Fanfic Writers: Directors Cut

Fanfic Writers: Director’s Cut

Reblog this if you want readers to come into your ask box and ask for the “director’s commentary” on a particular story, section of a story, or set of lines. 

Or, send in a ⭐star⭐  to have the author select a section they’ve been dying to talk about!

Get to know your fic writer!

Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Do you plan each chapter ahead or write as you go?

Describe the creative process of writing a chapter/fic

Where do you find inspiration for new ideas?

Do you like constructive criticism?

Do you have your work beta'd? How important is this to your process?

How do you choose which POV to write from?

Do you prefer the beginning, middle, or end of a story?

Do you comment on stories you read?

Cltr+f "blinks" on your WIP & copy paste the first sentence/paragraph that comes up

Link your three favorite fics right now

how does receiving or not receiving feedback/support impact you?

what’s a common writing tip that you almost always follow?

how do you write emotional scenes? Do you ever feel what the characters feel? Do you draw from personal experiences?

How do you write smut scenes? Do you get very visual or detailed? How important is it to be realistic?

How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

What do you do when writing becomes difficult? (maybe a lack of inspiration or writers block)

Do you title your fics before, during, or after the writing process? How do you come up with titles?

What is the most-used tag on your ao3?

Have you noticed any patterns in your fics? Words/expressions that appear a lot, themes, common settings, etc?

Would you ever collaborate with another writer for a story?

Are there certain types of writing you won’t do? (style, pov, genre, tropes, etc)

Best writing advice for other writers?

Worst writing advice anyone ever gave you?

What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

On average, how much writing do you get done in a day?

What’s your revision or editing process like?

Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?

Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?

Name three of your favorite fanfic writers.

Do you want to be published some day?

Five years from now, where do you see yourself as a writer?

What is one essential thing to remember when writing a villain? 

How do you write kissing scenes?

How do you choose where to end a chapter?

Would you ever write commissions?

Share a snippet from a WIP

If someone were to make fanart of your work, what fic or scene would you hope to see?

Do you tend to reread fics or are you a one-and-done kind of person?

What’s the last fic you read? Do you recommend it?

Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?

What mistakes do you keep making no matter how many times your beta corrects you?

Do you want to break your readers‘ heart or make them laugh?

How would you describe your style? (Character/emotion/action-driven, etc)

How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

What do you look for in a beta?

Do you ever get rude reviews and how do you deal with them?

How long is your longest fic?

What’s your total AO3 word count?

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

How do you spend your time when it comes to fanfiction? Are you primarily a fic reader, writer, or a perfect 50/50 split of both?

What’s your favorite part about the fanfiction writing process?

Of the characters you write for, which is your favorite? Has that choice been swayed at all by your followers/readers’ reactions to certain ones?

What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Do you prefer editing as you write, or waiting until it’s finished? 

What part of the writing process do you enjoy the most? (Brainstorming, outlining, writing, editing, etc) 

Does anyone in your personal life know you write fic? if not, would you tell anyone?

Have you had a writer you admire comment on your fic? What was that like?

Why do you continue writing fics?

Thoughts on cliffhangers?

Something you hate to see in smut.

Something you love to see in smut.

Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

How do you deal with writing pressure (ie. pressure to update, negative comments, deadlines, etc.)?

Do you prefer prompts and challenges, or completely independent ideas?

What, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

What work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

When asked, are you embarrassed or enthusiastic to tell people that you write?

When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

What order do you write in? front of book to back? chronological? favorite scenes first? something else?

What do you think makes your writing stand out from other works?

You’ve posted a fic anonymously. How would someone be able to guess that you’d written it?

What scene in [Fanfic Name] took the longest to write? What was difficult about it? 

Did you have any ideas that didn’t make the final cut of [Fanfic Name]? 

Do you have a favorite scene you’ve written from [Fanfic Name] story/chapter? 

THANK YOU! You did great too!

August LU Write-a-Thon Round Up: 276,182 Words in One Day!

On August 1, we hosted our third monthly LU Write-a-thon! The purpose of this event was to write as many productive words—words that furthered yourself, the LU writing community at large, or your own stories—within 24 hours as humanly possible. We had 85 participants this round, and though we didn’t quite beat our word count high score from last month (over 300,000), we got very close, and had a lot of fun along the way! You guys did great!

Until next month, here’s the statistics of the event (made by lovely mod @zarvacase, everyone give her a HUGE round of applause), followed by the awards and titles earned by each participant, as voted upon by the Discord server through an anonymous survey, and the clubs (either self-joined or were assigned to). Enjoy, and thanks for coming!

