Hi! I’m starting my own AO3 fanfics for Gwuncan and tdi fics. I have a question, what advice would u put out there for new AO3 writers. Currently I’m trying make my acc and idk im kinda of scared hopefully everything goes right!
Ooooh, welcome to the family then 🙇🏻♀️
I think anyone who's been following me for a while knows I was a little scared of writing in english too. It can still feel a bit stiff sometimes, but I decided to go for it because... honestly, anything for gwuncan 🫡
If I had to give any advice after writing consistently for the past two years, it'd be this:
First: You're going to make mistakes, that's a given. But you have to remember that this isn't a competition. Even if you feel like deleting your work or not posting it because you're unsure, post it anyway. It's most likely all in your head. No one's monitoring you. People just want to read stories about their favorite ships and characters. So don't be ashamed.
Second: Don't get too attached to likes (kudos), comments, or hits. Depending on numbers for motivation will only hurt you in the long run. Someone will appreciate and love your stories sooner or later. In the meantime, just keep writing!!!
Third: Having a bunch of fic ideas isn't the hard part, actually you will be flooded by them. The hard part is bringing them to life 😭 I usually recommend having one long-term fic and a couple of one-shots on the side. Working on the same story for too long can burn you out, so whenever I need to reset my brain, I write a chapter of something completely different just to relax.
Fourth: Outline your story!!! If you're messy like me and tend to go off on rants, an outline is a lifesaverrr. There's no right way to do it. I usually write one or two sentences for each scene I want to include, just so I know what comes next and what direction I want the story to take.
Fifth: This isn't mandatory, but if you want to find your audience, you'll probably have to promote your work a little. I usually post about new chapters on tumblr, share them in writing discord servers, and I used to be more active on tiktok too. That's another good place to reach readers.
Sixth: Learn how to tag your story properly. There's no absolute right or wrong way to do it, but good tags help readers find exactly what they're looking for. Everyone knows to tag the ship, but the additional tags are where it gets tricky. Honestly, I learned by looking at other people's fics and borrowing ideas from their tags, so feel free to use mine as a reference too.
I think that's everything I can think of for now. I hope this gives you a little encouragement!! We all started somewhere, and you absolutely can do it.
And if you end up posting your fic, let me know! I'd love to read it 💙💚