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  • Subject: Twelve Rules to Writing a Better Fan Fiction Story, by Papa John
Subject: Twelve Rules to Writing a Better Fan Fiction Story, by Papa John

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I wrote this article so that we may all improve as writers and as critical readers. Fan fiction is a great sandbox in which to improve upon your writing skills. These rules can apply to any type of fiction you are writing but should help you improve your work immediately if followed.

Enjoy,


Papa John





Twelve Rules to Writing a Better Fan Fiction Story

by Papa John


1. Get a good, original, idea. This may seem obvious, but it is surprisingly hard to come by. Cortana in the clutches of the Gravemind, Master Chief post-Halo 3, and the missing Spartans and Dr. Halsey are all ideas that have been done to death. Find a corner of the Halo universe that is untouched and explore it with your ideas and enthusiasm.


2. Research your idea. Find out more about the events of your story, the characters, the weapons, and the setting. In accordance with Rule 1, do not rely on characters that already exist. See Rule 4. However, it is vital that your idea fits with the lore. It must fit the Halo timeline and it must make sense in the grander arc of the series to maintain credibility. Everything from the weapons used to the time and date should be accurate. That is not to say that you can't create something new yourself; for that, see Rule 5.


3. Plan out your work. Write down a concrete plan for your story. Determine how long you plan it to be. Determine the entire plot. Do not write without purpose. A strong plot can save a story. Not only that, planning helps you flesh out your characters and events. Strong characters and a strong plot will make up for a lot of novice mistakes or even veteran oversights. Weak writing can be excused if your story holds the reader at the edge of their seat. If you are writing with chapters, plan out the major events of each chapter and stick to it.


4. Do not overuse and do not rely on characters that have already been made and written officially in the Halo canon. Guess what? You don't know Cortana, the Master Chief, Kurt, or Sergeant Johnson the way the original authors of the games, comics, and novels do. Don't write them. They could, perhaps, be used in fleeting mention or in a brief cameo, but do not base a story around a major developed character. You will not write the character as they were originally written. Building on a minor character is a good idea, so long as you make sure to appreciate what is known about them and follow Rule 2. Research the character and make them valid.


5. Don't be afraid to stick only to what we've already seen, but do not believe that what you have created is infinitely better than what already exists. If you create a vehicle or a weapon, it can be a very neat feature of your story for the reader; however, do not dwell on it. You are telling a story, not showing off all the great ideas you have for the next Halo game. On the contrary, sometimes it is actually more interesting to the reader to see how you incorporate elements of the Halo universe that already exist. Try throwing in some obscure weapons and vehicles the reader already knows. Try throwing in cameos from characters the reader recognizes but does not expect to see.


6. Actually tell a story. Constant grenade explosions and rapid fire dialogue grow tiring to the reader. Too many fan fiction stories are essentially long dialogues by characters that seem awkward and out of place considering they often take place on the field of battle. Some stories rely wholly on dialogue, which becomes a major crutch and eventually fails to connect the story with the reader. Give description and do not shy away. Too many stories skip between short descriptor paragraphs and dialogue without ever imparting any further depth or specific imagery to the reader.


7. Dialogue cannot make your story, but it can break it. Good dialogue will add realism and draw the reader in; however, poor dialogue can kill a story. Write dialogue that seems human and real. If you cannot picture someone actually saying it, then it is poor. Read your dialogue back to yourself. Fit your dialogue to the characters. Dialogue that does not fit with a character comes off as awkward and leaves the reader unsatisfied.


8. Not only are you writing a story, you are also writing prose. Surprisingly, fan fiction is prose. In fact, any type of story you write is prose. Prose of this type should have artistic merit, so put some into your fan fiction. Use of literary devices to create images is a must. Pay attention to flow and structure. Use everything you have at your disposal.


9. Don't rush to the thesaurus. Use varied vocabulary and flex your literary muscle, but do not attempt to awe your reader with your use of thesaurus.com. No reader wants to pause mid-sentence to decipher what you are trying to say because you have used an extremely rare word. This can destroy flow at crucial parts of your story. Not only that, words taken from a thesaurus are often used in the wrong context and demonstrate the writer's lack of comfort with such words.


10. Edit your work well. Don't just edit, edit well.

Proofread. Edit. Spellcheck. Check your punctuation. Read and re-read.

Too many fan fiction writers rush to get out their next chapter or release their newest work. They claim to be 'too lazy' to edit or they tell themselves it went perfectly as they wrote. The fact of the matter is that the majority of fan fiction is riddled with spelling mistakes and poor sentence structure. There is a difference between style and poor grammar. There are always times for style, but the vast majority of your story should be grammatically correct. Not only that, don't fool yourself with the "once over" approach. Reading your chapter or story over once does not cut it. Do it a few times and take a break in between to refresh.


11. Going hand-in-hand with editing comes formatting. Posting to bungie.net means removing indentations and all of your font and style choices. Take the time to reapply boldface, italics, underlines and paragraph spacing. Doing so makes your story more eye-catching and gives it life. Paragraph spacing is an absolute must as nothing kills a fan fiction like a block of text. Space out all of your paragraphs with a single empty line. This goes for changes in dialogue as well.


12. Take your time and follow these rules. Showing patience and accepting that you can improve are key to having success at writing of any kind.




Should you have any questions or should you desire more advice, simply post here.


Best of luck in your future work,




Papa John

[Edited on 07.27.2010 7:46 AM PDT]

  • 07.26.2010 2:33 PM PDT
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Your name makes me want to eat pizza. Oh and your story is good so far- I've just started reading :)

Edit: On topic, I've always read books and always dreamt of writing something myself - I think I have a fairly avid imagination, I might try it someday - I'm going to save this thread for future reference. I assume its best to start out very small - like a short story?

[Edited on 07.26.2010 4:01 PM PDT]

  • 07.26.2010 3:55 PM PDT

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Dig In: The Jericho VII Conflict - Complete!

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Short stories are a great way to start writing. It gives you the opportunity to develop a tight and complete narrative. As you grow more comfortable and your stories expand, the idea of writing a novel becomes more of a reality. I am just starting to get into the territory, but I do not want to rush anything.




Papa John

  • 07.26.2010 4:12 PM PDT
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Do you think you'll do sci-fi?

  • 07.26.2010 4:17 PM PDT

Check out these stories...

Dig In: The Jericho VII Conflict - Complete!

Entrenched - In Progress

▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀MJOLNIR BATTLE TACTICS▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀▄▀

Some of my ideas right now are near-future Sci-Fi and are very much inspired by Philip K. Dick. Others ideas include historical fiction and modern drama. The trick will be deciding which is the most fleshed out and worthwhile.



Papa John

  • 07.26.2010 4:28 PM PDT