So I’m planning to probably make a fanfic of avatar the last airbender, and honestly I just need some tips and some mistake prevention cuz I don’t want to make a crappy novel (its gonna be crap). Also did I mention this is my first novel I might take seriously?
The best fanfics understand the themes of the story and specific character motivations, and have those things shine when a different scenario or character is introduced.
For ATLA, we've got Aang's no-matter-what pacifism, Sokka's meat loving and sarcasm, Katara's motherliness, etc. That characterization can both benefit and hurt them, with Aang finding a peaceful way to stop Ozai vs getting his butt kicked because he didn't want to kill him, Sokka's mouth both helping him and getting into trouble, Katara keeping spirits in the group high but also sometimes turning naggy, etc.
Then there are the common themes, like the mistakes of the previous generation haunting/troubling the next, being true to yourself or even just finding yourself being more important than listening to what others tell you to be or do, etc.
If you throw your own character in, what kind of characterization will they have that will interact with the gAang? Do their own struggles fit the existing themes? Think of something that'll expand on what we already know about the existing beloved characters and let their best known qualities shine, or have your own character's qualities work off of theirs.
Good luck, fanfiction might be easy to write since most of the characters are already established, but good fanfiction is much more difficult because you as the author have to properly know those characters as well as the original writers do. And seeing as this is like your first story, honestly just have fun and do what you think sounds cool! Not just in an action scene or "I wish that were me in the story scoring all the babes" wish fulfillment, but something that makes you think "yeah, the characters would totally do that. and it totally fits into this world I love!"
Okay. I hope you are sticking with AtLA and are ignoring The Legend of Whorra: I'm The Avatar And You Gotta Deal With It. If you are thinking of including it, then you must watch E;R and all of his the Legend of Whorra videos. WHY? Because the only way to make a video about Whorra is if you are going to FIX that trainwreck and you need to know all the problems with that cash grab BEFORE you start.
If you start by thinking, "This is going to be crap" then you will succeed in making crap.
Step 2: Become a scholar on the subject.
If you haven't, watch the show. Maybe watch it again. Make a point of watching an episode every day. NON-STOP. Unless you are a freak like me who can remember obscure details from one watching of an episode, they you need to learn the material.
For example, if you said, "What's the name of that computer that accidentally kills a redshirt by hooking up directly to the warp-"
ME: "The M5"
I can't remember the names of my co-workers who I have worked with for 5 years now, but the name of a AI that killed a RedShirt in a ST:tOS episode I watched once when I was 12? THAT'S EASY. So unless you are a freak like me, STUDY YOUR MATERIAL. Which also means that you need to WATCH OTHER VIDEO Essays on the subject. Bad takes. Good Takes. You need as many PoVs as you can get on the material.
You need to LEARN THE CHARACTERS BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL CREATOR.
Step 3: DO NOT SELF INSERT.
Every Author needs to write what they know, and who do you know better than yourself? However, you are new at this. Are you ready for when the readers start to TEAR YOUR SELF-INSERT APART? When they call your Self-Insert a little BITCH, or a sociopath, or a cunt, or systematically explain why the self-insert is a total loser and tear apart every flaw they have and basically vivasect your self-insert alive in front of you, are you going to be able to take that?
I am. I got no problem with that. I love having my flaws exposed and pointed out. It's a great way to grow and improve as a person. I went on a talk show once on Youtube and got RIPPED APART, but you know something? I grew from the experience. It hurt, but I learned something about myself and I became a better man.
How about you, mister, "I'm cutting my own legs out from under myself by assuming my story is going to suck before I even write it"? You gonna grow from having your self-insert's soul shredded before you? I don't think you are up for that.
However, it is okay to use ELEMENTS from your life. Personality quirks, but KEEP IT TO A MINIMUM.
Step 4: Craft your Isekai OC character Well.
A. Read up on isekai.
B. Determine if they will want to stay or strive to return.
C. Do they know the setting and story? How well?
D. What is their weakness? A MC without a weakness to overcome and grow is a lame MC.
E. What is their Strength?
You should give your MC some sort of perk. Something they are GREAT at. Yes, you can make them superstrong, or the best water bender, or they have multiple elements they can control, or they can control... nothing, but they have access to the internet.
