As a fanfic writer and reader, I wholeheartedly agree with all of your points. If someone doesn't space out their paragraphs, I instantly leave the story and continue looking for something else.
Girlfriend, you are preaching to the choir lmao. You don't even know how many times my mood has been ruined because people simply can't hit "ENTER" on their darn keyboard lol.
As a fanfic writer that’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Like if there’s no spacing between your paragraphs then I’ll literally get a headache reading one long ass paragraph.
Hello, I'm normalgirl™, and I'm just a NORMAL GIRL, WITH A NORMAL LIFE. No one in school lovs meh, and there are always boys chasing me everywhere, ugh!
The theme song of a show I watch basically starts with 'Just a normal girl with a normal life' And like you're not and you don't and aside from the fact that youre a superhero your everyday life is NOT normal
I hate that type of story, it's just so ughhhh!! I can't go through Wattpad and fanfiction without seeing a character who has been neglected, abuse and bashed. They're so many of them I lost count!! I hate tragedy, dark, bashed, self insert and OC main characters fandom type fanfics.
Especially if the character is extremely ‘badass’, OP and knows about anything and everything in the story. Those are so annoying. And that their tragic past doesn’t affect them at all, except give them something to angst about.
Also, if you're having trouble starting a story just do what I do and free write until you can't feel your fingers or your pencil runs out of lead. Just keep writing and once you think you're done write a little bit more and go back and edit what fits and what doesn't
For people wondering if their character is on the Mary Sue side a simple test : 1) Read through and identify all their strengths/flaws. 2) Rate/rank their flaws on a scale of 1 to 10. Do the same with their strengths. 3) check their neutral traits ; Neutral traits are family/social/wealth/popularity/Emotional stability/physical health and ability (fit/out of shape/average Disability/mental health etc). All off these which your character is neither strong nor weak in get +1. 4) tally up all points (neutral and strengths are positive, weaknesses are negative) eg 18 from strengths, 6 from neutral and -14 from struggles/weaknesses, would be 18 + 6 - 14 = 10. 5) Your total should be between -7 and +7. If it is outside that range then you can tweak characteristics to bring the point tally up or down as required. If both the negative and positive traits are essential to your character, you can tweak their neutral skills instead. For example ; If your character is socially neutral you can tweak this slightly to add subtle flaws to balance your character. A simple example would be your character struggling to communicate well with children or adults (depending on your character). Perhaps they get bothered by a snotty nosed gremlin on their way to work (if chivalry is a character strength perhaps they use giving up their seat as a way to get away from the brat) or perhaps if they are a teenager they get awkward/panicked when an elderly shop keeper give them their change and asked how their day is going and tries to talk to them (internally based frustration at either self for sounding stupid or for adult trying to talk to them). Its just a basic test that actually quite helpful in balancing characters. As a rule don't tweek scores of pros cons to make it balance, it defeats the point.
I don't like the term "flaws" for characters anymore. People are making unnecessary value judgments. I think we should identify "advantages" and "disadvantages." There are lots of characters who work really well whose only real problem is the circumstances they were born into, and nobody ever questions their lack of "flaws." That's why a character can belittle people, or talk down to them and still be branded a Mary Sue - probably more likely to be actually, as long as they're getting away with it, because if everyone does what they say regardless of how toxic they are about it, then they're clearly free of consequence, and that exemplifies the invincibility that Mary Sues are famous for, even though their characteristics are obviously NOT perfect in the popular sense. In that respect I think "flaws" are about making sure characters have believable problems, more than anything. Viewers complain that a characters is "too perfect" when they really mean that everything is too easy for them.
Heres a single thing in my opinion defines mary sues, is the story revolving around the character? So basically im going to break it down into a few more parts; - nothing happens when mary sue isn't there. [Basically there are no side characters, they serve no purpose other that one sentence at the beginning of the story] [or love inrests] - out of character moments. [If deku goes around acting like bakugo cause someone said one mean thing to your character then they are a mary sue] - the rules bend and break to your character [lets say if your character murdered someone in the story but nobody cares to do anything about it ] - if they aren't nice your character they are evil [oh no side character dares to say anything bad about your character they must be evil and/or jealous, then your character is a mary sue] Edit; I forgot to mention if your character is an OC for a fanfic then they should follow the rules of that story, like have a single quirk that makes sense in mha or whatever the rules of assaination classroom are
This are really helpful tips. I so agree with you on the Mary Sue and sentence construction parts. I cannot read a fanfic when the sentences sound like a robot is saying them.
MakeItWithMecca I have been subscribed for a year now😢... I used to watch and comment on every video, but stuff always comes up, and i missed a few... I found your channel when a friend on Facebook posted one of your videos in a group.
Sometimes, if you can't find a beta reader, I suggest going back to your story/chapter at least a day later or read it on a different platform (like going from Word to where you upload your fic) or do something to the text like changing the font or size. I agree with the description part. But sometimes adding those extra details (like how tight clothes are, hairstyle, etc) are important if they're necessary for the story. Or sometimes you can add them in later on when describing actions like hair-twirling or whatever. Also, SPACE YOUR PARAGRAPHS!
Yeah, I don’t usually get beta readers most of the time, so that’s what I do. I let it sit a little bit and then move it to somewhere else that has better spell-check software and stuff like that so I can catch grammar mistakes. But I also just like writing fanfic for me, I’m not really doing it to gather a following, lol, so that’s part of why I don’t get beta readers. I’m just trying to relax.
Hi newbies! I’m a fashion youtuber mostly, but if you guys want more fanfic videos like this, let me know in the comments. I’m noticing this video reached 700 views the last month, even though I uploaded this 4 months ago. So if it’s really needed, I’ll definitely make another video like this. Please let me know down below how you found my channel 😘
MakeItWithMecca Ive only seen boruto not naruto but I would like to get into it but so far so good and yuri on ice is great we were born to make history is such an iconic lyric
Oof, speaking of too much description, I don't know if this is exclusive to anime fandoms, but referring to people by their hair color. The blond. The brunet. The redhead. My creative writing professor pointed this out once and I've been hyper-aware of it ever since.
@@MakeItWithMecca I mean, how else do you refer to them as? I have a lot of trouble with that because I often have two main characters in the fic. I don't want to refer to them by their name all the time. I typically refer to them as "the younger boy" or "the shorter one" or "the taller one" and stuff like that. Is that okay?
Yes, it’s always okay to switch how you call them so it doesn’t get repetitive, but if it’s possible, try not to focus so much on the hair color, especially if it’s with characters that mostly everyone knows. For example, when talking about Naruto and Sasuke, you don’t always have to say the blond and raven head. Once or twice is okay, but saying things like the former or latter is good enough.
@@MakeItWithMecca Ah, okay. Thank you! I don't do it that often, though, since both have brown hair. I may occasionally call the redheaded girl "the redhead' so I'll probably switch that out with "the spy" or something.
Omg this!!! It's exactly what I've experienced in the anime Fandom. Too much the green head, the greenet, the green locks....it becomes really bothersome when I'm trying to focus on the story and all I see is green.
I used to do ramble paragraphs because my chapters were too short. I may have one occasionally, I'm pretty sure that I have at least one in the chapter I'm writing, but I'm better now.
I kinda agree but disagree with the whole family thing. I've read too many tragic stories that have one parent or mistreatment from family plot. I'm not saying these shouldn't be given some representation but I do really enjoy the happy family having to deal with sudden changes because thats real too. Its really how the author has the character react to all this that makes or brakes a story for me.
