I'm writing a longfic and I'm currently still in the plotting/first draft stage of writing it. I've known since the beginning of this fic's conception that I wanted to use rabbits as a symbol or mirror for the MC. The story is about the unassuming MC racing against time and trying to remain undetected while he silently undoes the antagonist's defences behind the scenes, and puts himself at great risk by doing so. The parallel between MC and rabbits is that they are both prey using cunning to avoid predation.

I've written in a few scenes where a rabbit is present, but so far I have no plot explanation for their existence in the story. They more just appear for a moment before disappearing, and signal what stage of the chase the main character is at within the story. I'm not sure if I need to come up with an in-plot explanation for why the MC is suddenly stumbling across rabbits in an otherwise magical setting, or if I can just let the rabbits serve their symbolic purpose and be mysterious.

Have any of you ever used a paralleling symbol to a character before like this? How did you tie it into the story?

On this one fic I have been slowly working on I have this one short paragraph and I think it is one of the better things I have written. I feel it captures something from the canon that isn't explicitly said but is implied. And every time I am reading the fic back and editing it I see that and I just can't wait till I publish this and see if other people enjoy it as much as I do.

Like, I feel I need to be a little to full of myself while writing and think I am doing something incredible or there is just not a reason to write the fic you know. I very much am a, I only write what I think needs to be written type of guy.

Thank you. I know this seems weird, but I''ve been writing a longfic recently and wanted to get this off my chest, especially because I've been seeing a lot of guilt-trippy posts on my tumblr feed(?) the for-you page (part of following the fanfiction tag, probably). I love getting hits on new chapters, even if they're not accompanied by a kudos or a comment. Sure, it's a nice bonus, but just getting those hits makes me so so happy you can't even imagine. Because that means people are still reading. They're staying. And some of them may be seriously invested.

I made a discussion post about this recently and I saw mostly support of this sentiment, which I'm really happy about, because I personally love those hits!

I know a lot of authors don't agree. It may seem ungrateful (one person on my previous post even called people who read silently leeches which was so weird because leeches actively take something from you and no one's taking anything by reading something you've already put out there) - I may seem ungrateful because I'm someone with a lot of free time and I don't understand how hard it can be to pour your rare free-time into something only to get nothing in return, or because I get interaction so I don't know how it feels. And they're probably right about that, this is just my little take.

I myself was a silent reader for a long time, and I got really invested in some of the stories I read silently, so I love the idea that someone else is doing that with my story <3!

I appreciate watching the chapter counts get updated on my bookmark (yes I know it's a reader's space and I know I have no right to complain about criticism, but I opt in on concrit anyways and have received some useful feedback), and I love seeing those hits right after a new chapter! No one ever told me a longfic would be such a fun experience.

Honestly, that's it. I'm just very weirdly filled with joy right now, randomly filled with dopamine in the middle of writing, and I needed to scream it into the void while expressing my not-so hidden annoyance with a guilt-tripping I see bc tbh it ruins my reading experience sometimes (and makes me not wanna comment when I was planning to). I'm sorry if this feels odd, and thank you for reading <3

Hey guys, as the title says, I'm looking for overpowered female OCs in the MHA universe. I've already read sharper than a serpents tooth (and really liked it). Currently reading one with the OC being Shouto's twin sister who has a water quirk.

Any recs would be greatly appreciated!!

I've been writing fanfic for years now, but I've only ever really posted on Ao3; I've noticed how beautifully some of these authors have set up their fics (and blogs as well). Usually with three somehow perfect images, and these cute little borders separating stories from tags, descriptions, etc.

I want my fics to look clean and well-done; Any tips? If anyone just knows how to do those fun little borders, I would love you forever.

(P.S; I saw another question similar to this, but it wasn't about formatting specifically, so I thought I would ask! Thank you all for any help you could give <3)

How would you all label a fanfiction which is based on one Fandom [say Victorious] and included characters from another show [say Chicago Fire and SVU] if the story took place in LA [Victorious hometown] in the show but had characters from the other two shows who were a huge part of the storyline. Would it be a crossover between all three or a fusion?

Here's some extra info to narrow down the search. The female therapist who is the main character used to be a genius but then almost died to a gunmen and got Maggie trauma from that and then her own therapist gave her the mental tools to try and get over it which would then lead to her becoming a therapist.

I'm writing a longfic that involves my main character playing a Super Smash Bros ripoff for the first time in the current few chapters. I'm having trouble because the current part of the tournament is in sets of four players (writing one vs one is easy enough).