ONE. PERK.
Yes, you COULD have them be Superman in A:tLA, but you are new. You do not know what you are doing. ONE PERK ONLY. Make them have to get creative. Maybe the only power they have IS being creative. They are a water bender, but they know how to make Steam, Ice, or Ice-7, which only forms under 30,000 Atmospheres of pressure. or they can break down Water into Hydrogen and Oxygen and make the air flammable.
Whatever it is establish it in the FIRST CHAPTER. your readers will put up with as much BS as you want to shovel in the first chapter as you want. HOWEVER, after that first chapter, you need to make everything a LOGICAL CONCLUSION FROM THAT.
"And THEN". not "Just HAPPENS"
Meaning, A leads to B leads to C leads to D.
Not A HAPPENS. B HAPPENS. C HAPPENS.
Consequences. Cause and effect. One thing causes another.
Step 5: Your OC should never overshadow the IP's original Characters.
Go to my Sig file. Read Hotrod Lantern.
the OC is Ungodly powerful. However, he STILL needed to be saved by the original IP characters. He HELPED them, but in the end, they had dealt with people MUCH more powerful than him in the past, so while he had his moments, he wasn't the top dog.
The main problem you will have is finding ways to make your OC LOSE. How to have him fail. Cost him. You need to kick him in the teeth. You need to make him WORK at it. At least once in your story, ask yourself, WHAT IS THE WORST THING THAT COULD LOGICALLY HAPPEN AS A CONSEQUENCE? Then have it happen. Don't hit him with a Meteor. Have his actions come back to bite him. He's sneaking in somewhere? He trips and activates the alarm. Whatever it is, at some point things should go WRONG.
Then have him scramble to fix it.
Step 6: Don't have everyone like him, unless his one perk is he's super likable.
If he knows the story, acting super chummy with the Main Characters will often set off red flags. How does he know how I like my tea? How DOES he know my nickname? What would YOU do if a complete stranger suddenly dropped into your life and knew everything about you and just kept smiling around you all the time?
You'd Freak the fuck out, that's what.
Make him WORK to become friends. Have him fuck up. Have him want to get busy with one of the babes and have her flat out REJECT HIM. BTW, the Subject matter? SEX AND ROMANCE IS RIGHT OUT. Unless you are making THAT sort of fanfic, this type of setting does NOT lend itself well to any sort of relationship, unless it's FRIENDSHIP. You said you wanted to be serious? Well, KEEP IT SERIOUS AND RESPECT THE SETTING.
Step 7: You need a REAL character.
What does this mean? The Reader will swallow anything in the first chapter, after that, he needs to ACT LIKE A REAL HUMAN.
Ryan is the MC of HKN. If you drop him in the middle of Hell, he will crack his neck, sigh, then get to work being a hero. Why? BECAUSE I BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF HIM. I put Ryan through HELL. I spent 20 chapters kicking him in the TEETH. I made him SUFFER. However, that all said. Now? Now it is totally in character for him to just look at any problem or threat, roll up his sleeves, and get to work.
Jack, is a goddamn coward. He acts in his own self interest FIRST. Yes, he does heroic things, reluctantly. Plus, he sucks. He is a REAL person with REAL goals and REAL REACTIONS.
If the MC sees a problem and goes, "No problem". beats up all the bad guys, never acts scared, never worries about anything, constantly makes jokes, and basically acts like nothing matters, then the reader will think nothing matters. Ryan can act like nothing matters, because he is suicidal and wants to DIE. You know his blase attitude stems from his pain. He throws himself into danger because he wants to be reunited with his dead wife. Ryan acts like a blase hero, because he is dead inside and part of his journey is learning to become a Real hero by actually CARING.
See the difference? Ryan is a wise cracking never say die hero because he's insane. You know why he acts the way he does and it's SAD. Occationally the pain leaks out. There are moments the facade cracks.
Don't try and do that. Stick to a NORMAL DUDE in an extraordinary situation.