I've been writing fan fiction for over 6 years and I've also worked as a beta reader in the past... so I agree on all your points. All except one: the rough draft. Yes, it is not a good idea to upload a story/chapter right after writing it and you have to plan where your story is going in a way. But everyone works differently. When I start a story, I never know where it ends. If I had always tried to plan the ending before starting to write a story, I would have never started any of my stories. Also, I get to know the characters I made up while writing them. The details about their backstory and personality emerge while I'm writing. If I had always planned them before putting them into action, they would have never become the multifaceted, interesting people I fell in love with. Some people benefit a lot from planning. Others, intuitive writers like me, won't. You have to find out yourself what works for you.
Hi! I agree! I don’t remember what I said in this video since it’s been a few years, but I definitely now think that doing a rough draft just really means not uploading something without checking the editing and, even if you don’t know exactly where your story is going, at least have a general idea of the plot and conclusion. Writing freely can work well for some people, but I’ve found for most that it’s counterproductive and they end up abandoning the story because they didn’t know where it was headed. But if you’re one of those writers who just goes with the flow, more power to you!
I just hate when it’s an x reader story and they completely change everything about the main character, like excuse me no I do not have short pink and blue hair thank you very much
@@ajinkyamakeslowqualitycont938 ye just do like Percy in Percy Jackson, where it’s kinda hard to find a visual description of him because he’s the narrator and thus it’s not much of a thing for him to describe his own appearance
(I am a few years late but oh well!) Fellow fanfic reader and writer here. I relate too much to the "write until 3 AM, post it and go to bed". That's how you wake to all the mistakes you made (but somehow didn't notice until AFTER you posted, haha). And for websites like Fanfiction net, for whatever reason, when I copy and paste my stories from Word to Doc Manager, it will display the programming language (is that the right terminology?), showing the font, size, placement, etc. that I used in Word. I usually have to erase it and copy and paste it again (so far it always works the second time)...but I've seen more than one story still have that programming language in, making it hard to read. Writers, PLEASE check your documents before you post them! Great video! Jesus loves you! Have a blessed day!
Can’t believe this was posted 6 years ago, wow! Still valid today, though. Thanks for the feedback I feel as a beta reader myself it’s hard to evaluate how much of a good job we are doing as editors. But after watching this video I feel reassured that I’m doing an okay job :’) Thanks so much and hope to see more vids!!
I've been a fanfic reader for 4 years now and I recently just started my own fanfic channel a couple of months ago. So this video really helps me how to avoid my mistakes. Also I have seen a lot of new fanfic writers with a lot of error grammar, the storyline is usually the same meaning the mary sue going to highschool and being rich and badass which is something most people can't really relate to. I see why as soon as I spotted the story plot doing that, I can't help but to cringe at it then exiting out the video. Nowadays, I tend to avoid those type of fanfic unless they approve their stories better. Anyways thanks for the advice!
Awesome tips! :D I'm SO glad to see something about fanfics here. Most of the writing tips I've seen are for serious, published writing. I mean no offense, that's great and all, but not everyone's first step is going to be publishing. My first steps just so happen to be writing cool things for Gravity Falls and Undertale. Haha Again, great video! Love the content and your points. :)
I know exactly what you mean. I am slowly learning and as the point of having a beta I only have one and it took me 10 years to find one beta reader. And I have been writing fanfics for 20 years. I had to learn to be my own beta and even then it was tough as English was not my first language and writing it was harder. However I did come a long way and am still learning.
for the last two years, I have been studying all of the skills of novel writing and I wholeheartedly agree with all your points. Two years ago I suffered every single point and now my short stories have improved tremendously!
Pro-tip: when copying and pasting your work run it through notepad first and then copy and paste it from there onto whatever site you're using. I've noticed that word specifically will mess up my formatting when I put it onto AO3. This also works if you're moving text from Google docs to word and vice versa.
1) having a beta reader 2) having a rough draft 3) making characters relatable 4) being too descriptive 5) being repetitive hope it helps if you didn't wanna watch the whole video :)
So two weeks ago this had 700 views and now we’ve reached 1,100 views on a video I nearly forgot about. Wow guys. You make me feel great, but sad because I haven’t made a video about fanfic in five months. Thanks for the support 💕💕💕
Old video, but I'm a newcomer. I like finding videos about fan fic writers, because, obviously, I am one. I've written fan fiction for about 10 years now. In fact, I'll have been a member of FanFiction.net for 10 years this year. Also a big fan of Jenna Moreci. I found her channel looking for anything to help combat my self doubt, but I digress. I agree entirely with your points, especially concerning beta readers. I've had several in my time, and I find I don't want to do anything without running it by my beta. I also agree with the planning. In my early days, I'd plan it all out, at least the basics, in my head. To some extent, I still do because I've repeated the idea so much, it's become muscle memory. I'd call myself a hybrid planner/pantser (I plan but also write by the seat of my pants). But anyway, this was a great set of tips; of course, I just like meeting fan fiction writers/readers in general.
The one that drives me crazy is the grammer. LIKE HOW DO YOU SPELL HOTEL WRONG? (Unless you don’t know English well then I understand just put it in the beginning or title)
THAT DRIVES ME UP A WALL OMG! Like, I clicked on this one fic, and the author spelled like 12 words wrong in the first paragraph. The summary was interesting but I couldn’t take the grammar so I had to click off.
Great video! I'd recommend having your signposts hang around for a little longer - maybe 5-10 seconds, just so people can find them easier when going back through the video to look at one tip in particular. Also, if you find yourself looking toward your camera screen too much instead of your lens, I'd recommend hiding the screen with a card or something until you get into the practice of looking straight into your lens, at the viewer, every time. Perhaps you could do a video on character creation! I know some people get very anxious over whether their character is a Mary Sue, and I'm sure you could help a lot of people with that - you're really great at getting those ideas across in simple terms that are very easy to comprehend, and you certainly come away from the video having learned something. Keep up the great work!
+Johannes Evans omg, thanks so much for the helpful comment. I do love looking at myself in the viewfinder lol, so next time I’ll just put it away. And I’ll be sure to keep the cards up longer next time. Character creation sounds great. I’m not a big expert on it though, so if you have any ideas, let me know. Thank you!
Haha, don't worry, it's very easy to get into the habit of looking at the viewfinder, but so long as you're in shot you should be grand not to keep looking at it. Don't worry, I'm very much the same!
If i may suggest something, there is this app called "Character planner" that I have been using for a while, and it is marvelous helping on character creation, but also you can create complete worlds, with laws, flora, animals, and all that. It has been really helpful for me. If you wanna mention an app for that.
I totally agree with the rough draft tip. Even in fanfiction, the rules of writing a story still apply, such as the story elements. I personally recommend the most basic plot outline: Beginning, Middle and End. If you're planning a convoluted plotline and can't figure out how to organize these events, do with the basics. Give the story a beginning, outline the middle, then finish it with the end. Give the most basic outline of your plot, so that you can insert your fleshing out bits and darlings in between. I truly learned this when I joined a dance theater group. Every scenario ought to have a beginning, a middle and an end. The outline extends to the most complex plotlines.
