Things we’ve learned about our writing from fanfiction:
-just because you write in a frenzy doesn’t mean it’s the best you got. Reread, edit, adjust & than remember the first draft wasn’t bad, it just was the first draft.
-just because the editing takes longer doesn’t mean you lost it, it means you’re clarifying the story now that it’s out there on the page. The sketch is always quicker than the brushstrokes.
-it’s ok to take out entire parts of a story if it doesn’t add anything, or adds too much. You can always save it for a one shot or something else. It might be your favourite part but sometimes it happens and it’s ok to just take it out to make the story flow better.
-don’t juggle too many view points, yes it’s a great challenge but just because another author can juggle ten viewpoints doesn’t mean you can. Figure out how many is too much and adjust as needed. We can do six but seven tipped the scale and knowing that will be good for future projects.
-remember your first audience is yourself and if your not enjoying the story neither will anyone else. Not everyone will agree with this but it’s a good reminder for ourselves (and anyone else) who might be having thoughts of doubt. If you like it, that’s what really matters, it’s great to share but in the end you wanted to write this and crest this story and that’s what matters.