Step 8: Read this Generic Advice Dump:
While Reading, Put this on a loop:
How long to write a chapter?
I spend up to twelve hours thinking about a chapter, then slam it out in an hour. There are many steps to writing. Planning is part of writing.
Editing is the part that takes the most time. Learn how to be your own editor.
1) The first sentence is what grabs my attention to read the first paragraph.
2) The first paragraph is what sells the first chapter.
3) The first chapter gives me a question that the reader should be curious about and your book should be the only way to answer that question.
I have a pattern.
Single Line at the start of the chapter to be a zinger.
Then I have a little exposition at the start of most chapters.
A paragraph explaining the setup.
Paragraphs are broken up by topic.
Occasionally a one-liner where I hit the reader with a single idea.
I will sometimes put something all by itself after many carriage returns to make it ESPECIALLY stand out.
"When having a conversation I have words inside quotations and get rid of the word 'said' whenever possible." Eldritch had discovered that people are smart enough to figure it out for themselves, "You just need a comma and some quotes to get people to know who is talking. The important part is to start a new chapter whenever the speaking subject changes.
My imagination interrupted, "This would be an example of that." It looked around and wiggled its tendrils, "Actions can be done by anyone and rolled into the paragraph." Eldritch nodded as my Imagination continued, "As long as who is talking inside the quotes remains the same."
"So Expositions should be all at the start of the chapter, with maybe a small wrap-up at the end, but if you get in the habit of having conversations like this, you can group things up in a way that is easier on the reader's eyes. It knows where one speaker ends and another begins. In fact, if you keep up the pattern, you won't even need to point out who is talking, the reader will figure it out by style of speech, or the fact only two people are talking."
Then, finally, I try to have a final zinger line to end the chapter on.
It's cheap psychological manipulation, but it works.
How about an example?
Author Note: This is my first time writing a novel, so bear with me now.
"Keugh... is this.. how I leave this world?" He coughs blood, and after a slight pause he laughs and smiles. "Oh well, whatever all I can do now is hope."
My life was full of stupid shit honestly, I never spent my time well.. if I could I wish I could go to a different world like Murim with some system, man, I should've stopped reading those weird novels, but whatever honestly, in the end, it's the survival of the fittest, even in this so-called "comfortable" world. All I hope now is that I at least don't go to hell, or get reborn, since me going to Heaven is the equivalent of letting a crazy murderer not go to jail while being caught.
"G-goodbye you shitty world." he tries to yell out loud while on the concrete ground, but only to output a barely audible voice with a lot of people looking down at him in worry, with sirens in the background.
Suddenly, he wakes up on a bunch of leaves and some grass, with rays of sun on his face. Still not comprehending what has happened, he looks around to see many tall trees with lots of leaves on them. He then feels a different type of clothing on his body, he sees himself wearing a red and black Hanfu. (I believe a Hanfu is the things people wear in wuxia or murim please tell me what the name is of what they wear.) When he tries to look around he notices his long hair going all the way down to his upper back. Upon noticing all of these details, he begins to check if he still has his manhood.
"Oh... thank god, I'm still a man." He redirects his attention back to his surroundings. "So where am I? By the looks of it it seems like I'm in a different universe?" He begins to remember the life he's lived giving him a irritated expression on his face. "AGH! Whatever, I just need to be better then last time, this time I will try to actually do something with my life."
And then out of nowhere a blue square appears right in front of him, not bounded by gravity or the laws of physics.
[Initializing...]
After looking in confusion for a little bit, a light begins to pop up in his head, causing him to grin a little bit at the realization of what has just appeared right in front him.
"My god, haha... is that a fucking system!? Please let it be a system and not just me being crazy." At those words the blue square begins to show numbers indicating the percentage of something.
[Initializing... 4% 7% 13% 25% 43% 77% 99%]
"What the hell, I'm not hallucinating? It really is a system!"
[Initializing... 100% Congratulations, Thank You For Playing Our Game!"
"Keugh... is this.. how I leave this world?"