Great advice! I do have to disagree with a few points though...I've read some truly wonderful fics with no beta reader and with mary-sue type characters. they can provide a really nice escapist fantasy
Yeah, if they evolve as a character during the story, then they aren’t a Mary Sue anymore, regardless of how they started off. But it is very possible to be amazing without a beta reader, all rules don’t apply to everyone. Thanks for watching!
Loveeeee the background boo. And I used to read fanfic forEVERRRR but I stopped because I’mSo busy. Hearing these mistakes though made me want to read again and see if I find if they do it!
Number one and number two are by far the most important tips to have when writing. A lot of rookies don’t realize that the first draft is not the final draft. Second of all, your rose garland reminds me or The veiled Lady statue by Giovanni Strazza
On the note of description, I don’t really describe clothing unless it’s important. For instance if the character is a designer, or if she has a special clothing article that has relevance to the plot, or the character is wearing something with significant value that she either isn’t used to, or is very special to her personally. I have a story right now where the main character loses her coat, and the coat is being used to track her down by several mobster antagonists. So I describe that coat very thoroughly, but much of everything else is left mostly vague.
@@MakeItWithMecca my friend was talking about a beta reader and i felt dumb and she said that you would clear stuff up, im so glad i came to your channel
Having a timeline and rough draft is super helpful!! I haven't written a fic (yet), but from my experience writing *many* essays, it really helps slowly build it up and make a lot easier than trying to write it perfect from the start. It can really help make sure everything is in its place. Another thing you can do is starting by writing down various things you want to have in your story so you can find its place in the fic (or whatever else you're writing).
Can I just say how pretty you are? I love writing fanfic and I also love beta-reading for other people. I hope you're having a wonderful day!! Keep up the great work.
I like writing my current fanfic and I have this one amazing fan and I love interacting and talking with my fans. I feel if you interact with fans they can get more invested in it and they like to ask questions and its amazing.
Only issue: having both parents is NOT a Mary Sue trait. Mary Sues tend to have tragic backstories to make you pity them, like having a dead parent or even a dead family. A dead family is actually a very common cliché. It's not a flaw.
In my experience, I find that Mary Sue’s do not tend to have anything different from the typical family structure. Of course, it just depends on what story you’re reading. It is a cliché, but that does not mean it’s a Mary Sue trait. It also heavily depends on if your Mary Sue is a protagonist or not. I’ve seen it in all different ways, I’m just speaking about what I’ve mostly experienced in my years.
Such an extremely helpful video, it was so relatable and you got out the points that needed to be made for new writers or for writers who are trying to start back up. I’m a little late but this was truly amazing and you’re so pretty!! Looking forward for more videos of tips/points❤️🤟🏻
I had to stop myself from commenting as I was watching the video, this is so relatable! As a writer with no outside help for 6 years, this is all so true. I'm only 14 as well and when I was 8 well... I saw all these mistakes and deleted my books. Now I'm sort of embracing the idea of making mistakes, because I have two books, one rewritten, one discontinued, and I'm using the discontinued one as my plot book soooo yeah
I don't know buddy. Clothing is kind of something we need to know, in a "show don't tell way" when it comes to stories, which makes it harder to do with Fanfiction, but easier to do if it were like a web comic. It's like what Forrest Gump said about shoes. Clothing as well works. There's a lot you can tell about someone based on the clothing they wear. Styles of different era's tell what kind of person they might be. If you're wearing a vintage Hawaiian shirt like those detectives do, maybe you have a liking for older stuff. Even when it comes to the kind of car you drive. Especially with the kind of car you drive. The older the car, the more likely you're to be the kind of person who has a love for older times. Because older cars probably don't run as well as newer cars, so you probably have a love for those older cars, and maybe an older time.
I get that. Of course clothing is important. What gets annoying is when the writer CONSTANTLY describes the over describes the outfit. We don’t need to know every single piece of clothing on the character in every scene, so it gets irritating having to read that. Everything is good in moderation.
If you don't know how to start your story just think about what you want to happen in the chapter and start from anywhere you feel like starting. Go back to where you started and ask yourself wether it would work as a beginning and if it doesn't then think about what happened before what you wrote did and add it in.
I would also add balancing your character’s trauma with their daily life. Some people focus only on what happened in the oc’s past, and it constantly trickles into the story and mind of the character in the present. We don’t get any diversity or fluctuations in emotion, we just get trauma dump after trauma dump. It’s hard to read through stories that are depressing with nothing else that spices it up. Of course, it’s good for trauma to affect your character in different ways, but when every chapter is about your character being an asshole to every other person they meet for no reason and blaming it on their trauma, then you’d be better of just scrapping their backstory…
It’s really hard to remember, trust me. I suffered from it for the longest time, it just takes some practice. And try to have someone read over your work before you make it public.
This is such a late comment but I just wanted to say you are awesome and I subscribed instantly. I love you already and I will keep on watching your videos.
@@MakeItWithMecca You're welcome. Although I haven't tried writing fanfic I am currently writing a novel and the points you made can help me get through my novel, and make it even better. So, thank you. 💕
Lol at my first published fanfic in 2011 when I described every outfit in detail, including ones that the characters (they did the usual cartoon thing of wearing the same thing except in special events) had already worn, because the people needed to know. But at least I didn't upload links to Pollyvore collages and put them in my ff.net profile like some other people did in that fandom...although I did link to my DA page where I had drawn the outfits in detail.
1. *Not having a Beta Reader* I honestly don't have a Beta Reader, I depend my writing in one-shot fanfictions. I don't trust anybody around me, cause I am fully aware that they would just say, "Wow! You're an amazing writer!" eventhough they never knew the flaws of writing a story. They would just give random compliments, which sucks. I am both the Beta Reader and a Writer, I make my own horrendous ideas and read my own stories just to see if there are any mistakes. So yeah, I don't trust anyone and can't find a suitable Beta Reader for my stories. 2. *Not having a rough draft* I have tons of these! Some were accidently deleted, some were long forgotton, and some were discontinued before being abandoned in my hidden stash of artworks. 3. *Making a Mary Sue the main character* So, I think I got this covered. A lot of my characters all have flaws that are either based on me, my fears, friend's fear, or what I have experience in life (like accidently burning myself with an iron which left a permanent wound on my hand? Yeah). 4. *Being to descriptive* This one! I have always avoided being descriptive, just cause I am horrible at it and it just felt way too cringey! 5. *Using repetitive sentences* Ok, this one had me on a difficult cliff situation. Whenever I do these, I would make sure to change this: "He had never thought his friends would betray him. He trusted them. He had accompanied them in every away....." To this: "The latter had his eyes lowered to the ground, staring intently hoping for it to swallow him whole. The countless thoughts of how those he trusted could easily turned their backs on him. 'Why?' he muttered before gazing at the stars above....." *The Bonus* I am still improving these paragraph thing but so far, I think they are pretty good.
I really liked your comment. I totally get your number one too. For me, having people I know read my stories is just so awkward because they know me. My sisters used to beta for me and it was the cringiest thing the three of us had ever experienced. Never again 😂😂😂😂
Thank you so much 😭😭😭😭😭😭 i really do enjoy talking about fanfic since reading is a passion of mine, and I’m so glad I was able to make a video about it that people seem to enjoy.
Gurlll this video needs more views, you helped me so much! I love reading and writing but the thing is I stress out too much on how to make my story sound good or something, if you get what I mean :”)
On the Mary Sue one, it reminded me of what I have trouble with when writing… So I want to give some background information that will be important for the climax but I don’t know how to without it not making sense and spilling too much, too soon and I don’t want to just write random things that won’t be important/aren’t related to the story so I can stretch out the climax if that makes sense.