I'd like to see if anyone has tackled such a fic. My character is written as embodying the character that she's playing, but I'm not entirely sure if this is a good direction to go in so I could write a detailed gameplay description. Does anyone know of any fics that contain similar descriptions that I can look at for reference?

And much like a lot of what I write, I had the idea months ago, wrote some vague notes, hit a wall and left it. Then I came back to it, got over the wall (it was more of a molehill really), and wrote it in a couple of days, and I’ve just published it.

It’s a bit different to my usual fare as I was doing my best to emulate the original author’s style rather than my own, but it was fun, in its own way. I hope my new, rather small fandom likes it, but I’m proud of myself for finishing it and publishing it, as it’s been so long since I’ve hit the zone of a writing rush, I almost forgot how good it feels.

Still relatively new to AO3, haven't even received my invite yet, but I still like to guest comment on fics because Tumblr says it's important to support artists you like. It's irritating to say "wow I liked this fic" and then some guy takes that as an open invitation to try and start an argument with you about why he didn't. Example in question: "You wrote this dynamic so well! I feel like so many other writers tend to simplify it really hard and you really kept that emotional weight about it that I like!" "OH YEAH WELL I DON'T AGREE WITH THAT INTERPRETATION OF THE DYNAMIC AND YOU'RE CLEARLY PERSONALLY ATTACKING ME AND ANYONE ELSE WHO DOESN'T RAAAAAAAH THIS FIC IS BAD YOU'RE BAD". Why. Literally why. I wasn't even making direct comparisons to other authors or ship bashing or whatever the hell might have made a person angry like that. I am JUST trying to be nice to an author I like and your stick in the mud looking ass has to roll up and do this. Idk man my day is certainly a lot less bright than it was before and I guess I wanted to get that out there.

Which Ao3 author is making the most fanfiction? Specifically, who is writing the most stories? Not just word count or most chapters but individual stories?

Its about cass And Veronica discussing the Courier And his strange antics.

Hey there, I'm writing a fanfic for a couple of my favorite characters cause noone else is and I'm having trouble writting a confession without making it overly sappy. The idea is that this girl realises that yes she does love this boy but she's scared this may change their relationship as is. On the other hand with how hectic and frankly dangerous her life has gotten she's resolved herself to tell him that she does love him. So I'm struggling a bit on that. I'm fairly new to writing romance so any advice would be appreciated.

preferably x reader (but doesnt have to be) and preferably on wattpad or AO3 or tumblr

legit dont care what the plot or who love interest is, i need to read the most angstiest slowburn fic ever

thanks in advance!!

EDIT:: also doesnt have to be marauders, but must be in the HP universe! thanks!!!

While writing my current long fic I started to feel like something was off, and came to the conclusion that the reason why was due to how the story had changed from it's original idea. The tone had become darker, and there were a lot of ideas that I wanted to use that won't work with where the fic is currently going. Though I still like the main fic, and I want to continue to work on it. To deal with this I decide that I would write a spin off of this fic, so whenever I get bored or stuck in the main fic I can take a break by working on the spin off.

I plan to only post the main fic after it has been finished, and considering how slow of a writer I am it could be a while. Despite this I really want to post something from this AU, so I was thinking about posting the spin off. It's a bit episodic with each chapter (or chapters depending on how long it takes to resolve the conflict) being it's own little story. I'm also pantsing it, and not writing it in chronologic order (there is a vague order to the ideas I have currently).

The fic that it's a spin off of won't be done for years, and I was thinking about making it a series in Ao3 but I don't know if their is a better format to use. How should I go about this?

I studied novel writing very extensively last year (since I always felt so stuck in the middle while writing) and came up with a formula (as a plotter) that I follow with developing my work.

Acknowledging that this is just one part of the creative pathways that you can take, but I think it would be especially helpful for people who are just starting. Some of these elements are pulled from advice I've watched through YouTube videos (which I unfortunately haven't kept track of 🥲).

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Thought Dump

Write down everything you feel like writing.

You can start the concept with a simple post on 𝕏 thread. If you want it to be more private, you can just start it with your own docs file or in pen and paper. Find a way to translate something in your head into something more tangible. Make rough sketches of the premise, the characters, the vibe, the themes, the sub-plots, and the tone.

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The Rough Sketch

This is where you explore the story a bit further and explore the main conflicts. Look into the main questions of who, what, how, and why. Specifically, you can ask the following:

Storyline Questions:

• What is the basic premise of the story? If you only had 30 seconds to tell someone what this story is about, how would you describe it?
• Why are you passionate about this story’s theme?
• What is the truth that you want to shout from the rooftops?
• What are some big ideas you want to explore through your character’s journey?