Melvin was dying. he held his hand to his mouth as he coughed and pulled his cupped hand away to look at it. The odd mix of blood and mucus actually distracted him from the sucking chest wound for a few seconds. For just a moment, he forgot there was a small bullet hole in his back and the frickin Holand Tunnel out the front.
He fell to his knees, not quite sure who shot him in the back. Given the time of day, it was most likely anyone who knew his schedule. That meant this assassination was a betrayal, "Oh well, whatever all I can do now is hope."
The funny thing was, he had just realized he was doing things wrong. His whole life he'd be a bastard. He'd only thought about number one. He justified it with how life had treated him. His father was a working stiff who never got anywhere. Mom always bitched at dad and only thought about how much happier she could have been if she had only married Jack back in college.
Melvin spent most of his childhood getting the crap beat out of him, so as soon as he had his chance to get ahead, he took it. He had learned nobody cares, so he cared about no one. He was a very good liar and got ahead by backstabbing, betraying, and never ever showing mercy.
One day, that changed.
He realized everything he did was to get back at the people who beat the crap out of him. Everyone he hurt, was just an attempt to make things "right" to make things fair. But one day he realized something. He was just evil.
It started small. he couldn't do his job. He couldn't focus. he started trying to stop, get out. Nothing made him happy anymore so he just stopped doing drugs, stopped having sex, and stopped doing everything. He finally made up his mind. He was going to quit.
Unfortunately, his partners figured it out first.
Now he was face first on the sidewalk, people screaming, people running. He doubted anyone would catch the bastard who killed him, nor would anyone care. He just stared at the growing pool of blood under himself as he thought, ~Honestly, I really was going to try and fix things.~ He closed his eyes, ~Ah well, at least there's a special place in Hell for someone like me.~
Now, compare these two What is the QUESTION?
The original: What is this guy going to do?
My Rewrite: Is this guy going to make good on turning over a new leaf?
Which question is more compelling? Which one is more likely to get you to read to the end of the book to find out?
People like a question that goes somewhere and isn't open-ended. Keep that in mind.
2. Run it through a simple spell checker like Word.
3. Go to ChatGPT and type "Rephrase The Following Paragraph" Take one paragraph of at least 3 sentences and save it in a separate file. Feed that paragraph to ChatGPT. Copy the resulting paragraph to a separate file. Make a hybrid paragraph of the best of both.
4. Repeat step 3 until you have done every paragraph.
5. Turn on Grammerly. Just use the spell-checking feature. Screw the suggestions.
6. Go through your chapter to search for the following words:
Suddenly
Very/really
Started
Just
Somewhat/slightly
Somehow
Seem(s)
Definitely
If you see any of these words, reconsider them. Usually, these words are misused. If someone is speaking, no problem, but outside of the conversation, they usually are a bad sign.
7. If any sections don't feel right use the following at random:
prowritingaid.com/rephrase
sudowrite.com/app
writesonic.com/
But they do not allow unlimited use, so just use these occasionally to get a different perspective on how you phrased something.
8. Put it through Text Edit and turn on the text-to-speech feature. Listen to the chapter and fix it as it reads it out loud to you.
9. Go through and check for words that you keep using over and over. Using the same word too often will stand out. Try to have at least three different ways of referring to any main character. Avoid using the same word more than once in any given paragraph, or at least no more than once a page (pronouns/conjunctions not included, obviously). The English language is incredibly diverse, so the more you force yourself to get creative using alternatives, the more interesting your work is.
10. Turn on Grammerly one last time for spell-checking.
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START AT THE END.
You need to know what the ending of a plotline is, At least the final gut punch you plan for the reader to have. You can have an epilogue afterward, but you need that final scene in your head at least. Just writing because "I have a cool idea." Doesn't work. You need to know the ending.
Most books are three acts.
You need a plot that starts then finishes in Act/Act, in order of importance:
1/3
1/1
3/3
2/2
1/2
2/3
What I mean is you introduce a plot in Act 1, then it ends in Act 3, followed by Act 1 ends in Act 1.
The overall plot, that goes from plot 1 to plot 3 is the most important, but 1/1 is the second most important because it KEEPS THE READER READING.