8:03 Like she said, don't start off all/most of your sentences with the same words! I'm going to give you an example of what you shouldn’t do, and then some examples of what you SHOULD! Here's the first example of what you SHOULDN'T do: “He walked onto the balcony. He looked off into the sunset, thinking of her words.” Repetitive, huh? Now here are some examples of what you SHOULD do: “Tim walked onto the balcony. He then looked off into the sunset, considering her words.” “He walked onto the balcony. Gazing into the sunset, Tim thought about what she had said.” Please, please, for the love of all that is good, try to remember that If you *have* to refer to the same character in two or more sentences in a row, look for some alternatives, like switching between your character's pronouns and name, or switching around the order in which they are first referred to in a sentence! I hope this helps anyone out there who needed it. :)
my beta reader is an english major so she truly is amazing. she’s developed my writing so much and always is supportive of how i want to improve or stylise my writing. recently, i’m trying more atmospheric writing and i sent her a piece the other day and she loved it. i can’t imagine not having met her
MakeItWithMecca she has taught me more since october than i learnt in high school! we do bicker over american vs british spellings of things sometimes but that’s the only thing i could ever complain about. she truly makes me a better writer
aaaa the description part was really helpful!! I've been really confused on whether I should over-describe the character's appearances/actions or not for every chapter but this really cleared things up! OH and the tips on the repetitive use of pronouns was really helpful because when I look back at my writing i realise that *wow there are way too many pronouns in this story* so yeah, thanks for pointing that out :D Im still learning so with this, I hope I can improve along the way :)
It was interesting when you talked about Mary Sue characters. I personally write x readers (x child!readers, to be exact) and we gotta talk more about how hard it can be to make sure that even the reader themselves is not a Mary Sue! It can be hard to do this since the reader can be literally anybody but I can sometimes find myself cringing at how I write y/n when they’re hardly doing anything!
Made a new fanfic video for you guys! Please check it out! th-cam.com/video/sOM5-2drMi0/w-d-xo.html
What's your wattpad. I'd love to read your books :)
@@cm2358 I dont use Wattpad or anything. I havent written in years
Ay,I never thought that I'd see another Muslim fanfic reader.
Heyyyyyyyyy
@@MakeItWithMecca
I'm a Muslim and a fanfic author too.
As a fanfic writer and reader, I wholeheartedly agree with all of your points. If someone doesn't space out their paragraphs, I instantly leave the story and continue looking for something else.
+James Hinkle THANK YOU! I sometimes get called weird for that, but it’s an extremely big pet peeve of mine. I wish people would stop doing that.
Girlfriend, you are preaching to the choir lmao. You don't even know how many times my mood has been ruined because people simply can't hit "ENTER" on their darn keyboard lol.
As a fanfic writer that’s one of my biggest pet peeves. Like if there’s no spacing between your paragraphs then I’ll literally get a headache reading one long ass paragraph.
It gives me really bad anxiety for some reason. I just get really anxious and frustrated if I’m trying to read something like that.
Omg saaaame
Okay but can we just appreciate how beautiful she looks-
Thank you 😊
Absolutely~! ♡
Yes yes we can ❤
Thank you 🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧
YES PLEASEEEE
Hello, I'm normalgirl™, and I'm just a NORMAL GIRL, WITH A NORMAL LIFE.
No one in school lovs meh, and there are always boys chasing me everywhere, ugh!
😂😂😂😂😂 accurate
Twilight? Lol.
@@amberandrews6692 twilight saga new moon lol
The theme song of a show I watch basically starts with 'Just a normal girl with a normal life'
And like you're not and you don't and aside from the fact that youre a superhero your everyday life is NOT normal
@@nath9122 Miraculous ladybug lol
There's also Mary Sues with the 'tragic backstory'
Ugh, that drives me crazy!
And the smart one who is hated by everyone in their stupid society
Ugh mega eye roll
I hate that type of story, it's just so ughhhh!! I can't go through Wattpad and fanfiction without seeing a character who has been neglected, abuse and bashed. They're so many of them I lost count!! I hate tragedy, dark, bashed, self insert and OC main characters fandom type fanfics.
Especially if the character is extremely ‘badass’, OP and knows about anything and everything in the story. Those are so annoying. And that their tragic past doesn’t affect them at all, except give them something to angst about.
I am living for the flower crown
Oh thank you 💕💕💕💕
Also, if you're having trouble starting a story just do what I do and free write until you can't feel your fingers or your pencil runs out of lead. Just keep writing and once you think you're done write a little bit more and go back and edit what fits and what doesn't
Yes, this is such great advice. It’s usually what I do to get my creative juices flowing
Do you write rough drafts or type them?
I do both but mostly type them
@@itsgrzlyszn thank you!!💜
i do that and then delete them .
For people wondering if their character is on the Mary Sue side a simple test :
1) Read through and identify all their strengths/flaws.
2) Rate/rank their flaws on a scale of 1 to 10. Do the same with their strengths.
3) check their neutral traits ; Neutral traits are family/social/wealth/popularity/Emotional stability/physical health and ability (fit/out of shape/average Disability/mental health etc). All off these which your character is neither strong nor weak in get +1.
4) tally up all points (neutral and strengths are positive, weaknesses are negative) eg 18 from strengths, 6 from neutral and -14 from struggles/weaknesses, would be 18 + 6 - 14 = 10.
5) Your total should be between -7 and +7. If it is outside that range then you can tweak characteristics to bring the point tally up or down as required.
If both the negative and positive traits are essential to your character, you can tweak their neutral skills instead.
For example ; If your character is socially neutral you can tweak this slightly to add subtle flaws to balance your character. A simple example would be your character struggling to communicate well with children or adults (depending on your character). Perhaps they get bothered by a snotty nosed gremlin on their way to work (if chivalry is a character strength perhaps they use giving up their seat as a way to get away from the brat) or perhaps if they are a teenager they get awkward/panicked when an elderly shop keeper give them their change and asked how their day is going and tries to talk to them (internally based frustration at either self for sounding stupid or for adult trying to talk to them).
Its just a basic test that actually quite helpful in balancing characters. As a rule don't tweek scores of pros cons to make it balance, it defeats the point.
According to this I'm a Mary Sue (scoring below -7) haha
I got -6
Oh god, so much math problems 😐
I don't like the term "flaws" for characters anymore. People are making unnecessary value judgments. I think we should identify "advantages" and "disadvantages." There are lots of characters who work really well whose only real problem is the circumstances they were born into, and nobody ever questions their lack of "flaws." That's why a character can belittle people, or talk down to them and still be branded a Mary Sue - probably more likely to be actually, as long as they're getting away with it, because if everyone does what they say regardless of how toxic they are about it, then they're clearly free of consequence, and that exemplifies the invincibility that Mary Sues are famous for, even though their characteristics are obviously NOT perfect in the popular sense. In that respect I think "flaws" are about making sure characters have believable problems, more than anything. Viewers complain that a characters is "too perfect" when they really mean that everything is too easy for them.
