No thoughts, only Silver

It is always wild to actually see the improvement though, because it does never really feel like there's been any. I've never had the thought while writing of, "Oh, this is much better than what I could've done 2 years ago," but then as soon as I'm rereading one of my first fics or an unposted wip from around the same time, the difference is glaringly obvious.

Also I love the idea of rewriting older fics being filling in the bones with your current writing voice. That's exactly what it feels like, taking the idea and the basics of the writing and then adding everything else it needs to really hit hard. I had a scene that was essentially nothing but telling what happened, and for a scene that was supposed to be emotional, I can tell you that it had almost no emotion to it, but rewriting it now, I was able to add in that emotion that it severely lacked, because over the years, I've learned how to add details and expand on ways to make the writing actually carry the emotions I want it to.

There was also a whole bunch of other issues with the past scene like my unwillingness to go back and edit what I had already written leading to me sorta, writing myself into a corner that left the scene with a vibe that was completely off and wrong from what I wanted. I didn't want to go back and have to completely rework the previous sections to get the desired vibe I wanted, so I just rolled with what I had, which ended with a scene I wasn't truly happy with which might be why the chapter never got finished. It's hard to have the motivation to finish something you don't like. And I have now since realized that editing is extremely necessary, and it is just a fact of writing that sometimes the first draft isn't working at all, and you will have to go back and completely remove certain sections or rewrite them until the first draft is barely recognizable from the current one. But the missing emotion in what was supposed to be an extremely emotional scene was the main thing I saw and realized had improved, and now that it's been rewritten, something that happened by complete chance due to me getting a new idea for it two years after I last touched it, I love what it's become, even if I did have to strip down the idea to it's base, or it's bones, and then rebuild it from essentially the ground up.

So also I guess another piece of advice I forgot to add onto the other post is just to edit, and don't be afraid to cut out scenes that don't give the fic the feeling you want it to have because unfortunately not everything you write will make it into the end product, but it's better to have to cut those sections out or rewrite them than have something you're unhappy with.

I was really trying to channel my best advice to give that anon because I love seeing others being interested in writing, and always want to encourage them to at least try. Mainly because it would (hopefully) mean more fics for our small fandom lol, but I also know that if someone who was maybe too scared to try gave it a shot, they could find out that they really love writing, and turn it into a fun hobby. That's what happened when I started writing, went from something I was unsure about doing again and not knowing if it would actually go anywhere, to turning into something I now love doing, and I would love to see that happen for someone else. I don't even know what I'd be doing with my free time now if I hadn't gotten an idea and randomly decided one afternoon to try writing fanfic again. Those first few pages written were definitely the scariest, but pushing past the discomfort and awkwardness was well worth it.

First thing is just to write. No matter how bad you may think it is, the main way you will improve is through actually writing. This is actually the perfect time to get this ask, because I just spent the past couple days rewriting the idea that got me back into fic writing. It was never posted because I never finished the first chapter, but I wrote the sections I have of this fic between April and July/August of 2024, and prior to that, I had not done any creative writing since 2018/19. If I showed the screenshots of the previous version and the version I just wrote side by side, you can clearly see the major improvement that my writing has gone through. I even have another unposted fic (that I'm hoping to post soon) with a few chapters from just last year, and it's definitely not the worst thing I've written, I could post it as it is and still be happy with it, but rereading it, I can see areas that need improving. The number one tip you will ever get for improving writing is just to do it. This is from nothing but just continuing to write. No courses, no classes, nothing but what I've picked up from writing over the past 2 years.

Figure out what your own writing voice is, then get comfortable with it, and you will see improvement from the first, honestly, several pieces you write. Rereading old pieces and realizing how it could be improved is a sign that you've improved. (I don't mean just going, "this is bad," I'm talking if you read a sentence and think of a specific way that you could change it to read better. Just calling it bad without having reason as to why you think it's bad doesn't mean anything but that you're being too overly critical of yourself.)

One thing that's helped for me, is also making sure to read a lot. I find that it helps improve vocabulary, sometimes you read a sentence and find a word that you've never heard before, but then look up and realize it would be perfect in a sentence you've been struggling to word correctly. And, if you're stuck on a scene, you truly just have no idea how to describe or word what you're trying to, reading similar scenes can help you figure out where to go in your own scene. Obviously, do not plagiarize, but seeing the way others choose to word their scenes could help you find that missing piece that's making the scene such a struggle to write.

Don't be afraid to jump around different scenes as inspiration hits. The story does not need to be written in a linear format. I've written fics in order before, but I also have at least a dozen fics where I get to thinking about a scene 3 chapters from the one I'm writing, and start writing that one because the juices are flowing, and then suddenly I've written out the entire chapter, when if I had waited to write it, I probably would have spent twice or three times as long writing it simply because the vibe just wasn't there. When inspiration strikes, I rarely wait to take advantage of it, no matter which scene of the fic it goes to.

And on that same topic, sometimes if a scene or idea isn't working at the moment, all you can do is set it down and walk away from it. Whether that be going to another wip and writing something there, or taking a break from writing for the rest of the day and doing something else relaxing like going on a walk, or playing a game, or watching a movie. It's perfectly acceptable to realize that a scene isn't working at the moment, or your brain isn't working with you, and putting it down until later. (I like to call it putting the wip in solitary confinement lol) Also make sure to write down ideas you have as soon as you can, because you will be shocked at the amount of times you have an idea that you think you won't forget, and then by the time you sit down to put it on the page, all the amazing details you just had are completely gone.

Make fandom friends that you can talk about your writing with! Most people in fandom spaces are more than happy to talk about any kind of fan content, so if you don't currently have someone to talk to, find someone you think seems cool, send a dm and get to talking with them. And even if those friends aren't writers themselves, they can still have amazing ideas to play off what you already have, or give constructive criticism. Or even encourage you to keep going on a fic. Having someone to talk to while writing can easily boost the motivation to actually to write it and have an end product to show them. (Shoutout Bestie, I know you're reading this. I love you <3)

The only piece of advice I can give you for like, actually writing that I can give you is to make sure you're watching your tenses. When I first started writing again, and in my first few posted fics, I was jumping tenses all over the place because I simply wasn't paying attention to it. Pick a tense to write in, and then watch to makes sure you don't accidentally slip into the other. (This is something I'm still occasionally guilty of myself whenever I write past-tense. I'm so used to writing in present that sometimes I accidentally slip back into it in a past-tense scene and have to go back and fix it, or just miss it and it ends up in the posted fic, so it's not the worst thing you could do, but that is a mistake I made, so just wanted you to be aware of it.)

But overall, the best tip I can give is just to have fun with it. At the end of the day, the quality of the writing doesn't matter as long as you have fun with it. That's what fandom is all about. We're all here to have fun, and everyone should be included, no matter their 'skill level.' I can guarantee that no matter how bad you may think your writing is, there is an audience for it, and maybe a piece that you think is bad will end up being a hit in the fandom. (glances at my first few preciousmetal fics that could definitely use major improvements but are somehow my most popular)

Sorry about the essay. I didn't think I had this much to say on the topic, but then this all just spilled out lol. There's probably more that I'm forgetting, but this is what I can give you for now. Go out there, get the scary part over with and put words on the page, and have fun with it!