IMPORTANT

Things that fanfic authors should NOT do:

don't compare yourself to another author, even if you think their writing blows yours out of the water. that's not fair to yourself. get out of your head and figure out why you think they write well, what is it about their word choice, their dialogue. take note of it. emulate it.

don't think "my prose will never be as good as theirs." It's all relative. your prose is someone's favorite color already, and the more you write the richer it becomes. be kind to it. it'll change a little depending on what you need it to be, but it's part of you, and it's good.

don't write for anyone but yourself. the comments you get aren't allowed to sway your ending, and the thought of disappointing readers shouldn't really be on your mind. you're not trying to sell your writing, fanfiction is show & tell. and your self-indulgence is contagious.

don't think you can't write an idea just because someone 'beat you' to it. you wanna do a tattoo shop AU but there's already a popular one? What this looks like to readers: "Hey, $20 on the ground! Hey, ANOTHER $20 on the ground!!" they wanna stuff their pockets, dude. write it.

don't be toxic to other writers, even if you aren't naming them. this includes yourself. no "the popular fics are the same tropes it sucks" no "this fic/author is overrated" no "my writing is shit & I'm shit." it's not healthy. fandom is for FUN. it's a HOBBY. take a step back.

I might add more but,,, I'm so passionate about writing & writers being good to each other. I wrote my first real fic ~3 years ago and I've struggled and thrown thousands of words in the trash, and I've poured out my heart and slowly learned to be confident in what it looks like

writing is so fucking hard, dude. like it's just such a battle. I wish someone would've told me how vulnerable it makes you feel to put your writing in front of strangers.
if I could talk to my past self, I think I'd say: self, stop thinking it's normal to hate your own writing.

Please treat writers like they're giving you something irreplaceable. because they are.

okay I'm lowkey embarrassed now I'm gonna run away and finish the fic that started me on this

Wow very ironic that I didn't think to promo, It's stardew valley shane/female farmer that left a hole in my chest the first time I read it and I was in the mood for pain again, one of my favorite fics ever https://archiveofourown.org/works/22240504