Winner’s Circle (Top 6 Most Wordiest)

At 16,312 words, “Writer of all Time” goes to @hotcheetohatredwastaken. (Cheeto here. Guys don’t be like me. So many birthday fics that have to be rewritten). Additionally earned “Victim of the Cheese Cult” because said cult figured out they could ping her by just saying the word “cheese.”

At 13,638 words, @nyastri comes in second with “Wordsmith.” Amazing job! 

At 12,482 words, “Meemaw” (@not-freyja) comes in third! Wrangling the kids and most likely currently debating to invest in more child-leashes :D

At 10,807 words, @needfantasticstories comes in fourth with “Beta Fish!” To quote: “Skip betas so many things, and she does a fantastic job.” and further, “Skip is always reading my fics and leaving nice comments on them so tysm skip I really appreciate it <33” the votes are in, Skip, and they’re unanimous—we all love you!

At 10,292 words, @sketchy-potato is “Serial Killer” for spending most of the marathon on a fic that killed both Malon and Time. How dare you do this to us. Please continue.

And sharing sixth place with a four-word gap at 10,063 and 10,059 is @irenkaferalkitty and @gerudoevernight. Amazing job you two!

Clubs

This month, we also got clubs off the ground! Stay tuned for what we’ll be implementing when it comes to club membership and participation in the coming months, I (Cheeto here) think that you guys will really enjoy it. But this month, the process for clubs was the same as the last month—you could either self-assign to a club, or your fellow participants nominated you! (Note: some of you were in multiple clubs. Mods probably assigned you to one or two in order to keep the post running smoothly. If you would like to change your primary club or you got left out of a club you'd like to be included in, let us know.)

Soap Club

For those of you that, for one reason or another, decided that soap was tasty. (Hi guys, Cheeto here. Warning you guys now: if a single one of you @’s me about actually eating soap, I will shut this club down. You cannot have your soap club and eat it too, and I will not be held responsible for tide pod challenge 2.0. Love you guys so much and I’m delighted that you’re having fun, great power, great… you know the line.)

“Get Hugged” goes to @polynomialpandemic, also “saw and gasped aloud in delight.”

“Phil-anthropist” for @thatbluepencilcrayon, for unintentionally creating and then wholeheartedly embracing Phil, the spirit of the master sword.

“Cult Leader” and “Most Nominated” for @shadedheart138 (AKA Resident Soap Drinker). You caused quite a stir in the chats, and were quite famous by the end of this event. Can’t wait to see you next month!

“Is Totally Famous Even Though Ve Doesn’t Think Ve Is” for @imperialkatwala. To quote another submission: “Ve really doesn't think ve's famous. Gotta prove vir wrong!” and we agree.

“Co-conspirator of Phil, the flannel wearing and lizard loving sword spirit” goes to @starlight-eclipsed. You guys kept the whole chat laughing.

“Could Can and will decimate a god in a verbal showdown” for @vivalaplutothedachshund. No notes here. Agree. “Soup” for @marsnoodlesoup, because “please it would be so funny to give mars soup again.” An honorary member of the soap club for being a letter off.

Also: @sketchy-potato (from winner’s circle), @hyrulescarlet, @bluepencilcrayon, @vivalaplutothedachshund, @anime-obsessed, @shadedheart138

Cartridge Lickers

For those of you that read online that switch cartridges were designed to taste bad and went “okay, but how bad?”

“Author of Monstrosities” for @gia-d. Fishbun. (Freyja here: Why. WHY?! *insert Legend emoji of distress*)

“Most ‘Normal’ About Spirit” for @a-manicured-lawn. Additionally, to quote: “it's really weird and encouraging to have someone tell me they can't wait to see how this chapter will hurt me, but I'm the one reading whump willingly so it's fair XD”

“Totally Samwise Gamgee” and "Lawn's Partner in Crime" for @tashacee. No elaboration needed.

“Horse emoji” @anime-obsessed. Again, no elaboration was given, nor was it needed.

Additionally: @not-freyja (winner’s circle), @sketchy-potato, @shadedheart138

Aimed for the Funny Numbers Club 

For those of you that wrote, and wrote with a specific purpose in mind.

“Pantser” for @harmonysixx for pantsing through the WIP! Good job!

“Summoner of Funny Numbers” for @hyrulescarlet, for starting a sprint with 666 words and then continuing to hit funny numbers. Nice.

