Animation Source Forums

I'd hate to bask in Cat's light, so don't take any of this the wrong way when I say that I have a few things to add...

1.) First off...Know what you write and vice versa!!
Obviously, your ability to make a story effective is based solely on how well you know your subject. If you're writing in the "fanfic" category, this won't be such a big problem, since your target market is people who probably already have a good idea of what your story is going to be about. Always try to remember that your story is not only going to be read by the people you want it to

Realistic stories can be complicated, because they are based on a world, that we, as humans, observe each day. Even in a fantasy plot, many of the basic morales remain constant. It'd never hurt to do a little research before writing a story.

2.) Don't dive into concrete.
Planning a story is a good way to keep your ideas organized and arranged. You remember in your english class, writing an outline and pre-writing before starting your essay? DRAIN YOUR BRAIN. You can toss out any ideas you don't want later, but the more you know about what's going to happen, why it's going to happen, and how it's going to ohappen, the better off you'll be. This can be tedious at first, but I assure you, it's very beneficial. But it's your choice.

3.) No character is 100%
It's imossible. You can't have a character that's 100% evil, nor 100% good. Evil-wise. If you have a character that's running around, pillaging houses and burning crops just because he is an evil person, then that's not ging to work well with your readers. The basic morales for all characters is universal; is he doing it for revenge? wealth? Glory? And so on and so forth. In much of the same way, no character can be entirely good. If your hero is stopping bad guys because he thinks that "they are simply bad, and I am good", that's not going to work either. Every character has a name, a history, a need, and a life. Give them what they ask.

Can I add on a little bit?

In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, not all books are written the same, some are walks, some are runs, and some are dances. For example, when we're got Balto running through the Alaskan wilderness racing to get the medicine back to Nome, we're not going to be describing the snow on the trees or the fur on Star's back or whatever. We'd be deep in Balto's thoughts (which would probably be very repetitive; "Jenna... can't let her down. Rosie, can't let her die...")

Do the same in stories, it gives them realism. If you're in a tense situation where time is of the essence, chances are, characters aren't going to pay much attention to the description of things around them. But if a character's waiting around just sitting there, they'd be more prone to notice things.

My suggestion to becoming a better writer: R.E.A.D.

And don't just read the same things over again. Like, don't read Harry Potter and then go looking for more books LIKE Harry Potter. Change up your reading. It's REALLY healthy for writers to experience different genres and then search around various genres to look at all the different writing styles.

For example, I like to combine the action-describing sequences of Eric Nylund (Halo: Ghosts of Onyx), along with the military technicals and strategies of Jeff Shaara, (The Rising Tide). Just as well, this style of writing would never be good for a Traditional Fantasy story, thus I'd have to revert to Ursula Le Guin's magical, long-term describing methods (A Wizard of Earthsea) or Tolkien's mythical story-telling (Lord of the Rings). Reading other fanfictions on the internet is NOT what I mean by IMPROVING your writing by READING. There's a reason those stories are on the internet and not on the shelves (although there are SOME shelf-worthy stories online, it's not a reliable source). There's warehouses of good literature out there for you t o begin improving your writing.

Suka's recommendations here are for simply improving fanfiction writing if that's all you're willing to do. However, if anyone here's looking to be serious with their writing, fanfiction is good practice, but it'd be wise to follow some of the recommendations I've outlined. Try reading a few of these books as well as create your own list.

Also, my friend Invaderk just told me something I didn't think about before: Don't write the same thing over and over again otherwise you'll never be able to write anything else. Thus, if all you plan on is writing Balto fanfics, then by all means, do just that, but if you plan on writing things other than Balto, then stray away from Balto quite a bit before you pick it up again just to give your writing muscles a good stretch.

Well, this IS a BALTO_FAN site XD That's all we're covering here. I'm not trying to get people to write like Shakespeare here, I'm not trying to get people to write actual series for publishing or anything. Just fanfiction. Small stuff.

