Fanfiction is something that I have enjoyed since I was about thirteen. It is something that I love to read, as well as write. Which is why it absolutely breaks my heart when I’m going through Fanfiction.net and just from reading some of the titles and summaries on here are well... terrible.
Now, as a fanfiction writer, I know that the title and summary can sometimes be the hardest part of publishing fanfiction online, but it’s a skill that gets better with practice. A great summary and title can make or break your story. So here are some things to keep in mind when you’re crafting your next masterful title and summary.
1. Grammar
The summary and the title are your first impression on most fanfiction sites, especially Fanfiction.net. So, it is vitally important that your grammar in both is absolutely perfect. At the very least, make sure you can spell at least those approximately 300 words— especially character names— properly. The more grammar and spelling errors in your title and summary there are, the less likely people are to read your story.
2. Keep it family friendly
Both your summary and title must be 100% kid friendly. This is a guideline on Fanfiction.net, and failure to comply with it will get your story reported. It doesn’t matter if you’re writing the next “ Fifty Shades of Grey,” you need to keep your language appropriate for people of all ages. This means no swear words! On a different note, also make sure you have the correct rating on your story, especially if you are writing a fanfiction for a fandom that is targeted towards children, such as Mickey Mouse-- you never know who is reading.
3. Give warnings
The beauty of fanfiction is that you can write whatever you want. So if you want to write a steamy sex scene between your favorite characters, go right ahead. If you do this; however, please put a warning in your summary. Not everyone enjoys reading sex scenes, gore, certain ships, or things with intense language. This informs readers on what to expect so they can avoid that.
4. Avoid “Pls read this” or anything like that
Do not write “Pls read this” or “Hiiiii, I worked hard on this, pls review.” The purpose of a summary is to inform the readers about your story. Phrases like this are absolutely irrelevant to that task. Anytime I see this when I’m scrolling through the archives on FFN, I facepalm before skipping past that story. Nobody will take your story-- or you as a writer frankly-- seriously if you write this in the summary or the title.
5. Avoid “no flames!”
Criticism can hurt; I get that. But not everyone who offers you criticism is “flaming” you. Criticism is there to help you improve the story. By writing “No flames!” in your summary often tells readers that you are not open to any form of criticism. I speak from experience when I say this, but people who often have this phrase in their summaries often write scathing author’s notes about their reviewers, who have legitimate points and are trying to be helpful. Please, don’t be that person because that takes the fun out of fanfiction.
6. Try to be creative
The more creative you make your summary and title, the more enticing your story becomes. In some cases, it might help to play the pronoun game in your summary, so readers are eager to find out who you’re talking about. Make your title witty to capture readers’ attention. And always try to capture the essence of your work. Just don’t write “Placeholder Title” and “This is a story I wrote. I can’t think of a summary. Just read.”
These are just six things to keep in mind when creating a title and a summary. But I can guarantee that if you keep at least these six tips in mind when crafting a title and a summary, you are going to draw in more readers than you would if you hadn’t. Readers will also respect your work more because following these six tips will help your story appear more professional and enticing.
As always, happy writing.