Character Questions:

• Who are the characters?
• What are their internal conflicts and their misbeliefs?
• What are their individual reasons for being a part of the story?
• How are these characters going to go on an internal and external journey? What are they going to learn and how are they going to transform as a result?

(I'm pretty sure I got these questions from this YouTuber.

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Bullet Point Outline

(My best advice - probably solved a lot of problems I've had with the pacing and the setup.)

Take the rough sketch and then break it down into story beats. You want to have a sense of the structure of character arcs and internal conflicts. You want to understand the transformative journeys of your characters.

ACT I

• The Hook: A captivating opening that grabs the audience’s attention and sets the stage for the story’s unfolding drama.
• Inciting Incident: The event that sets the main plot in motion, disrupting the protagonist’s ordinary world and forcing them to take action.
• 1st plot point: A significant turning point where the protagonist commits to the main conflict and embarks on a journey with no turning back.

ACT II

• Pre-midpoint reactionary hero: The protagonist reacts to challenges and obstacles, often with limited agency, setting the stage for transformation.
• Game-changing midpoint: A pivotal moment that shifts the story’s direction and raises the stakes, challenging the protagonist in unexpected ways.
• Post-midpoint action hero: The protagonist takes charge, actively pursuing goals and confronting obstacles with newfound determination.
• Disaster/dark moment: The lowest point in the protagonist’s journey, where all seems lost and hope dwindles, pushing them to the brink of failure.

ACT III

• Aha moment: A sudden realization or insight that allows the protagonist to see a solution or new path forward.
• Climactic confrontation: The final showdown between the protagonist and antagonist, where the story’s central conflict reaches its peak intensity.
• Resolution/end: The aftermath of the climactic confrontation, where loose ends are tied up, and the protagonist’s journey comes to a satisfying conclusion.

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Additional Notes

• Remember that the bullet-point outline with the story beats should be developed AFTER you've built the story already. You do it after the thought dump / rough sketch. As much as possible, don't write a story for the sake of following the structure. It's just there for guidance.
• Highly recommend reading books about writing fiction. Show, Don't Tell & Save The Cat are two books that have helped me really hone in on the craft.

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I hope this helps! ⭐️

Basically, any fic that goes against the "rules" of the canon material (basically, whatever fandom gatekeepers decide is "proper") with gleeful abandon, almost as a "Fuck you" to certain types of fans?

UPDATE: Due to the many submissions, this post is CLOSED. Thank you to everyone that submitted! It may take me a few weeks to get to your fic.

I will be going in the order of who submitted their fic first. You can track who's next by checking the comments of who I last informed that I left a review.

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Hi, all!

It's been awhile since I've offered to read fics. Life has been crazy, so I figured reading fanfiction would be a great stress reliever.

I hope to bring sunshine to someone. Life is short and what happiness we can spread is worth it.

Also, not required, if whoever would like to take a look at mine and review send me a DM and I'll send my AO3 and FFN.

CUTOFF FOR SUBMISSION is 3 hours from the time that this is posted. Anything submitted after the cutoff most likely will not be acknowledged.

Here's the deal:

• I'm fine with any fandom, as long as I don't need knowledge of the fandom.
• Must be mainly romance
• Please limit word count to no more than 30,000, or I won't read it.
• M/F & M/M only
• No smut, incest or M rated
• Limit is 1 fic per person

If these requirements are not followed, your comment won't be acknowledged.

Bonus points if your fic is from Digimon, Blue Exorcist, or Fruits Basket (but not necessary)

I look forward to reading your fics! #spreadthejoy #payitforward

I like writing for a slightly popular niche (kinda oxymoronic I know) but because it's so niche I end up seeing the same names commenting time and time again. I mean that in like a positive way, I love all the comments!~ I usually only post one shots, but at the moment I'm writing a multi-chapter fic, and noticed the same 2-3 people that comment on every chapter not long after it comes out. I know this isn't an uncommon thing, but it got me thinking.

Authors, what do you do if there's consistent commenters? Do you wait to post a next chapter until all the usual comments are in? Do you ever acknowledge them in author's notes or in story? And commenters, why do you do it? Is it on ever story you read or just the multi-chapter ones that really have a pizzazz? If you stop commenting does that mean you stopped reading or just that you stopped having things to say?