As I said, if all you're looking for is just fanfiction, then by all means. But I'm a firm believer of placing your goals a little beyond. I mean, reading some Balto fanfiction from some pretty jacked up writers wouldn't be so bad?

Hey, if anyone has a few pointers on how to write effective love scenes (just a guy and a girl alone by moonlight. That sort of thing.) and action scenes, I'd greatly appreciatre it!!

I agree, this is good advise, great job Cat!
Now, about something Kelev said earlier.... NEVER DELETE, THROW AWAY, (ext) YOUR WORK! Whether it was good or not, keep it, be proud of it. Your writing will get better, but nothing is ever going to be perfect. If you're not pleased with a story, don't delete it, improve in the area's you think you failed within that story on your next story. You worked hard for that story, and as long as you did your best, no one should critisize you. As long as you did your best, you should feel good about the story, never EVER throw it away.... too much work and time to just erase and start over... just something to think about...

- RTW

I agree with all of that.

good advices cat, but I wonder why people don't read my fics very much

Thanks for this info, Cat Say, if I'm writing a fanfic, is there a character limit like the 60000 one for the forums?

Ok, Thanks. I'll think about that, though it's sorta late to get back the stories I deleted. Even still, I still need lots of tips, and you and Cat's topics are helping greatly.

I'd like to add to this as well, since this also seems to be a common problem... In my idle time, I've been skimming through the book, First Draft in 30 Days, by Karen Weisner. It's REALLY useful in outlining a structure of a novel, and breaking it down so it's easy to remember. She also included this really nifty list of the things she does to overcome Writer's Block. Here's a general idea:

HOW TO OVERCOME WRITER'S BLOCK
Ideas taken from Karen Weisner's First Draft in 30 Days. Items marked with a * were not.

1.) Read a book or watch a movie in the same genre as your current project to create a springboard for your brainstorming
2.) Make a soundtrack of your current project; choose sings that fit specific parts of your story
3.) Take long, slow, and scenic drives alone. (Of course, if you don't drive, just take the time to stare out the window and ponder)
4.) Take a long, slow, and scenic walk alone. Enjoy nature and the particular season
*5.) Talk with your characters. Yes, that's right. Do it when you're alone if you must, and just imagine what they'd say. It helps greatly with characterization
6.) Go shopping. Buy yourself something your main character would like, or holds dear, like a special pendant or bracelet
7.) Get out of the house -- go anywhere -- and people watch. Observe things around you
9.) Ask yourself "what if?" questions about your plot and characters
10.) Try throwing unique ideas in your plot to see where they might lead
11.) Take a nap. You can be at your most creative state between twilight and sleep. (*) Draw inspiration from any dreams you might remember
12.) Talk to anyone who'll listen to you about your story. You can get a variety if different angles and perspectives you probably never thought of
13.) Collect magazines and cut out pictures of people and settings that resemble those in your story
14.) Write with a partner on separate projects. Of course, don't plagiarize, but always think to yourself what's interesting in a story that's not yours
15.) Write a letter to one of your characters... (I prefer just to talk to them, but eh...whatever floats your boat. XD)
16.) Seclude yourself. At times, some of the best ideas come from you, and you alone
17.) Make yourself a cup of hot coffee, tea, or chocolate
18.) If you're writing on computer, try writing with paper and pen instead, or vice versa.
19.) List your main character's areas of interest and do something creative in that area
20.) Interview someone in a career shared by one of your characters
21.) Exercise while listening to your soundtrack (Hmm...build a strong body AND a strong story at the same time....I like this. XD)
22.) If you can help it, try visiting a setting in your story, or a place similar to it
23.) Establish a special room or area where you're free of distractions
*24.) Listen to the weather. Rain, hail, sleet, shine, or wind.
25.) Go outside, and just lit on your back on the ground. Take it easy.
26.) JUST START WRITING. Don't worry about where you're going, how it sounds, or your word choice. Write as it comes to your mind; you can go back later