everyone who watches anime and reads manga is a sucker for cheesy lines and scenes that would never be accepted in modern-day literature. Anime and manga often concentrate on the emotions of the characters—use that to your advantage, and amplify it. Make the reader feel the same way your character feels. Use anything you’ll find useful: motifs, repetition, dialogue, abrupt endings—whatever. It all depends on what you want to convey.

7. Plot has already been mentioned before, but this applies specifically for fan fiction. Seriously, plan it all before you start posting. Readers get disappointed when you get halfway, and stop because your muse has run away somewhere. This way, you can always go back and make changes, add little plot twists and details that’ll make the entire story better.

8. Originality is in these days. So, just because fan fiction is typically romance, doesn’t mean you can’t make it original and your own. Just because you think an idea of yours is original, what can guarantee that someone else hasn’t thought of it and wrote on it? Always make sure to add a bit of your own flair into it.

9. Never demand reviews. You can kind of suggest/ask for feedback, but never demand reviews. It gives readers the impression that you’re cocky, and even if your writing is good, nobody likes a cocky writer.

10. Never take reviews so seriously, whether they’re good or bad ones. Remember, even if you’re praised for your writing, it doesn’t mean that you’re the best. Everyone always has the room to improve—and those who are constantly striving to get better are always the ones who are loved the most. It’s the same on the other end of the spectrum. If you get a flame, then something bad must’ve happened—but don’t take it to heart. There must’ve been a reason someone flamed you. If you get constructed criticism, use it.

11. Because this is fan fiction, if being popular is one of your goals, always try to conform the slightest bit. Always consider what the readers want. Fluff? Smut? Some Sasuke/Sakura action? Shorter chapters that are easier on the eyes, or longer chapters that have more meaning? Always think about that. And if you don’t know, how much easier could it be than to just ask?

12. Always make the summary interesting. Don’t give away too much. Ask yourself, “Would I read this if I just read the summary?”

13. Read! Read others’ fan fiction, and learn. Give others tips, give yourself tips. Write it down, if you need to. If you like a story, inquire why you liked it. Try to incorporate it in your own stuff. (Without plagiarizing. Uh, yeah.)

14. It always helps to read over things yourself, even if you have a beta reader. There could be things that are technically correct, but you’d like it another way. And if you don’t have a beta reader, never post something immediately. When in the spur of writing, you often overlook things. Relax a bit. Get off the computer and do something else. Get into a different mindset. When you return and reread, you’ll notice and see different things, more from a reader’s perspective, rather than a writer’s. You’ll find tiny mistakes you missed when you were writing it.

15. Last, but absolutely not the least—love your writing. Love what you’re writing. Once you get the initial rules down, you have the power to bend them as you wish. Always enjoy what you’re creating. Don’t think about getting attention—think about how you feel about your work, and that’ll always be your cushion if you make a mistake. The one thing that motivates your writing will be your passion for it—because, hell, we’re never going to be paid for doing this.

(And I end it with the typical anime fan fiction lameness.)

A/N: I do disclaim that I don’t know everything there is to know about anime fan fiction. I’m constantly learning new things, but this is what I’ve realized and accumulated over the one year and a half that I’ve been dwelling in this…area of art, per se.

Thanks to my beta who gave points ten and fourteen. The link to her FFN is on my page.

If you have anything to add, don’t hesitate to PM me or drop it off in a review. Anonymous reviews are not disabled. This is written mainly for my fellow writers on FFN, but anyone is welcome to comment.