“Mother Duck” for @winterfen. Aimed for the funny numbers, but made sure that everyone was properly hydrated and rested while doing so. 

“Wind 1” for @savimatteo2810. To quote someone’s idea: “There can be two Winds. They can wear get-along shirts. One of them can be Wind 1, The other can be Wind A.”

Additionally: @marsnoodlesoup, @lunaopus, @lennsart, @bluepencilcrayon, @anime-obsessed, @sketchy-potato

All-Nighter Club

For those of you that decided that sleep was optional (please sleep. please).

“Wind A” for @bluury2. And here is the other Wind. Good job on sharing, you two!

“Artist Turned Writer” goes to @nancyheart11! Also “literally a cinnamon roll.”

“Permanently Exhausted Pigeon” @labyrinthdancer & @ra-archives. It fits the theme of the club. Good job you two. Please get some rest.

@across-violet-skies, in this club for going to sleep at 7 am. Also “AN AMAZING PERSON” who wrote “more than 4 words.”

Additionally: not-freyja (:P), needfantasticstories (winner’s circle), @awildsilver, @a-manicured-lawn, @vivalaplutothedachshund

Cheese Club

For those of you that at least decided to make a food obsession around something actually edible. Mods do endorse eating cheese.

“Died to the moon” goes to @aurora-boreas-borealis. Also, to quote: “the most likely to make me question if I've actually seen a beloved childhood media.” “Mac and Cheese Cultist” for @bittirsweeteer. Known for writing costco mac and cheese into their fic. Bonus points for making it feel organic. Unlike the costco mac and cheese.

“Least respectable (from Luna)” for @cinis0. Additionally, “Snuck into the Cheese Cult.”

“First time fic publisher” for @four-eyed-nerd. To quote: “A banger artist, can’t wait to see if their words are just as banger.”

“Schrodinger’s Cat,” to @gerudo-evernight (Also in the winner's circle). Keep being inexplicable. We love you.

“Cheese minions cheese minions cheese minions” to @lemoncatssss. Congrats on being a cheese minion. No notes, keep it up.

“Friend shaped” goes to @lennsart since they are, quote: “most likely to have become a regular in my tumblr notifs since last month <3” (Freyaj here: agree. Hard agree. Lenn is so friend-shaped.)

“Funniest Mother-trucker in this joint” goes to @life-in-winter, for rolling up, being funnier than anyone else in the server, and then vanishing for another three hours. Repeat ad nauseam. 

“British Cheese Boy (Gender Neutral)” goes to @lunaopus for his enthusiasm for cheese, American not included!

“The Multitasker of All Time” goes to @musical-chan. The fandom elder with all the advice and life lessons. To quote: “Even when incredibly busy, Music managed to write well over 4000 words and that is honestly amazing in itself. She’s a fantastic writer and truly talented.” 

“Vidow Messiah” is the dear @passerinesoncaffeine, and if you don’t know why… you don’t want to know. You have also been called “The Beta Reader of All Time.” High praise.

“The Hydrator™” and “Unwilling Cheese Cultist” for @peepthatbish. To quote: "mx peeps kept reminding us to drink our water!!! thanks to them i didn't forget!"

“Skord Lord” goes to @somanyfanficssolittletime. I have questions. Can I have answers?

“CHEESE CULT.” for @cat-at-a-writing-desk (in all caps with the full stop. Very specific.)

“Angst Lord” and “Mother Duck” both go to @seaotter-17, for “making me go to bed after finding out how long i'd been awake” and “making me cry with her fics.”

Additionally: @hotcheetohatredwastaken (from Winner’s circle) (unwillingly) (this is said with so much affection)

Everyone else

“Lanayru’s Biggest Fangirl” for @baileyboo2016. Feedback was unanimous. You have this crown by public consensus.

“The Silent One” for @aeghina You came, you wrote, you did not elaborate. Good job.

“most likely to get me invested in an OC” for @echoing-stars. The OC in question is Warrior's baker boyfriend Rowan and “he is an absolute sweetie.”

“Artist turned more artist” for @la-sera. You are a treasure, and you have inspired so many of us writers to write even more with your amazing art. (Freyja here: I hate you too. 💜)

“Bizarre... bees are... bees are queer!” was a rather urgent-sounding message for @nebulapaws. This seems to be an inside joke. Hope you guys enjoy it.