That means, before you start the story, you need to have 6 endings. I don't care how much you write it out, but you need 6 plots and 6 plot endings. ANYTHING ELSE IS BOTH UNNEEDED AND DANGEROUS. You also need to know how the plot STARTS. So you need 6 beginnings and 6 endings. However, if you work those out ahead of time, everything else is just filler to get the story to move from one key scene to the next.
For example:
1/3: Joe is summoned and he has to defeat the demon lord
1/1: Joe is dropped into a strange situation and needs to adjust.
3/3: Joe will have a setback he needs to overcome
2/2: Joe will go on a training montage.
1/2: Joe will encounter the miniboss and have to overcome them.
2/3: Joe will have a romance subplot where he meets a girl and they fall in love by the end.
So three things begin in the first act, 2 starts in the second, 1 in the last.
There is one conclusion in the first, 2 in the second, then 3 in the ending
(and if you do it well, it all comes together in one scene.)
It's simple, it's formulaic, IT WORKS.
If you do this, you won't "write in the wrong direction" because you know where the ending is. Once you work out those 6 starts and 6 ends, everything else in the book is just connective tissue.
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If you are having problems making a character Here's my cheat sheet
Name
Race
Apparent Age
Actual Age
Sex
Gender
Height
Weight
Eye Color
Hair Color
Parents (How many, Sex, general Relations)
Place of birth
Current mental Age group: (Childhood/teen Age/Young Adult/Older Adult/Elder)
Where PC/NPC spent their (Childhood/teen Age/Young Adult/Older Adult/Elder)
Note Worthy Events of (Childhood/teen Age/Young Adult/Older Adult/Elder)
Current Socio-Economic Standing (Poor/Lower Class/Middle Class/Upper Class/SuperRich)
Nobody lives in a vacuum. However, everyone rhymes. get in your head the above groups and some stereotypical traits for each.
A guy whose morality is Objective 1, Subjective 1, Social 5, Outcome 1 is the kind of guy who believes in "Good" Outside himself and seeks to internalize it. he thinks society is corrupt, and willing to commit crimes if the outcome is positive.
ie Batman.
Charisma is personality, Manipulation is how controlling you can be, and appearance is how you look.
So your typical otome Villainess is a Chr 1, Manip 4, App 4.
When you get good at it, you can "shorthand" a character with ease
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How to self-motivate:
Tell yourself, "NO ONE LOVES YOU! YOU ARE A WASTE OF SKIN! YOU ARE ONLY WORTH SOMETHING WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING! IF YOU AREN'T DOING SOMETHING, WHAT GOOD ARE YOU? EVERY MOMENT YOU WASTE NOT DOING SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE, A BABY KITTEN DIES! IF YOU ONLY TRIED HARDER, THERE WOULD BE LESS DEAD LOVED ONES IN YOUR LIFE! EVERYONE YOU EVER LOVED THAT DIED IS YOUR FAULT BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T WORK HARD ENOUGH!"
Then I get back to writing.
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On units of measurement:
If you wanna use metrics in your story, go ahead. It's your story
But I always use "We put a flag on the fuckin' moon" units.
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On How Much You Write:
Brevity is the soul of wit.
Something pounded into my head was, "WHAT CAN YOU CUT OUT OF YOUR STORY?"
Every word you include is a fraction of a second to read. Every fraction adds up. Time is the currency of exchange between an author and a reader. I am asking you for time. I am asking you to SPEND TIME ON ME. So, I go through and I pare it down. Carefully and deliberately ask myself, "What Does This Bring To The Story? Is it redundant? Have I already told this to the reader? Does repeating it serve a purpose? If not, how do I cut it? If it is new, then how can I make it serve a second purpose? Is there a way to have this information have a second meaning? A third meaning? Can I combine it with something else? Will It change when the reader knows the ending and will it be BETTER? Is there a better plot point I can use instead? Can I subvert their expectations and give them something BETTER than they expected and if so, how much can I keep hidden from the reader so they truly can't see it coming, yet will think it was obvious in retrospect?"
Smaller. Tighter. More concentrated. BIG is the enemy. Flowery fluffy filler is a sign of weakness. Hit him hard, let the reader breathe, then hit him again, but short rabbit punches.
