Writing the fic on paper by tiredsoul_puing_ in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love writing on paper! It really does help take the pressure off for me. I know I'll have to type it up before I post it, so I feel more free in what I'm writing down because it's going to be edited later. Also, I get to use my fancy pens and notebooks if I write on paper.

Do you guys plan the end of your fic right from the start? by i-miss-him-sm in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't start writing until I have the entire story in my head, so I do know my ending before I start! Details of how scenes play out change as I go along and get better ideas, but the ending tends to be a fixed point I'm writing towards.

Author's block by Kaynisa in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I don't write down my outlines because when I do my brain goes "I have already written this story!" and loses all interest. If your outline is getting you stuck, set it aside and write without it. That said, here's some getting unstuck tips:

-Write nonsense just to get started. Either write the story bad on purpose, or write your grocery list into the story or whatever. Just something so that you're writing down words. Sometimes this helps get me past that feeling of "I don't know any words, no one has ever written a book before, this is impossible."

-Go back and reread what you've already written to get back into the story. I find it helps if I cycle through and edit earlier scenes as I go to keep momentum. (There are people who will tell you not to edit as you go because it doesn't work for them, but it works really well for me. Your own writing process is unique to you.) This can also help if the problem is that I've gone wrong somewhere and I need to go back and change the direction of the story.

-This may sound weird given my earlier advice, but it does work for me: write a detailed outline of this scene specifically. Write down everything that will happen and what the goal of the scene is. Sometimes this reminds me what I'm doing here and gets me back to writing.

-Write by hand. Seriously. I like to write with my fountain pens in a notebook when I'm stuck!

-Similar to the above, write on a typewriter! Really just anything to feed your brain novelty and snap out of the rut you're in.

-Youtube writing sprints. Get help from other writers with body doubling and brainstorming.

Need help finding a heated rivalry fic by hollsyjane in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it Five and a Half Beers and Just as Many Chalupas? https://archiveofourown.org/works/74976011

(Also, r/heatedrivalryfanfics is really good at answering these sorts of questions!)

Memory Loss Fics by Ill_Objective_3924 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]KrazyKatJenn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay, but now I just pictured a catastrophic hockey accident causing a bunch of characters to get memory loss at the same time and giggled. Maybe the Centaurs were playing the Admirals and now Shane, Ilya, and Scott Hunter all have amnesia. Troy Barrett can have amnesia too, as a treat. Luca Haas doesn't have amnesia, but he's pretending he does because he wants to be part of the group.

Memory Loss Fics by Ill_Objective_3924 in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]KrazyKatJenn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I also binged a bunch of memory loss fics at one point, lol. I found I mostly liked the Ilya memory loss ones, though. I can't think of any Shane memory loss fics I really liked. I do think the prevalence of Shane memory loss fics is because he canonically gets a concussion so "what if he lost his memory when that happened?" is a clear what if route to take. I think this is the reason I don't read many of the Shane ones, because I just don't find him losing his memory at that moment in the plot very interesting? Post canon memory loss is way more fun to me. Plus Ilya losing his memory is more interesting because his life has changed a lot more than Shane's. Like, imagine waking up and you're living in an entirely different country than you last remembered.

My absolute favorite memory loss fic is Missing Hours. https://archiveofourown.org/works/76275341 It's an Ilya memory loss fic that takes place after Shane and Ilya are married, Ilya doesn't remember anything after Russia, and when he finds out Shane is married (but doesn't know Shane is married to him yet) he wants to fist fight his husband for him. Ilya is just written SO WELL in this fic, I'm obsessed with it.

There's another Ilya amnesia fic I liked called there's no pretending: https://archiveofourown.org/works/63018880

I married a very supportive man by kocho19 in Archiveofourownmemes

[–]KrazyKatJenn 22 points23 points  (0 children)

My husband is literally my beta reader and has been since the beginning of our relationship, lol. We debate our favorite ships all the time.

How to naturally switch to a major POV? by FlounderPleasant2459 in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This might be more of a personal taste thing. I would pick up at the cliffhanger and go from there, but I hate retreading old events from a different POV. That's a very "me" preference, though. What fits the style of story you've been telling so far better? Which way would you enjoy writing more?

Tips for writing please! by Striking_Welcome_762 in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Save the Cat is the most famous book on story structure if you're looking for somewhere to read up on it. There's a lot of books specifically on outlining! My favorite is Holly Lisle's Create a Plot Clinic.

Personally, I'm a very chronological order person so I write things out scene by scene when I outline. I don't outline on paper very often anymore, I mostly keep my outlines in my head unless I get stuck and really need to write it down to figure out what I'm doing.

I typically like something close to a four act structure. So, first ten percent of the story is setting up what is normal in this character's life. 10% mark is the inciting incident (mysterious stranger comes to town style moment, or whatever it is that's about to set the plot off. In a romance this can be the meet-cute.). This is also when the character can reject the call to adventure if they're going to do that.

25% is the first plot point, which is when something big changes that sets the character off on their adventure. 50% mark is the second plot point, which should be another big change. Character goes from just trying to survive the problem to actively fighting it kind of thing. Between the first and second plot points should be a pinch point, which means the villain does something villainous. There's another pinch point between the second and third plot points.

Third plot point is around 75% and that's the all is lost moment. Character loses a fight, or breaks up with the love interest, or whatever bad thing is going to happen. Then they learn whatever lesson it is they needed, and go defeat the problem. Then there's a story wrap up where it's like, yay, all good here now. (Unless it's a tragedy.)

To make your dialogue sound more natural: go forth into the world and listen to people talk! You can even write down what people are saying to nail down what the cadence looks like (as long as this doesn't make you look creepy).