Heres a single thing in my opinion defines mary sues, is the story revolving around the character? So basically im going to break it down into a few more parts;
- nothing happens when mary sue isn't there. [Basically there are no side characters, they serve no purpose other that one sentence at the beginning of the story] [or love inrests]
- out of character moments. [If deku goes around acting like bakugo cause someone said one mean thing to your character then they are a mary sue]
- the rules bend and break to your character [lets say if your character murdered someone in the story but nobody cares to do anything about it ]
- if they aren't nice your character they are evil [oh no side character dares to say anything bad about your character they must be evil and/or jealous, then your character is a mary sue]
Edit; I forgot to mention if your character is an OC for a fanfic then they should follow the rules of that story, like have a single quirk that makes sense in mha or whatever the rules of assaination classroom are
This are really helpful tips.
I so agree with you on the Mary Sue and sentence construction parts.
I cannot read a fanfic when the sentences sound like a robot is saying them.
Thanks for watching! I don’t remember seeing you here before. May I ask how you found my channel?
MakeItWithMecca I have been subscribed for a year now😢... I used to watch and comment on every video, but stuff always comes up, and i missed a few...
I found your channel when a friend on Facebook posted one of your videos in a group.
Really? I didn’t see any old comments from you, so that’s why I asked. Maybe you commented on the videos I deleted. Sorry for not remembering 😭😭😭
The too descriptive normally happens in *s m u t*
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
MakeItWithMecca (Takes a bow) Thank you, I do try to get that reaction
@@zinkheroofyoutube8004 So true
*looks at my smut book
*looks back
*dissolves into the bushes behind me*
@@ajmaqs Hello Homer
Video starts at 2:33
Amarachi Ebere thanks
Amen🙏
Thanks
Thanks
Sometimes, if you can't find a beta reader, I suggest going back to your story/chapter at least a day later or read it on a different platform (like going from Word to where you upload your fic) or do something to the text like changing the font or size.
I agree with the description part. But sometimes adding those extra details (like how tight clothes are, hairstyle, etc) are important if they're necessary for the story. Or sometimes you can add them in later on when describing actions like hair-twirling or whatever.
Also, SPACE YOUR PARAGRAPHS!
Yeah, I don’t usually get beta readers most of the time, so that’s what I do. I let it sit a little bit and then move it to somewhere else that has better spell-check software and stuff like that so I can catch grammar mistakes. But I also just like writing fanfic for me, I’m not really doing it to gather a following, lol, so that’s part of why I don’t get beta readers. I’m just trying to relax.
@@sunaisunaieyeslikecoal7989 that's what I also do!
Hi newbies! I’m a fashion youtuber mostly, but if you guys want more fanfic videos like this, let me know in the comments. I’m noticing this video reached 700 views the last month, even though I uploaded this 4 months ago. So if it’s really needed, I’ll definitely make another video like this. Please let me know down below how you found my channel 😘
I love watching fanfic stories and especially I would love if you could give recommendations?I just found your channel and like this is amazing!!
Sure! I read lots of fanfic. What’s your favorite shoes or anime?
MakeItWithMecca Anime thats tough I love Boku no Hero Academia and Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku!! and probably any combat boots what are yours?💛
I’m a big fan of Naruto and Yuri on Ice, so I read a lot of their fanfic. But I also like shows like Teen Wolf
MakeItWithMecca Ive only seen boruto not naruto but I would like to get into it but so far so good and yuri on ice is great we were born to make history is such an iconic lyric
Oof, speaking of too much description, I don't know if this is exclusive to anime fandoms, but referring to people by their hair color. The blond. The brunet. The redhead.
My creative writing professor pointed this out once and I've been hyper-aware of it ever since.
DUDE THAT DRIVES ME INSANE! I see it a lot within the anime community
@@MakeItWithMecca I mean, how else do you refer to them as? I have a lot of trouble with that because I often have two main characters in the fic. I don't want to refer to them by their name all the time. I typically refer to them as "the younger boy" or "the shorter one" or "the taller one" and stuff like that. Is that okay?
Yes, it’s always okay to switch how you call them so it doesn’t get repetitive, but if it’s possible, try not to focus so much on the hair color, especially if it’s with characters that mostly everyone knows. For example, when talking about Naruto and Sasuke, you don’t always have to say the blond and raven head. Once or twice is okay, but saying things like the former or latter is good enough.
@@MakeItWithMecca Ah, okay. Thank you! I don't do it that often, though, since both have brown hair. I may occasionally call the redheaded girl "the redhead' so I'll probably switch that out with "the spy" or something.
Omg this!!! It's exactly what I've experienced in the anime Fandom. Too much the green head, the greenet, the green locks....it becomes really bothersome when I'm trying to focus on the story and all I see is green.
I dont write a rough draft i just plan out the entire story till the end in my head and make small changes throughout it
A mental rough draft can be just as good 🤗
That's what I do as well. Even when I was doing school papers that's how I did things.
Great tips! This was actually very interesting. I, too, HATE big block paragraphs. It's like a big ramble and it's annoying. Lol
I used to do ramble paragraphs because my chapters were too short. I may have one occasionally, I'm pretty sure that I have at least one in the chapter I'm writing, but I'm better now.
I kinda agree but disagree with the whole family thing. I've read too many tragic stories that have one parent or mistreatment from family plot. I'm not saying these shouldn't be given some representation but I do really enjoy the happy family having to deal with sudden changes because thats real too. Its really how the author has the character react to all this that makes or brakes a story for me.
I very much see your point. It all depends on how the author conveys that emotion with the characters. Many times it falls really flat
I've been writing fan fiction for over 6 years and I've also worked as a beta reader in the past... so I agree on all your points. All except one: the rough draft. Yes, it is not a good idea to upload a story/chapter right after writing it and you have to plan where your story is going in a way. But everyone works differently. When I start a story, I never know where it ends. If I had always tried to plan the ending before starting to write a story, I would have never started any of my stories. Also, I get to know the characters I made up while writing them. The details about their backstory and personality emerge while I'm writing. If I had always planned them before putting them into action, they would have never become the multifaceted, interesting people I fell in love with.
Some people benefit a lot from planning. Others, intuitive writers like me, won't. You have to find out yourself what works for you.
Hi! I agree! I don’t remember what I said in this video since it’s been a few years, but I definitely now think that doing a rough draft just really means not uploading something without checking the editing and, even if you don’t know exactly where your story is going, at least have a general idea of the plot and conclusion. Writing freely can work well for some people, but I’ve found for most that it’s counterproductive and they end up abandoning the story because they didn’t know where it was headed. But if you’re one of those writers who just goes with the flow, more power to you!
What I do is that I create a word file where I write the main ideas and plots, then I start writing how they happen by spurts of creativity.
I just hate when it’s an x reader story and they completely change everything about the main character, like excuse me no I do not have short pink and blue hair thank you very much
Duuuuuude, I sooo hate that
we apologize for that 😀
but we dont even know what you look like soo...
@@ajmaqs just make it as non-specific as possible
@@ajinkyamakeslowqualitycont938 ye just do like Percy in Percy Jackson, where it’s kinda hard to find a visual description of him because he’s the narrator and thus it’s not much of a thing for him to describe his own appearance
50 Shades of Gray was a fanfic based off of Twilight????! WHERE THE HECK HAVE I BEEN????!
Yep it definitely was. Unfortunately, it’s one of the only fanfic to make such a massive impact when it wasn’t even that good 😑😑🙃🙃
My friend always gives tips to make my plot so much more JUICY
she's amazing :,)
That’s what friends are for 🤗🤗👌🏾
why do you look 16 young but sound so wise and like you'd lived 1000 lives?
