Do you have any advice for writing fanfiction?
My advice is, as weird as it sounds: no one knows who you are on the internet. Sure, you can share your identity or your blog with people you know personally, but at the end of the day, most people online don’t actually know you. People are always going to judge things no matter what, so you might as well write what makes you happy. There’s also a fandom for everything.
I promise there is 100% someone out there who will read and enjoy what you post. so never worry if no one will read your fics, someone will.
Personally, I’ve shared my Tumblr with a few close friends of mine, and they’ve been really supportive of what I do. I’m honestly really thankful that even though they don’t share an interest in TMNT, they still support me :)))
Okay, but onto actual advice.
Don’t wait until your writing is “perfect” to post. Fanfiction is where a lot of people learn to write. Most people reading your work probably won’t even notice small spelling mistakes or little errors here and there.
You don’t always need some huge, complicated plot for your fic. Sometimes one strong emotional idea can carry an entire story.
If you’re stuck, focus on one scene you’re excited about instead of trying to write everything in order. Personally, when I think of fic ideas, I usually imagine one specific moment first rather than the story from start to finish, if that makes sense.
Write the characters as people first. Their powers, lore, or aesthetics matter, sure, but readers connect more to emotions, habits, reactions, flaws, and relationships.
Chemistry between characters is built through small moments, not just confessions or kisses.
Also, angst hits WAY harder when the characters have soft moments beforehand. Whenever I write angst, I try to include a small heartfelt moment first so when something bad happens, the reader feels more emotionally impacted by it.
Burnout happens FAST when you force yourself to write instead of enjoying it. I learned this the hard way when I got a bunch of requests at once and tried to finish them all in one day lmao.
Fanfiction should be fun first. The moment you start writing only for notes, likes, or validation, it starts feeling exhausting instead of enjoyable.
And remember: no one is forcing you or paying you to write, so write what YOU want to write. Requests can be lovely and inspiring, but you don’t owe anyone anything.
You can take my advice or completely ignore it lol, this is just coming from an 18-year-old girl ahah
I LOVE WRITING FANFICTION THOOO