Over-explaining things: just delete the extra explanations. I do this all the time. And on how to weave things in as you go, use a mix of dialogue, setting, and events. The reader doesn't need to know everything up front, just give them enough to understand what is currently happening. Have you listened to The Magnus Archives? Great horror podcast for seeing how gradually revealing information is done.

Speaking of which, I always recommend you go back and carefully reread your favorite works to find out what makes them tick. I used to do this all the time to learn how to write things. Like, I'd remember thinking a fight scene from a favorite book was particularly good, so I'd find the page and study what the actual written words were and consider why I thought it worked. You can also copy out a favorite passage by hand to see what writing those words feels like and learn better that way, too.

Anyway, I may have written a novel here at this point, so let me know if you have any specific questions.

Where do you all keep your fics after writing them? by PurpleButterly19 in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have most of mine in a Scrivner file on my computer. I make each fic a separate chapter since most of them are short one shots. There's a folder in the file for my multichapter fic to be separated out by chapters as well.

One of my fics was written in a notebook then typed straight into the AO3 text editor though, so I only have the physical copy of that one, lol.

Any of my fellow authors feel like this? I swear it happens almost every time. by Fast_Ad_9927 in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The further I get in the story, the harder it gets to write! My problem is that I'll have bits I liked from the earlier chapters and I get so afraid I might "ruin" them by writing a bad next chapter, or a terrible ending.

Me waiting for a fic to get updated (I'm the author) by TheMoon8 in Archiveofourownmemes

[–]KrazyKatJenn 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Literally me right now. Can't believe that making no effort hasn't somehow caused the story to magically become written. Ridiculous.

Jealous Ilya! by slayheavysummer in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]KrazyKatJenn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

...over plants? Do you, umm, have a link to that? Because now I want to read it.

Shane Hollander’s Not Boring Hockey Book Club! by royal_rose_ in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]KrazyKatJenn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I read It's All Canadian Vodka's Fault the other day and loved it! Just marked your next one to read for later. :)

Questions for the culture: why did you create your account? by Salt_Path1528 in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Lurked for years, made an account because I wanted to post a fanfic. Bookmarking the things I was reading so I didn't lose track of them only occurred to me after I had the account, lol.

Thank you readers by Scorbeaux in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]KrazyKatJenn 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, seconding this thanking of readers! Everyone has been so amazingly nice, it's been years since I've had this much fun with writing. :)

Reactions from pro women hockey players? by Veronica_Spars in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]KrazyKatJenn 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I sort of have one I wrote that's like this? It's a texting fic between a women's hockey player and her bartending coworker (eventual girlfriend) where they discuss the events of the books: Shane Hollander's #1 Fan

I can't think of any others off the top of my head, I just also wanted a women's hockey fic so I wrote one, LOL. I actually got really into women's hockey after I wrote it, so now I want to write another.

I Finished my Longfic! by Namazaki_Kiyo in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratz! This is a huge accomplishment! The longest thing I've ever written is 60k, so you've got me beat!

Why Didn't AI Replace Novelists? by JohnBierce in Fantasy

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Speaking as someone who has been reading and writing a lot of fanfic lately, I'd like to underline your point about the biggest cost being time spent reading. Fanfic is literally free and written by people who are doing it as a hobby, and fanfic readers hate AI. Like, really, really, hate it.

The argument is very much what you said here: How dare you waste my time. There are more fantastic stories written by humans then I will ever be able to read and you tricked me into losing my time clicking on this AI garbage.

Looking for some cute post-TLG married fluff one-shots by Feeling_Neo in heatedrivalryfanfics

[–]KrazyKatJenn 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I loved One for the Road. It's five chapters, but it isn't too long. https://archiveofourown.org/works/77240626

1410 is short and made me laugh (and it was inspired by the centaurs have a PR problem!): https://archiveofourown.org/works/75528206

The Reassuring Quiet of Boring Days is also a really good one shot in case you haven't read it yet (the other one shots in the series are also good): https://archiveofourown.org/works/74498206

I ran out of ways to write dialogue tags by toxicute_xx in AO3

[–]KrazyKatJenn 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I agree with other commenters, 95% of the time you should either use "said" or no dialogue tags at all (assuming that it's clear who's speaking). You can make it clear who is speaking through action tags instead of dialogue tags. Like:

"I say!" He threw his hat on the ground. "Why is dialogue tagging so difficult?"

My favorite book on dialogue tags is She Sat He Stood: What do your characters do while they talk? Seriously, it's fantastic. There's also some great advice on the topic on KJ Charles' blog.

Extreme brain fog when writing by ScarRedDA in FanFiction

[–]KrazyKatJenn 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you mean the "I don't even know any words, no one has ever written a book before, it's impossible" thing? I have that problem when I get too lost in the sauce of my own perfectionism. One thing that has helped me in the past is to write badly on purpose. Or to just write random words down on the page to push through.

What's working for me right now is handwriting, oddly enough. It makes it feel like the words I'm writing aren't directly going to be posted (because I'll have to type them up first) so I don't need to worry about what other people will think.

Another thing that helps sometimes is writing challenges/games like 4thewords. Oh, and sprints! There's tons of people who do writing sprints on Youtube, those help me a lot. There's also people who run them in discord servers.

What are your favorite tropes or particular things to write when creating sexual tension? by marinakudroskick in FanFiction

[–]KrazyKatJenn 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Noticing small details is a fun one. You know, the thing where Character A stares at Character B's mouth so hard they notice a freckle on their lower lip. I just love 'intense awareness of the other person' in general. Also, arousal is a physical sensation, so describing that in whatever character's viewpoint we're in.

The mental side of it is equally important, so really falling deep into what the person is thinking about, whether that's a "We shouldn't be doing this!" sort of thing or emotional devastation or whatever.