Awww, thank you so much 😂😂😂😂 people always say I look young, but I just turned 22 in February
(I am a few years late but oh well!) Fellow fanfic reader and writer here. I relate too much to the "write until 3 AM, post it and go to bed". That's how you wake to all the mistakes you made (but somehow didn't notice until AFTER you posted, haha).
And for websites like Fanfiction net, for whatever reason, when I copy and paste my stories from Word to Doc Manager, it will display the programming language (is that the right terminology?), showing the font, size, placement, etc. that I used in Word. I usually have to erase it and copy and paste it again (so far it always works the second time)...but I've seen more than one story still have that programming language in, making it hard to read. Writers, PLEASE check your documents before you post them!
Great video! Jesus loves you! Have a blessed day!
The problem for me with a “beta reader” is that none of my friends know I read/write fanfics 🤭🤭
Mood 😂😂😂😂😂😂
That’s so cool you’re a writer! I used to think about being one. I’m an avid reader though. How do you get beta readers?
I made a video about it if you wanna check out my writers playlist
Can’t believe this was posted 6 years ago, wow! Still valid today, though. Thanks for the feedback I feel as a beta reader myself it’s hard to evaluate how much of a good job we are doing as editors. But after watching this video I feel reassured that I’m doing an okay job :’) Thanks so much and hope to see more vids!!
Messed up on grammar lol💀 beta reader my tail
I've been a fanfic reader for 4 years now and I recently just started my own fanfic channel a couple of months ago. So this video really helps me how to avoid my mistakes. Also I have seen a lot of new fanfic writers with a lot of error grammar, the storyline is usually the same meaning the mary sue going to highschool and being rich and badass which is something most people can't really relate to. I see why as soon as I spotted the story plot doing that, I can't help but to cringe at it then exiting out the video. Nowadays, I tend to avoid those type of fanfic unless they approve their stories better.
Anyways thanks for the advice!
As a new fanfic reader/writer, this really helped me. BTW, youtube recommended your channel to me. This is one time youtube has actually been good!
Glad you enjoyed!
The beginning of the story! Ah! I love writing the beginning confusing, but then slowly leading the person into the story.
The beginning needs to be amazing for me to read 🤩🤩🤩
As a writer myself this is so helpful 💝 thank you for this
+Jade Haughton thank you for watching! ❤️
Awesome tips! :D I'm SO glad to see something about fanfics here. Most of the writing tips I've seen are for serious, published writing. I mean no offense, that's great and all, but not everyone's first step is going to be publishing. My first steps just so happen to be writing cool things for Gravity Falls and Undertale. Haha
Again, great video! Love the content and your points. :)
+Venom Quill I feel that. I think the fan fiction community is seriously lacking in TH-cam videos, so I’m glad you liked the video.
I know exactly what you mean. I am slowly learning and as the point of having a beta I only have one and it took me 10 years to find one beta reader. And I have been writing fanfics for 20 years. I had to learn to be my own beta and even then it was tough as English was not my first language and writing it was harder. However I did come a long way and am still learning.
That’s really great, I’m so happy you put in the effort.
I've definitely noticed these when reading fanfic. But I found it so helpful as I write original rather than fanfic :)
for the last two years, I have been studying all of the skills of novel writing and I wholeheartedly agree with all your points. Two years ago I suffered every single point and now my short stories have improved tremendously!
I’m so glad to hear about your improvement!
Pro-tip: when copying and pasting your work run it through notepad first and then copy and paste it from there onto whatever site you're using. I've noticed that word specifically will mess up my formatting when I put it onto AO3. This also works if you're moving text from Google docs to word and vice versa.
1) having a beta reader
2) having a rough draft
3) making characters relatable
4) being too descriptive
5) being repetitive
hope it helps if you didn't wanna watch the whole video :)
Thanks for that!
@@MakeItWithMecca HEHE IT WAS NOTHING AND I LOVE THIS VIDEO THANKS :]
Thanks for watching!
So two weeks ago this had 700 views and now we’ve reached 1,100 views on a video I nearly forgot about. Wow guys. You make me feel great, but sad because I haven’t made a video about fanfic in five months. Thanks for the support 💕💕💕
Old video, but I'm a newcomer. I like finding videos about fan fic writers, because, obviously, I am one. I've written fan fiction for about 10 years now. In fact, I'll have been a member of FanFiction.net for 10 years this year. Also a big fan of Jenna Moreci. I found her channel looking for anything to help combat my self doubt, but I digress.
I agree entirely with your points, especially concerning beta readers. I've had several in my time, and I find I don't want to do anything without running it by my beta. I also agree with the planning. In my early days, I'd plan it all out, at least the basics, in my head. To some extent, I still do because I've repeated the idea so much, it's become muscle memory. I'd call myself a hybrid planner/pantser (I plan but also write by the seat of my pants). But anyway, this was a great set of tips; of course, I just like meeting fan fiction writers/readers in general.
Hi there! Thanks for commenting! I’m a planner just like you, with all the same tendencies 😂😂😂
I just don't understand why people dislike such a video which is so helpful-,-
This is was my first video from you. I live fanfics so hopefully I have the courage to finnish one and upload it♥️
if you write one, I'll read it :) sorry I always support my friends fanfics so now I like reading ones with like NO READS
Your flower crown is adorible 🥺 (also this video helped me so much!)
Thank you 💕💕💕💕
First of all, YOU’RE GORGEOUS OMFG and two, I absolutely agree with all your points!
Thank you 😭😭😭
The one that drives me crazy is the grammer.
LIKE HOW DO YOU SPELL HOTEL WRONG?
(Unless you don’t know English well then I understand just put it in the beginning or title)
THAT DRIVES ME UP A WALL OMG! Like, I clicked on this one fic, and the author spelled like 12 words wrong in the first paragraph. The summary was interesting but I couldn’t take the grammar so I had to click off.
Wayt realie? Gud thang y gramer iz om pOiNT
YES! I read a fic where the author didn't capitalize names or use quotation marks (hello he said).
Great video! I'd recommend having your signposts hang around for a little longer - maybe 5-10 seconds, just so people can find them easier when going back through the video to look at one tip in particular. Also, if you find yourself looking toward your camera screen too much instead of your lens, I'd recommend hiding the screen with a card or something until you get into the practice of looking straight into your lens, at the viewer, every time.
Perhaps you could do a video on character creation! I know some people get very anxious over whether their character is a Mary Sue, and I'm sure you could help a lot of people with that - you're really great at getting those ideas across in simple terms that are very easy to comprehend, and you certainly come away from the video having learned something. Keep up the great work!
+Johannes Evans omg, thanks so much for the helpful comment. I do love looking at myself in the viewfinder lol, so next time I’ll just put it away. And I’ll be sure to keep the cards up longer next time.
Character creation sounds great. I’m not a big expert on it though, so if you have any ideas, let me know.
Thank you!
Haha, don't worry, it's very easy to get into the habit of looking at the viewfinder, but so long as you're in shot you should be grand not to keep looking at it. Don't worry, I'm very much the same!
If i may suggest something, there is this app called "Character planner" that I have been using for a while, and it is marvelous helping on character creation, but also you can create complete worlds, with laws, flora, animals, and all that.
It has been really helpful for me. If you wanna mention an app for that.
Pandamonium do you know what the app is called for IOS? I can’t seem to find it
Her voice is so beautiful I could listen it all day. It's like having a real conversation!!
