Writers' FAQ

[catslyn]

Hello all,

This is a FAQ of some basic information on writing, fanfiction, getting published, etc. It’s starting out small, but it will be added to over time. Basically, I thought it would be a handy thing for the fanfic forum to have a FAQ since many of the questions below pop up from time to time in random threads.

If you think of more questions to ask or more information that should be added to the FAQ, just reply to this thread and I’ll see what I can do to help you out. Suggestions and assistance are welcome. If people would like specific information on how to get published (links, how to’s, etc.) please let me know and I will link some of my sources to this FAQ. Thanks to Shadow for going along with this idea.

Note: Not all of the information presented here deals specifically with fanfiction. It should be remembered that fanfiction is written for fun and never for profit. Fanfic cannot be sold and fanfiction works should not be written with the idea of having them published. Only those under contract to the parent company can write and publish stories about Masters of the Universe or any other privately owned intellectual property.


Publishing Fanfiction

Can fanfiction be published independently for profit?

It should be remembered that fanfiction is written for fun and never for profit. Fanfic cannot be sold and fanfiction works should not be written with the idea of having them published. Only those under contract to the parent company can write and publish stories about Masters of the Universe or any other privately owned intellectual property.

Does Mattel accept submissions of already written Masters of the Universe fanfiction for publication.

At this time, Mattel does not accept any unsolicited manuscripts for the MOTU line. This includes scripts for the television show and comic book as well as novels, short stories and children’s books.


Length of Stories

How many pages long is a book or novel?

Books, and other forms of writing, are not measured in pages, they are measured in word count.

Short-Short Story = 500 words or less
*Some people call this a “drabble.”

Short Story = 500 – 7,500 words

Novella = 7,501 – 79,999 words

Novel = 80,000 – 120,00 words

Average First Novel = 80,000 – 90,000 words
*This means the first published novel for a new author

Novels Over 120,000 Words in Length
*These are almost solely published when written by established authors such as Stephen King, etc.

How many words is one page of text?

This depends on a number of factors. However if you use Times New Roman 12pt font, single spaced with one inch margins on the top, bottom and sides of the page, then the word count is usually 550 – 750 words. Average length is 650 words. This is a very rough estimate though.

[Meta Ray Mek]

Hey Cats, this is just a suggestion, but I'd like to suggest a sub-FAQ for 'Mary Sues' and 'Self-Insertions', and how to not make an original character one of 'em. (I despise self-inserts, since 99% of them are Mary Sues)

Like I said, just a suggestion. ^^;

[thew40]

Something else you may want to add is that you should always have a disclaimer on your fanfiction. I'm not sure if it's necessary, really, but most fanfics have one. Here's an example of one:

Disclaimer: This story is fanfiction. It was written for the sole purpose of entertain and not for profit reasons. The characters presented in this story are the rightful properties of their creators.

. . . or something along those lines. It's nothing super-legal, but I always use one JUST IN CASE.


Also, if you're looking for a place to present your fanfiction, I highly recommend www.fanfiction.net. It's a great website that houses A TON of fanfics. It can be kinda slow sometimes, just as a warning, and I advise you that you use the ad blocker provided on the site. It's also very easy to register.

If you're looking for a similair website to present your original fiction (ie. original chacters, settings, stories, etc), go to fanfiction.net's sister site - www.fictionpress.net.

And that's all I gotta say!

~W~

[thew40]

Here's some some advice as to how to get some reviews on your fanfics:


Tip # 1: Don't Post Your First Draft
This is something I know I struggle with often enough. You get all done with your chapter, crafting it just the way you want it and you want to get it out as fast as possible. But before you post it, take a good look at the chapter and check for the following:

- Grammer, spelling, sentence structure, missing words, wrong words, etc.
- Pacing
- Scene breaks
- Making sure it's exactly what you want this portion of the story to present itself as

It never hurts to take a second look. It adds for the oppourtunity to throw in a few more lines here in there, for the sake of drama. On the hand, for some people, the grammer-related part of your story is just as important as character development and plot points.