“Honorary Sad Wet Cat” and “best tech support ever 💞” goes to @noorahqar. They are both undoubtedly deserved. Quote: “You know how to make the computer go, and how to explain it to meemaw, which is even harder to accomplish.” (Freyja here: Cheeto, I think ‘meemaw’ has breached containment.)

“Stephen King’s Heir” was bestowed upon @lattewritesthings, to quote: “Good at horror and things along that direction. Shared a good horror fic.”

“Studious Student Who Studied, busy bee” for @rebornofstars. “She came, she wrote 2 words, she studied her butt off, absolute madlad.” Good job!

“The Lurker” this month is @somer-writes, who is, quote: “also most likely to call me by name in the comments - got jump scared by opening a response to a comment and seeing my name.”

“The Clueless One” is affectionately given to @the-au-collector. They forgot the event was even going on, still they got 1,000 words! Congrats!

“Hurt/Comfort enthusiast” goes to @toyouhellowhowareyou. It comes with the note that: “I want everyone to know Serbii was so lovely and nice!”

“Dusk to Dusk (EST)” for @turdofanerd. Also Partner In Crime to Nene.

“Sleepy,” “Four Enjoyer,” and “Turned up ten hours late with Starbucks, except no Starbucks only Vibes” all go to the lovely @undertheopensky who was also jumpscaring people with their very presence. You are loved. Get cherished.

“Yahaha, you found me!” and “Audiophile” were both given to @unexpectedstormy, who is an actual real-life korok it seems. The community loves you, Stormy.

“Twilight Whump Enjoyer,” goes to @wanderlustmagician, and honestly? Who can blame them?

“The Linguist and Architect” is without a doubt @weavingstarlight who “spends more time analyzing maps, weather patterns, and deciphering the various Hylian alphabets then it does actually writing, but the fic quality is so worth it.”

“Beach Day Spirit Bestie” and “The Keeper of Lists” goes @whatvioletdoes-blog. (Cheeto here. I appreciate you so much).

“Of The Life Saving Spreadsheet and Prompt Generator” was bestowed upon @zarvasace and oh, is that deserved. Your prompt generator is beloved by the public. Your spreadsheets are cherished by the team. Mina, your brain is so beautiful. No wonder your fics are so good. 

Thank all of you for participating, we appreciate each and every one of you so so so much! If you find any typos or mistakes in this post—please feel free to contact @hotcheetohatredwastaken or @not-freyja with your concerns here on Tumblr or on Discord!

Again, a big thank you to everyone for coming to the event from all of us on the mod team! Can’t wait to see you guys next month! Next event will be run on September 1st in Eastern Australian time. Stay tuned—there will be more posts with additional information (on this shiny new blog!) about the next event within a couple of weeks!

Last but certainly not least, a huge shout out to the entire event running and moderation team for making this even possible. In no particular order give a big round of applause to: @hotcheetohatredwastaken @not-freyja @a-manicured-lawn @winterfen @rebornofstars @unexpectedstormy @gia-d @weavingstarlight @noorahqar @tashacee @wanderlustmagician @zarvasace

Have a lovely August, and we will see you all in September!

I want to highlight the difference in Legend's attitude from last update and this update.

Last update he's playful, he's comfortable. He knows dungeons better than anyone and was excited to go through this one.

Even at the beginning of the new update, he's just as energetic and excited.

But the second he realizes that the others are in danger, he's stressed. He knows he can handle the dungeon by himself but now he's worried the others can't. As the veteran, he probably feels responsible for keeping the others safe now that they're going through his "domain". (Art by @/linkeduniverse)

Please drop the fic name I need to read this

ECHO

ECHO GUESS WHAT I SAW IN INSTAGRAM

1. This adorable drawing of them alslajdkldnl

2. JOJO LIKED THE DRAWING?!??? JOJO???

JOJO. THE JOJO

LIKED

THIS DRAWING

AAAAAAAAH THATS SO CUUUUUTE!!! He really used all his precious rupees and bought the best of the best for her 😭😭😭 I actually read a fic once where this is literally what happened!

YES! YOU GO JOJO! Jojo is a person of impeccable taste!

@la-sera here's the fic I mentioned

Also written during the LU write-a-thon. I’m very used to writing angst, so writing this fluffy thing was a new experience for me. This is probably as soft as I get, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Linked Universe - Fandom Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe) Additional Tags: Fluff, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, That’s it that’s the fic it’s just cuteness Summary:

Anthophilia [noun]: The love of flowers

Hyrule loves to talk about flowers, and Legend loves to see his brother happy.