I know that quality is what matters, but in the back of my head, I have this Big Is Evil, hang-up. 500k Well Written Words is fine. the 500k isn't the problem.
Except it's a problem.
Part of me wonders, like it or not, is it too much? Then I say, "If it's quality, then it doesn't matter. You can have large quantities of quality. It does happen."
Then I say, "No it doesn't. You arrogant FOOL!"
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BEST TIME TO POST CHAPTERS
The best time is subjective, just be consistent.
HOWEVER...
I have anecdotal evidence that the best time is 12:01 am local time so you have the maximum amount of exposure to the algorithm. To get the most amount of "hits", post once every three days for maximum return. But that's just my own systematic testing of the system. Take it with a boulder of salt.
I would usually advise caution with making your first fiction a fan-fic that includes an OC, but it seems strange to say that now with all the great advice others are giving in here.
This is some good stuff, so yes, if you are actually able to follow through on what they're saying then you should be able to make something that at least counts as good practice.
However, while this is true, it's also important to keep in mind that your first work really is always going to suck. That's just a fact.
The trick is that you have to strike a balance between aiming to make the best work you possibly can and giving yourself permission to suck. If you are going in with the attitude that it's going to suck and therefore you are just going to let it suck, you are already setting yourself up to fail to take it seriously.
So, the balance is that you really do have to write it as if you mean for it to really be something good. As TheEldrichGod said, don't tear yourself down. Work seriously, produce the best work you can, do all the research you can to improve your work as best you are able. But, also give yourself permission to suck. Don't beat yourself up when it starts not coming out as well as you intended. But, at least INTEND for it to come out well.
So I’m planning to probably make a fanfic of avatar the last airbender, and honestly I just need some tips and some mistake prevention cuz I don’t want to make a crappy novel (its gonna be crap). Also did I mention this is my first novel I might take seriously
1.Make it,your novel that's it,and get better over time
2.dont post your novel on the forum,or at least don't let someone whose name was ironic see it,it was the biggest mistake of mine.
1.Make it,your novel that's it,and get better over time
2.dont post your novel on the forum,or at least don't let someone whose name was ironic see it,it was the biggest mistake of mine.
So I’m planning to probably make a fanfic of avatar the last airbender, and honestly I just need some tips and some mistake prevention cuz I don’t want to make a crappy novel (its gonna be crap). Also did I mention this is my first novel I might take seriously?
First thing first, the thing to dodge AT ANY COST,
that any "hardcore FF reader" will tell you, that piss off the most the readers and the most biggest error a FF author can do,
is : NOT KNOWING the source material.
Sure its not very important to know each AND ALL episode of the 900episodes (pokemon, naruto, Onepiece etc)
but at least, the author should KNOW the stuff he is doing
AND respect the source, by making the characters act, like they do in the original (or in a reasonable way that could be explained like "mc affected them" or bc the characters are flesh and blood unlike the "animation" etc)
-----------
2nd, another big advice (that works for all type of stories)
Just read a lot, read more, read even more. In your case, read avatar last airbender ffs first before trying.
I shit where you eat. And stream (most) every Mon at 8 EST (always on time) FAQ: But THE VIDEOS, MAN Are still being made. The streams do not--or rarely (okay, kind of)--eat into my editing time. Instead, they've taken the place of a lot of my allotted free time so I can burn out even faster...
First thing first, the thing to dodge AT ANY COST,
that any "hardcore FF reader" will tell you, that piss off the most the readers and the most biggest error a FF author can do,
is : NOT KNOWING the source material.
Sure its not very important to know each AND ALL episode of the 900episodes (pokemon, naruto, Onepiece etc)
but at least, the author should KNOW the stuff he is doing
AND respect the source, by making the characters act, like they do in the original (or in a reasonable way that could be explained like "mc affected them" or bc the characters are flesh and blood unlike the "animation" etc)
-----------
2nd, another big advice (that works for all type of stories)
Just read a lot, read more, read even more. In your case, read avatar last airbender ffs first before trying.
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