Tip # 2: Put Your Best Post Forward
Steeming off from Tip # 1, comes this one. Don't just post to post; post what you KNOW is as good as it could be. Always stay one chapter ahead of yourself. Post Chapter One when you're finishing Chapter Three, that way if you get an idea and need to change something, you can still go back. You'll also have something to post to keep your readers salivating if you're having Writer's Block.

To help with this, it's sometimes good to go to a Beta-Reader. I was having trouble with how to present "A Winter's Heart," so I asked for help. Catslyn came to my aid, helped me through it and now I'm completely satisfied with it. I'm always open to Beta-Reading, and I know others here are as well.


Tip # 3: Format Is Key
This is a personal peeve of mine. I can not stand it when I go to read something and all I see is one or two HUGE paragraphs. It's far too intimidating, too blocky, and just plain ugly. The story could be a masterpiece, but to see something like that, it's makes it terrible.

So, remember these:
- new line of dialogue from a new character means a new paragraph
- scenes breaks by either using spaces, astreks (*), dashes (-), etc.
- events deserve their own paragraphs, so do new actions, or descriptions
- watch capitlization. Proper nouns and places and that's it. No more: "Adam got into The Car and drove to the Store." It just doesn't look right.

It's going to sound weird, but a good thing to do when confused about this is to reach for a book and look to see what the author does in there and follow that example.


Tip # 4: Be Patient
Seriously. If you're new to writing Fanfics, don't automatically expect a dozen or so reviews. If I'm looking to do some reading and I see that Classic Cowboy or Catslyn has posted a story, I'm more liken to go their stories than to go to a newbies. It's nothing personal, but when I see someone that I'm more familair with, I know there's a higher chance that I'll enjoy it than taking a gamble on a newbie.

But if you keep up-dating your story and keep posting it, there's a higher chance of me getting curious and reading it. Just gotta be patient.

For all writers, don't expect reviews for at least 24-48 hours after the story is posted.


Tip # 5: Pace Yourself
I mentioned this before, but it's just that important - take your time. Stay a few chapters ahead of the game. Also, don't post everything at one time. I wouldn't suggest posting more than two or three chapters at a time, simply because seeing two chapters is going to be more appealing than seeing eight chapters. And it keeps the readers appetite whet, which will often times have them giving you feedback.


Tip # 6: Original Characters
This was brought up once before in another thread, but I thought I'd mention it here. When you write a brief summary and mention that there are your own original characters within, be sure to mention that they aren't Mary Sues or Billy Joes. The natrual assumption for original characters are that they are, simply because there are so many fanfics saturated with Mary Sues (LOTR, HP, X-Men, etc)


Tip # 7: Beta-Readers are your friends
We are. I've said it a few times, but if you are having trouble with your fic, start a "I need a Beta-Reader" thread or PM somebody. It never hurts to have someone look over your stuff and prep it best for posting. Like I said earlier, "Put Your Best Post Forward."


Tip # 8: Do Unto Others . . .
Feedback is great! If someone takes the time to read your story and gives you feedback, then you do the same to them! Take some time, find a fanfic, read it, and review it. Dollars to doughnuts, that person will do the same to your story.


And that's all I got! If anyone else can think of something, please feel free to add. Got a contradiction? Please, by all means.

Remember: Feedback is important to the writer. Be honest and be curtious; fanfics (writing in general) is important to us, obviously. This is one of the best forums on he-man.org, simply because we have yet to have a flame war! Be respectful when reviewing.

[hudine]

I have one question, what is the max rating of a fic to be posted on this forum? Some of the things I write are more adult than others, so I just want to make sure I know.

[catslyn]

Originally posted by hudine
I have one question, what is the max rating of a fic to be posted on this forum? Some of the things I write are more adult than others, so I just want to make sure I know.

The whole site is strictly PG in general.

[Eaglehost!]

Excuse my ignorance, but does is Mary Sue and Billy Joe denote characters from other franchises?


I find it hard to believe all original characters are called Mary Sue and Billy Joe.

[LadyNiko]

Originally posted by Eaglehost!
Excuse my ignorance, but does is Mary Sue and Billy Joe denote characters from other franchises?


I find it hard to believe all original characters are called Mary Sue and Billy Joe.

