#or I’ll just appear in your dms unprompted either or

[lovecoredeity]

I am sooo happy with how the redraws for Cashmere and their fam’s ref sheets are going yall

[therealvalkyrie]

hi!!! i love your writing so much. are there any tips you have for starting out writing? especially fanfiction?

hi, love, thank you so much!! i’m so tickled that you asked, and hopefully at least some of what I have to say will end up being useful to you. just keep in mind that writing is a vastly different process for everyone, so you might have some trial and error along the way. lord knows i’m still figuring it out, for the most part. but! here are some things i’ve found to be helpful:

(also, this ended up being pretty long, because i had a hard time being concise, so i apologize if it's a little too much or not exactly what you were looking for lmao. please, pick and choose what to listen to, and if you have any clarifying questions, i'd be happy to answer)

for writing in general:

- you can't edit a blank page. write first, even if it's garbage or unsatisfying to you, then come back and turn it into something you love through the magic of editing

- if i find i'm having trouble getting into the groove or starting a story, I'll set a timer for a weird amount of time (like, prime numbers or multiples of three) and just word vomit until it goes off. i find 13 and 17 minutes work for me. just write, and then edit later.

- switching up where, when, and in what medium I'm writing helps for me. for instance, i find i can get stuck in a rut if i write for a long time on my computer and find it refreshing to write in a notebook or on my phone. (also, this is probably just me, but i love writing in the bath -- highly recommend)

- read. read published fiction, fanfiction, poems, plays, anything. it helps you to be more aware of your own writing style when you're conscious of others', and it helps you to know what you want to sound like in your own style. honest to god, i still read more than i write, and it actively helps me.

- for dialogue, don't be afraid to use "um," "uh," stuttering, filler phrases, repeated phrases, slang, etc. it's how people talk in real life, and it'll make your characters feel relatable. i know that i had to kind of train myself out of writing characters' dialogue as though they were public speaking or annunciating everything perfectly because i grew up doing public speaking and theatre where it's very important to be clear. but that's not how real people talk, and unless your characters are giving a presentation or speaking in a formal setting, it's not how they'll talk either.

- this is particularly varied for everyone, but i love listening to wordless music or music i don't know particularly well while i write. i find that if i know the lyrics, I'll get distracted lmao. some of the playlists I've been maining recently are classical music to cry to and the monthly indie/rock/alt playlists from alxrainbirdMusic.

for fanfiction, specifically:

- engage in the community!! fanfic writers and readers are pretty fuckin' awesome, like, seriously some of the nicest people and best friends I've made:3 that includes commenting and reblogging, but also popping into people's askboxes and DMs, finding discord servers to join, and participating in events and collabs! everyone (at least in my fandoms) is ridiculously nice and not at all scary to get to know.

- find an editor/beta, or some friends willing to edit for you!! it's ridiculous how valuable a second opinion can be, both in finding the good things in your own work as well as improving it. even if it feels scary to share your work, it is 1000% worth it in the end. my writing wouldn't be half as good as it is if i hadn't been a little shameless in asking my friends to edit for me (love you @ghostlightprincess, @doinmybesthere, and all my friendos in the discord server:D)

- know your characters. do your research - make sure you've been paying attention to them in whatever show/movie/book they're in, get to know their personality and motivation, and don't be afraid to have opinions about them.

- if you're writing a reader-insert, try to keep them vague appearance-wise. there used to be a huge tendency (and it's still there, but thankfully much more mild) in fandom to write readers as characteristically white, light-eyed, smooth-haired, short, small, etc, etc. if you want to give your reader a particular appearance, just make them an oc or specify ahead of time so that your readers know what they're getting into:)

- that being said, i think there's value in still giving reader characters a personality. just as there is in consuming any type of fiction, there's a certain suspension of disbelief that your audience should have when reading reader-inserts - if i can believe that i'm a Survey Corps soldier living in Paradis and falling in love with Levi, I can believe that I have some personality traits other than those I have in real life. some examples of this in my own writing are: 1) reader in painter's hands likes coffee, 2) reader in what could've been without the war is lactose intolerant, 3) reader in deserving swears a lot (at least, according to Ushiwaka hehe).

and, lastly, i polled a discord server i'm in to see if they had any tips to add!! here's what they said:

from @horseanon--simpforall:

1) its okay to not have a plan when writing- i sit down with a general idea and just write whatever comes to mind

2) don't get too wrapped up in sentence structure or grammar, that's what editing is for. get your main ideas down and refine it later

3) dont be afraid to make whatever character you are writing your own version. (as y'all know, i write for zeke, but i don't write him acting as he would in canon. i still portray certain aspects of him as a character, but i make each word and phrase i say my own version) LONG STORY SHORT- DONT BE AFRAID TO PORTRAY A CHARACTER THE WAY YOU WANT TO

from @bluebellhairpin:

- dont feel pressured to write, don't feel bad for not writing in a while. Some of your best writing might come completely unprompted. That said, there's nothing wrong with making yourself write either, but know your limits, and know when you're starting to push yourself too far.