Omg thank you so much 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
I totally agree with the rough draft tip. Even in fanfiction, the rules of writing a story still apply, such as the story elements.
I personally recommend the most basic plot outline: Beginning, Middle and End. If you're planning a convoluted plotline and can't figure out how to organize these events, do with the basics. Give the story a beginning, outline the middle, then finish it with the end. Give the most basic outline of your plot, so that you can insert your fleshing out bits and darlings in between.
I truly learned this when I joined a dance theater group. Every scenario ought to have a beginning, a middle and an end. The outline extends to the most complex plotlines.
This is a really helpful video! I'm going to start writing musical fanfiction soon.
Ok so i stumbled across this video and im subscribing right now. The flower crown. The absolute TRUTH you're speaking. Perfection.
Thank you 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Loved this! I stopped reading fan fic precisely because not enough people follow this kind of advice.
Great advice! I do have to disagree with a few points though...I've read some truly wonderful fics with no beta reader and with mary-sue type characters. they can provide a really nice escapist fantasy
Yeah, if they evolve as a character during the story, then they aren’t a Mary Sue anymore, regardless of how they started off. But it is very possible to be amazing without a beta reader, all rules don’t apply to everyone. Thanks for watching!
Jenna Morecci is fantastic!! Thanks for the great video, you were spot on with all of these.
Loveeeee the background boo. And I used to read fanfic forEVERRRR but I stopped because I’mSo busy. Hearing these mistakes though made me want to read again and see if I find if they do it!
Number one and number two are by far the most important tips to have when writing. A lot of rookies don’t realize that the first draft is not the final draft. Second of all, your rose garland reminds me or The veiled Lady statue by Giovanni Strazza
On the note of description, I don’t really describe clothing unless it’s important. For instance if the character is a designer, or if she has a special clothing article that has relevance to the plot, or the character is wearing something with significant value that she either isn’t used to, or is very special to her personally. I have a story right now where the main character loses her coat, and the coat is being used to track her down by several mobster antagonists. So I describe that coat very thoroughly, but much of everything else is left mostly vague.
Yep, that’s perfect and exactly what it should be limited to. Great job!
omg i love the flowers youre so pretty 💕💕
Omg thank you 💕💕💕 can I ask how you discovered my channel?
@@MakeItWithMecca my friend was talking about a beta reader and i felt dumb and she said that you would clear stuff up, im so glad i came to your channel
Awwww, I’m so happy, thank your friend for me 💕
Having a timeline and rough draft is super helpful!! I haven't written a fic (yet), but from my experience writing *many* essays, it really helps slowly build it up and make a lot easier than trying to write it perfect from the start. It can really help make sure everything is in its place. Another thing you can do is starting by writing down various things you want to have in your story so you can find its place in the fic (or whatever else you're writing).
I do that all the time, it’s really a life saver!
I would LOVE to see more videos like this and I LOVE JENNA MORECI
Yay! So glad to hear it
Can I just say how pretty you are? I love writing fanfic and I also love beta-reading for other people.
I hope you're having a wonderful day!! Keep up the great work.
Thank you so much 💖💖💖💖
AHHHH! You are so awesome!!!
i'm getting back into writing, and this is so helpful :') tysm!
Thanks for watching!
Definitely subscribing. Your content is gold💖
Thank you 💕💕💕💕
Queen, that flower crown? GORGEOUS. I don't write fanfiction, but I feel like these are valuable tips for everyone who is starting to write.
Thank you so much 😭😭😭😭
I like writing my current fanfic and I have this one amazing fan and I love interacting and talking with my fans. I feel if you interact with fans they can get more invested in it and they like to ask questions and its amazing.
That’s the best. They give great feedback and also can help with story ideas
@@MakeItWithMecca Yup!
The outfit looks so pretty on you 🎀💕
Thank you 🥺🥺🥺
this is great. it help me so much. i love you Mecca
Thanks for watching. Love you 💕💕💕
Only issue: having both parents is NOT a Mary Sue trait. Mary Sues tend to have tragic backstories to make you pity them, like having a dead parent or even a dead family. A dead family is actually a very common cliché. It's not a flaw.
In my experience, I find that Mary Sue’s do not tend to have anything different from the typical family structure. Of course, it just depends on what story you’re reading. It is a cliché, but that does not mean it’s a Mary Sue trait. It also heavily depends on if your Mary Sue is a protagonist or not. I’ve seen it in all different ways, I’m just speaking about what I’ve mostly experienced in my years.
Such an extremely helpful video, it was so relatable and you got out the points that needed to be made for new writers or for writers who are trying to start back up. I’m a little late but this was truly amazing and you’re so pretty!! Looking forward for more videos of tips/points❤️🤟🏻
Subbed! Thanks, Mecca! Nice background too :)
Thanks so much! May I ask how you found this video? I’m trying to see where my audience is coming from
I was just searching stuff along the lines of "how to write great fanfiction" and such
Well, I’m glad you found this video! Lemme know if there is something else you want me to discuss
Okie dokie!
I love your background! it's so aesthetically pleasing haha
I had to stop myself from commenting as I was watching the video, this is so relatable!
As a writer with no outside help for 6 years, this is all so true. I'm only 14 as well and when I was 8 well... I saw all these mistakes and deleted my books.
Now I'm sort of embracing the idea of making mistakes, because I have two books, one rewritten, one discontinued, and I'm using the discontinued one as my plot book soooo yeah
Wow, you’re so young and you’ve done a lot, I’m really happy for you! Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much! I will!
just came across your video because i was looking for writing inspiration - what a cool video, thanks for that!!
Thank you for watching
I don't know buddy. Clothing is kind of something we need to know, in a "show don't tell way" when it comes to stories, which makes it harder to do with Fanfiction, but easier to do if it were like a web comic.
It's like what Forrest Gump said about shoes. Clothing as well works. There's a lot you can tell about someone based on the clothing they wear. Styles of different era's tell what kind of person they might be. If you're wearing a vintage Hawaiian shirt like those detectives do, maybe you have a liking for older stuff. Even when it comes to the kind of car you drive. Especially with the kind of car you drive. The older the car, the more likely you're to be the kind of person who has a love for older times. Because older cars probably don't run as well as newer cars, so you probably have a love for those older cars, and maybe an older time.
I get that. Of course clothing is important. What gets annoying is when the writer CONSTANTLY describes the over describes the outfit. We don’t need to know every single piece of clothing on the character in every scene, so it gets irritating having to read that. Everything is good in moderation.
@@MakeItWithMecca Like, explaining what brand of shoes, every little shoelace on it, and what not?
Yes exactly. There’s such thing as too much detail and it really slows down the story plot
OMG!!! You're so pretty! (Also this helped me a lot)
Awww, thank you 💕💕💕💕💕💕 and thanks for watching
If you don't know how to start your story just think about what you want to happen in the chapter and start from anywhere you feel like starting.
Go back to where you started and ask yourself wether it would work as a beginning and if it doesn't then think about what happened before what you wrote did and add it in.
Great advice!
@@MakeItWithMecca Thank you, it's what I do.
Ooay off topic but JESUS CHRIST THAT LIGHTING DOING YOUR SKIN NOTHING BUT JUSTICE MISS GIRL YOUR SKIN IS GLOWING 😭
OMG THANK YOU 😭😭😭😭😭😭
Omg so happy I found this channel! Thank you so much!!