Hi Eaglehost!

Welcome to the fic section....

Okay, Mary Sues/Marty Sams/Billy Joes are designations for blatant self-insertion characters.

They are the do-all, know-all, supreme characters that can do *everything* better than the hero. They tend to fall in love w/ the hero and have a tragic death in order to give the hero the momentum needed in order to defeat the bad guy.

For a more definitive explination of Mary Sue go here:

http://www.sff.net/people/thyme/howandwho.htp

Here is a scarey example of Mary Sue at its best:

http://www.sff.net/people/thyme/marysuewhipple!.htp
(Word of warning IT'S PINK!)

So, this should set you on your way... you need more answers, just go to a search engine & type in "Mary Sue" and it should give you plenty of sites to look at.

Okay, back to my corner here... I need to get back to work here... I have a fic I need to finish up so The Evil Roommates(tm) can get their JQ fic.

[thew40]

For fanfic writers, aspiring writers, or whatever, I recommend the following books:

"On Writing" by Stephen King

"How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy" by Orson Scott Card

"Elements of Writing and Style" by Struck and White (not sure on that one)

~W~

[Mirage]

As someone who's written FF in the past (I've written a little for "I Dream of Jeannie" and a LOT for "Birds of Prey" ), one would do well to keep in mind Alfred Hitchcock's famous dictum:

"Drama is life with the dull bits left out."

Say just enough to tell the story -- no more, no less. Don't let yourself get so bogged down in exposition that you drag down the plot (Leave to your audience the task of filling in the blanks. )

[Kittrina]

When is the best time to start printing the first draft for reading/editing?

I just went through a printer cartridge, as well as 3 sets of 126 pages of my book since last night (Book is typed in 11 NTR font). I don't think that I can afford to do this again! :0

Still trying to make this new printer print on both sides and it is NOT cooperating! GAAA!!!!

I needed a copy to give to a friend for beta-reading, a copy to mail to myself for the copyright, and a copy for myself to read/edit.

However, I'm not sure that I really should have wasted all of this ink and time (Printing with high-quality settings takes all night!)




Thanks

[Divia]

Val and I were disscussing publishing the other day.
One thing I found out is publishers want books in Currior New Font 12 point along with a whole bunch of other things. A quick google search can give you a lot of info.

If you are doing this just for yourself I say print out a chapter at a time. But if its easier for you to look at the entire thing then do that.

Dont use the fancy stuff if its just going to you and your friends. Don't do that unless its going to the printer or your agent. You're just flushing money down the toilet.

I wouldnt bother mailing myself a copy until its finished, but thats just me.

[Kittrina]

Val and I were disscussing publishing the other day.
One thing I found out is publishers want books in Currior New Font 12 point along with a whole bunch of other things. A quick google search can give you a lot of info.

If you are doing this just for yourself I say print out a chapter at a time. But if its easier for you to look at the entire thing then do that.

Dont use the fancy stuff if its just going to you and your friends. Don't do that unless its going to the printer or your agent. You're just flushing money down the toilet.

I wouldnt bother mailing myself a copy until its finished, but thats just me.

But, I have posted everything that I have been working on so far, that's why I'm a little paranoid......But, there is still a lot to write in and finish as well. I was just wondering when I should start thinking about protecting it - it's still about a book and a half away from being finished.

[Divia]

Is it a MOTU fic? If so I dont think you should be worried about copyright because you can't publish MOTU stories anyway. I assume you would have to pay royalties and all that to Mattel.

[Kittrina]

Is it a MOTU fic? If so I dont think you should be worried about copyright because you can't publish MOTU stories anyway. I assume you would have to pay royalties and all that to Mattel.

No, It's an original character that is only based on Kittrina - but she's all original. No ties to MOTU whatsoever.

[Divia]

No, It's an original character that is only based on Kittrina - but she's all original. No ties to MOTU whatsoever.

Well, I guess it depends.
I mean if you want to copyright her name and its unusal then yeah maybe you should.

If her name is say Josephine Savastiono and she is the daughter of a mafia boss, well then thats pretty general save the name.

Personally, I dont think you'll have an issue. Characters are so interchanable for the most part. But thats just the way I view it.