Idk, you don't have to answer any of the questions, I just think a discussion about consistent commenters on multi chapter fics would be neat

Looking at some reviews, it feels like some need everything to be foreshadowed at least once. For me, it's not necessary all the time, per example, if the fix provide a good enough explanation for the character being introduced only at some point. I'm also fine with surprise twist, to me, some twist can be done without foreshadowing (I'm fine with clones not being hinted at per example, it can be use to devellop both characters personnality too since they'd be their own things even if they're clones).

Sometimes, people can not get foreshadowing too no matter how obvious the media do it (and if the person hate the twist, the person can aso deny it was planned even if said twist can be a callback to a previous part in the story).

Looking for advice for writing the point-of-view of a character who's had a head injury, and is experiencing mild amnesia/shock as a result?

Personally I prefer to write with canon characters, since those are most of the reason I enjoy my favorite franchises. I want to write about the characters I love.

I’ve just been obsessed with Laufey’s Goddess and it’s almost….unreal how I could visualize a whole multi-chaptered plot idea complete with dynamics, in-universe modifications, and spicy spicy conflict from a 3 minute song I’ve played for more than the hours there are in a day.

What’s your most recent song inspiration? 😂

Edit: Now I'm kinda amazed by how many songs I don't know LOL

hello! i'm currently writing a percy jackson au where everyone is just normal people, but i'm having some trouble with approaching grover's disability.

since grover is originally a satyr and walks differently because of his hooves/goat legs, how would that translate to a real world leg disability that impacts someone's walk?

also, how can i realistically write about him getting bullied in school due to his disability? i don't want to be disrespectful and include harmful information or anything.

thank you!

Hi! I just started the first season (better late than never), but I pretty much know almost all the major events of the series, some in detail, some in a little less.

I'm looking for some AU/Canon Divergence /what if where Shane lives, Cherry on top if it's Shane/Rick.

But I welcome other recommendations of good AUs/Canon Divergence/what if.

Thanks!

Hellooooo

Ive been making a fan fiction that consists of using social media (texts messages and tweets those kinda things) but i usually put them in pictures

but my general question is i don’t feel very comfortable with posting on twitter with my social media au, so is it okay if i post it on AO3 or AFF?? i know wattpad is accessible too but would ao3 and aff users find it annoying?? difficult?? is it against the rules?

And while yes there will be some parts written out but the majority is literally social media so i just wanted too ask if thats okay to post on these websites 😭😭

I may be in the spectrum. Essentially I’m writing an asexual couple. It’s more implied as the setting of the story does not coin the actual term. So I’ll just describe it.

So I’m confused if my plans for portrayal are accurate with some members on the spectrum.

Essentially -Someone has reservations towards the relationship because if only one of them has carnal desire, it’d be unfair to deprive them but it’d also be unfair to expect the asexual one to put out

-just writing the story but without sex scenes

-the mc stating she never felt carnal desire and hates the idea of actually fucking while willing to discuss it

-the ml stating he doesn’t mind it but doesn’t feel the sexual high

The last is a scene that goes something like

(Teasing touching) ML: any other man would assume you’re inviting them into your bed

MC: That statement would make any other woman assume that of you. But, we’re not like so, so aren’t you glad you’re with me?

ML: I am.

So yeah, tell me if it’s accurate or not…..

Hey guys!

Looking for a fic I read years ago on either FFN or AO3 - loved it but can’t for the life of it find it.

Essentially where Zoro tries to convince Sanji that they would be good together. Not an AU. There was a scene where they’re making out in a public bathroom at a bar, and they have to hide when Nami comes in as she had beer spilled on her…only to realise Franky had been in one of the toilet cubicles all along.

Would be amazing if anyone could point me in the right direction!

Come, creatives, and celebrate your creativity! I'm back with another alphabet excerpt challenge. As a reminder, our challenges are every Wednesday and Saturday at 3pm London time.

If you've missed the previous challenges, you're welcome to go back and participate in them. You can find them here.

If you'd like some other games to play along with, why not check out: u/Dogdaysareover365's "a scene where" excerpt game and the whump version.

Here's a quick recap of the rules for our game:

1. Post a top level comment with a word starting with the letter C. You can do more than one, but please put them in separate comments.
2. Reply to suggestions with an excerpt. Short and sweet is best, but use your judgement. Excerpts can be from published or unpublished works, or even something you wrote for the prompt.
3. Upvote the excerpts you enjoy, and leave a friendly comment. Try to at least respond to people who left excerpts on the words you suggested, but the more people you respond to the better. Everyone likes nice comments!
4. Most important: have fun!