Fanfiction. The word was mentioned as early as 1939 and reached a high with a professional publication in mid 2011. Defined by Wikipedia, fanfiction is “fiction about characters or settings from an original work of fiction, created by fans of that work rather than by its creator.” Rarely do fans receive legal authorization from original creators to create content, but not many copyright owners respond with legal action. The work of fanfiction is popular with many, from those ranging from middle school to middle age. This article will provide you with six tips on becoming a successful fanfiction writer.

1. Do not generate a Mary Sue character.

A Mary Sue character is a character that is flawless and seemingly perfect character. They may have a tragic past, but every protagonist will be tripping over one another to love them. Sometimes writers use a Mary Sue character to insert themselves into the piece. As much as this fulfills the writer’s fantasies, readers aren’t too fond of this character. To keep readers engaged, the piece should have a character that readers can love and root for.

2. Keep proper grammar and punctuation.

The piece isn’t an ten page essay for your English class, but it would be a good idea to write properly. I don’t have the exact statistics on how many readers are attracted to reading writing that’s lyk3 th!$, but I’m sure that many aren’t. Even if a writer has the best plot to exist in the universe, it would be difficult to gain readership if the writing is barely readable.

3. Have a plan in mind.

To make yourself less susceptible to writer’s block, I suggest having an overall plan for the plot in mind. Just having general ideas of the big events and main characters are fine. Details such as the shade of green of the grass and a character’s preference of tea can be filled in as you write along.

4. Update regularly.

Figure out an update schedule and stick to it. The norm for this is once or twice a week. Updating chapters that are too spanned apart timewise leave readers disinterested and lost amongst the story plot. If you happen to churn out three chapters at once, I still suggest saving the extra chapters for later weeks. Resist the temptation to upload all of them at once. You’ll never know when you need buffer weeks.

5. Have a professional book cover.

If you aren’t a Photoshop wizard, there are websites such as Canva that can help you out. I know there’s a saying not to judge a book by it’s cover, but let’s face it, everyone does it to a certain extent. Having a professional book cover also implies the hefty amount of work you’ve put into your story. If a writer couldn’t care enough to select a decent looking cover, there’s not much supporting how good their piece would be.

6. Interact with the readers.

It could be something simple such as thanking them for leaving a review in an author’s note or responding to their comments. Not only does this show that the writer cares about readers and their support, it could also spur them to keep up with the piece the next time it’s updated.

I hope these tips were helpful in one way or another. Now go off into the digital world and produce work that will leave readers bawling, laughing, or wanting more.