[Kittrina]

Well, I guess it depends.
I mean if you want to copyright her name and its unusal then yeah maybe you should.

If her name is say Josephine Savastiono and she is the daughter of a mafia boss, well then thats pretty general save the name.

Personally, I dont think you'll have an issue. Characters are so interchanable for the most part. But thats just the way I view it.

Her name is Riika Panu Pettri (I still haven't written that in as of yet). I am just really on guard here as Baena is going to be a big part of it as well (he's doing the illustrations - I got lucky to have such a talented artist take suce intrest in this project! He's a sweetie!).

What if I mailed YOU a copy and you could read it and mark on it and mail it back to me - that way it would definately be copyrighted!

[Uncle Dorko]

I thought i would give an example of how not to write fanfic: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers 2099.

The writer wrote each episode as he went along. He'd post a paragraph, come back four hours later to write another, and so on. The chapters are all entirely too short, not enough plot development, et al. The grammar and the spelling both suck, and villain characterization is off by miles.

I was so bad at writing that, I quit writing fanfic completely.

[heftysmurf76]

I thought i would give an example of how not to write fanfic: Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers 2099.

The writer wrote each episode as he went along. He'd post a paragraph, come back four hours later to write another, and so on. The chapters are all entirely too short, not enough plot development, et al. The grammar and the spelling both suck, and villain characterization is off by miles.

I was so bad at writing that, I quit writing fanfic completely.

Scripts for humorous podcasts count as writing dorko and from what I've heard and read so far, you're not too shabby

[Uncle Dorko]

Scripts for humorous podcasts count as writing dorko and from what I've heard and read so far, you're not too shabby

I suppose comedy is my strong suit. I was trying to write high action with MMPR 2099.

[Inhibitor]

Hey folks, I'm loving the fanfics up here! Now it's been awhile since I've been looking over the boards, but I seem to recall Val addressing the issue of creating your own characters for MOTU fiction. I know that Mattel would always prefer to go in-house to create new characters, but did Val advise against posting original characters that you eventually hope to use on their own? Would there be an issue if the characters have a similar theme (Medieval/Sci-Fi)? Thanks in advance for any advice on the issue!

[Sadara]

I'll probably be lynched for this, but I thought I'd delve into the Mary Sue thing a bit. I use the litmus tests; but in starting a MOTU/POP type fic I ran into a wee bit of a problem. Namely a lot of the items in the litmus tests like magical powers, are royalty, have hair/eye colors not found in nature, etc. are actually prevalent in the POP series. I have an OC with silver hair and pink eyes that I developed for my POP/MOTU fanfics; and while I understand that fans will likely rake me over the coals for it, I don't quite consider that fair given that those traits would not necessarily be a stretch given the norm for the series. Glimmer has pink hair, Frosta has blue hair,etc. I try hard to keep the Mary Sue-ishness of my characters down to a low roar, include faults, and whatnot, but they still have to fit the series they're created for.

[Divia]

Welcome to the boards Sanara.

As for Mary Sues, I guess it depends on how you approach them. For instance Mara Jade is the worst Mary sue EVER and she had a huge fan base in the Star Wars world. yes, I said it she was a Mary Sue.

[Sadara]

Welcome to the boards Sanara.

As for Mary Sues, I guess it depends on how you approach them. For instance Mara Jade is the worst Mary sue EVER and she had a huge fan base in the Star Wars world. yes, I said it she was a Mary Sue.

That's interesting. I'm not as up on Star Wars as I am on Star Trek.

I don't consider myself a brilliant writer by any means, but I do enjoy OCs and I try my best to make mine interesting and believable. I guess what ruffles my feathers is the idea that some would assume that just because she's an OC that she's going to die some traumatic death so Adam can off Skeletor finally and then she comes back to life. Or you have the other ending where they all live happily ever after and then people roll their eyes and call your OC a Disney Princess. Can't win if she dies, can't win if she lives.

The big thing I try to be diligent about when I write is keeping the canon characters in character. And I'll even ask for help sometimes if I'm unsure.

I guess for me my thing is: OC doesn't necessarily = bad.