Thanks for watching!
anyone read My Immortal because they wanted to cringe?
just me?
What’s my immortal?
It’s a poorly made Harry Potter fanfic
Oh ew. I’ve only read a few HP fics
I love it sm. It's so bad it's a classic.
The original writer is on Tumblr, she's actually pretty cool, I forgot her username and stuff though.
Aww that’s too bad. I’ll check it out though
I would also add balancing your character’s trauma with their daily life. Some people focus only on what happened in the oc’s past, and it constantly trickles into the story and mind of the character in the present. We don’t get any diversity or fluctuations in emotion, we just get trauma dump after trauma dump. It’s hard to read through stories that are depressing with nothing else that spices it up. Of course, it’s good for trauma to affect your character in different ways, but when every chapter is about your character being an asshole to every other person they meet for no reason and blaming it on their trauma, then you’d be better of just scrapping their backstory…
Yeeeesss this
I've been trying to refrain from homogenous sentences and switching from past to present tense. It's hard...
It’s really hard to remember, trust me. I suffered from it for the longest time, it just takes some practice. And try to have someone read over your work before you make it public.
Thank you, fixing my own rn!
Off topic but I love the flower crown. I’m a sucker for all flowers :D
Thank you 💕💕💕
This is such a late comment but I just wanted to say you are awesome and I subscribed instantly. I love you already and I will keep on watching your videos.
Awwww thank you so much. 💕
@@MakeItWithMecca You're welcome. Although I haven't tried writing fanfic I am currently writing a novel and the points you made can help me get through my novel, and make it even better. So, thank you. 💕
Lol at my first published fanfic in 2011 when I described every outfit in detail, including ones that the characters (they did the usual cartoon thing of wearing the same thing except in special events) had already worn, because the people needed to know. But at least I didn't upload links to Pollyvore collages and put them in my ff.net profile like some other people did in that fandom...although I did link to my DA page where I had drawn the outfits in detail.
Ugh I did this too. Ultimate cringe 😂😂😂
1. *Not having a Beta Reader* I honestly don't have a Beta Reader, I depend my writing in one-shot fanfictions. I don't trust anybody around me, cause I am fully aware that they would just say, "Wow! You're an amazing writer!" eventhough they never knew the flaws of writing a story. They would just give random compliments, which sucks. I am both the Beta Reader and a Writer, I make my own horrendous ideas and read my own stories just to see if there are any mistakes. So yeah, I don't trust anyone and can't find a suitable Beta Reader for my stories.
2. *Not having a rough draft* I have tons of these! Some were accidently deleted, some were long forgotton, and some were discontinued before being abandoned in my hidden stash of artworks.
3. *Making a Mary Sue the main character* So, I think I got this covered. A lot of my characters all have flaws that are either based on me, my fears, friend's fear, or what I have experience in life (like accidently burning myself with an iron which left a permanent wound on my hand? Yeah).
4. *Being to descriptive* This one! I have always avoided being descriptive, just cause I am horrible at it and it just felt way too cringey!
5. *Using repetitive sentences* Ok, this one had me on a difficult cliff situation. Whenever I do these, I would make sure to change this:
"He had never thought his friends would betray him. He trusted them. He had accompanied them in every away....."
To this:
"The latter had his eyes lowered to the ground, staring intently hoping for it to swallow him whole. The countless thoughts of how those he trusted could easily turned their backs on him. 'Why?' he muttered before gazing at the stars above....."
*The Bonus* I am still improving these paragraph thing but so far, I think they are pretty good.
I really liked your comment. I totally get your number one too. For me, having people I know read my stories is just so awkward because they know me. My sisters used to beta for me and it was the cringiest thing the three of us had ever experienced. Never again 😂😂😂😂
This background is so cute!! These tips were super helpful.
I'm sorry, but you're literally a queen🥺👑
Thank you 🥺🥺🥺
One of my biggest beefs in fanfiction are poorly spaced paragraphs, and run on sentences.
It makes me not want to read them when they're like that.
Yeeeeeeeessss
Oh god, same. I keep finding fanfics with beautiful writing, but they put like, 3 spaces between a couple sentences??
Unrelated but you are glowinggg. You really look like you enjoy what you do :)
Thank you so much 😭😭😭😭😭😭 i really do enjoy talking about fanfic since reading is a passion of mine, and I’m so glad I was able to make a video about it that people seem to enjoy.
@@MakeItWithMecca As someone who writes fanfics, this has really helped me so thank you. Keep doing what you do 💕
Thank you for your kind words 🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧
At least i can finally write and post my stories thanks for the tips
Gurlll this video needs more views, you helped me so much! I love reading and writing but the thing is I stress out too much on how to make my story sound good or something, if you get what I mean :”)
On the Mary Sue one, it reminded me of what I have trouble with when writing… So I want to give some background information that will be important for the climax but I don’t know how to without it not making sense and spilling too much, too soon and I don’t want to just write random things that won’t be important/aren’t related to the story so I can stretch out the climax if that makes sense.
That makes sense!
8:03 Like she said, don't start off all/most of your sentences with the same words! I'm going to give you an example of what you shouldn’t do, and then some examples of what you SHOULD! Here's the first example of what you SHOULDN'T do:
“He walked onto the balcony. He looked off into the sunset, thinking of her words.”
Repetitive, huh? Now here are some examples of what you SHOULD do:
“Tim walked onto the balcony. He then looked off into the sunset, considering her words.”
“He walked onto the balcony. Gazing into the sunset, Tim thought about what she had said.”
Please, please, for the love of all that is good, try to remember that If you *have* to refer to the same character in two or more sentences in a row, look for some alternatives, like switching between your character's pronouns and name, or switching around the order in which they are first referred to in a sentence! I hope this helps anyone out there who needed it. :)
Great advice!
You’re so pretty OMFJSJSNWJWBWH😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️and thank you for the info🥺
💕💕💕💕💕
I love your setup! And this video helped a lot!
Thank you!
my beta reader is an english major so she truly is amazing. she’s developed my writing so much and always is supportive of how i want to improve or stylise my writing. recently, i’m trying more atmospheric writing and i sent her a piece the other day and she loved it. i can’t imagine not having met her
English major beta readers are the best!
MakeItWithMecca she has taught me more since october than i learnt in high school! we do bicker over american vs british spellings of things sometimes but that’s the only thing i could ever complain about. she truly makes me a better writer
aaaa the description part was really helpful!! I've been really confused on whether I should over-describe the character's appearances/actions or not for every chapter but this really cleared things up! OH and the tips on the repetitive use of pronouns was really helpful because when I look back at my writing i realise that *wow there are way too many pronouns in this story* so yeah, thanks for pointing that out :D
Im still learning so with this, I hope I can improve along the way :)
I’m glad you found it helpful 💕💕
thanks I'm planning do a fanfic Btw your so beautiful and I'm your new fan here☺️
Thank you 💕
It was interesting when you talked about Mary Sue characters. I personally write x readers (x child!readers, to be exact) and we gotta talk more about how hard it can be to make sure that even the reader themselves is not a Mary Sue! It can be hard to do this since the reader can be literally anybody but I can sometimes find myself cringing at how I write y/n when they’re hardly doing anything!
That’s one of my main reasons I don’t write x readers 😂😂😂😂😂😂 the line can get very thin.
Thank you so much , I'm trying to become a writer and this was realllly helpful . XDDD
You're beautiful~~~ thank you so much for your help! 💖
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