Updated; 09/05/17

Author Advice: I'll be giving out some advice for authors that I found very helpful. Don't mean I'm 100% accurate, but I am going to do my best to help out!!

(Left typos and mistakes BC I'm human too).

1) How Do I Come Up With A Title?

A: I think I got this question about three times in the past month so ima try making this an easy to understand answer.

First, you must have the plot, characters, setting, and even a theory going. The best book has a small sort of mystery attached to it which adds to the readers being able to make a theory of what will happen or what has happened that no one has seen, (I'll elaborate on this in another part), but with this in mind, a title should come after you have this.

Second, make sure you have everything set up. A title, cover, and summary can come AFTER you have the story though out. Don't do what I did and make a cover without knowing where you want the story to go.

And lastly, the title should have the story focus at heart.

For instance, a story of a girl dying and someone trying to solve the mystery behind it can be called many things. Maybe "Ghost of the past" or "Till Death Do Us Part" with a title like that we could say the person solving the mystery in one way or another had something to do with her death or maybe she had a secret crush on the investigator so now he's trying to see how this killed her.

DON'T EVER USE CLICHÉ TITLES. THEY ARE EXTREMELY annoying, obnoxious, dumb, overused, and boring.

I can't tell you just how many times I've seen: "My mate the alpha... " "Falling in love with my bully... " "Married to (insert name of some idol or famous person)" "Kidnapped by... " "Arranged to... " and any sort of books that fall in this category of Bad Book Titles.

Seriously, you want to use a catchy new title that people haven't seen often, but that still relates to the book. Something fresh and not used often without spoiling the book.

2)I want to write fanfiction but I don't know where to start? Help?!

Basic starter pack:

-Plot
-Characters
-Setting
-Grammar/Spelling (Editor)
-Present or Past
-POV
-Pre-written Chapters
-Authors Note
-Prologue
-Epilogue? (Optional)
-Plan Out
-Timeline
-Summary
-Tittle
-Cover Photo

I will cover all these in order to show you just how difficult writing should be, and why it's all-important.

Plot: Most important thing is to have a plot thought out before anything goes down.

The best FF are the ones that don't follow the norms, that are new and creative and have a venturous side to it.

Many books have "been there, done that," so try coming up with something new and unique.

Also, remember the audience you want to reach and the amount of time you'll spend writing.

Characters: Next are characters.

Who will be involved and why?

Why are they important and how will they progress the plot in any way, shape, or form.

It's important for characters to have a point in the story. Don't just throw characters for no reason.

Setting:

Where? Why there? How come?

Make sure you don't jump around from place to place without smooth transitioning.

Grammar/Spelling:

THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!

The biggest reason why I only read like the first chapter of books is grammar and spelling.

By no means does this mean I'm any better, but it's the common mistakes that annoy me and make it soooo hard to read a book without crying over the mistakes.

Small mistakes, OK, but like mistakes in Past and Present tense, annoy me a bit. I find it easy to write in past tense so if you want a go-to 'tense' I advise past.

Also, real quick before I forget, consistency.

If you're gonna have a shit ton of descriptive details make sure it's all throughout the book, not just the first paragraph.

Some things don't need to be so descriptive. Be simple but to the point.

Description to an extent.

Also:

USE CAPITALIZATION.

Lowercase wording is... A preference but it's rather dumb since capitalization is extremely important.

It's what changes

Helping your uncle jack off a horse

To

Helping your Uncle Jack off a horse.

I genuinely do not understand why people don't capitalize. It looks unprofessional, lazy, and honestly childish so I usually don't bother reading books like these because it'll annoy me.

It's kinda like "if they don't capitalize, then what other things are they lazy to do?"

*This is a personal preference and if you do not agree with me fine, but you cannot ca=hange my opinion over this no matter what you say.*

Pov:

Don't abuse it.

If you're gonna change it, don't make it every thirty words.

I'm obviously exaggerating but like, honestly it's so weird to see one pov to another in five seconds.

Once you have that top part down, we follow with the actual publishing and preparation of the book.

Pre-written Chapters

Make sure you have some chapters done beforehand so that you're not rushing last minute to write a chapter for a book. Especially since writer's block is common and a hassle to deal with.

Authors Note

Use the authors note to explain things that might be confusing with your work, or to remind readers you'll have grammatical errors. DON'T use it to explain actual plot points.

More like trigger warnings or stuff like that.

Prologue and Epilogue? (Optional)

A PROLOGUE should be a chapter of something that will happen halfway through your story, usually an action scene. Don't make this sound like an introduction unless it's introducing the setting which will help with the advancement of the plot.

Unless you're planning a sequel, don't worry about an epilogue.

Plan Out

Make sure you have a strict schedule and warn people about not updating a day before it happens so that people don't stay up waiting for updates.

Take time to edit and reread work by planning out weeks where instead of uploading a new chapter, you dedicate a week to editing your already written work.

Timeline

Some books require timelines so that you can keep up with what's going on. Not necessary, but it's a lot of help.

Summary

Personally, I like summaries because it makes me know what I'm getting myself into.

I hate short summaries with no context that just seems so lazy and not thought out.

This is a personal taste, but as I said, it makes you seem a bit lazy.

Short summaries should be left for one-shots or "to the point" books.

There like:

"About a girl who.."

Or

"In which Jungkook..."

It's both lazy/half-assed and boring so I usually skip over books like these.

And when they're like

"Read to find out what this book is about," And give you nothing but just that... It's so fucking dumb.

Like okay genius, Read to find out my ass, how bout I don't read shit since I don't even know what it's fucking about?

What if it's not the genre I'm interested in reading?

People (especially me) will skip books like these.

>>>________<<<

Now since I've been over Titles and Cover books before, I'll just copy-paste what I've said before in my other book so I don't repeat myself.

So, I've seen how many people have begun sending me their editing prompt and/or paragraph, but I want to take this time to address some of the minor things I noticed that can either improve or worsen your editing!

Also, I'll be adding some tips for new FF writers.

Feel free to read my works if you have time to get your inspiration going!

So let's get rolling my children!

1) Less is more

🐨I saw this with some of you. Your editing is great, your intro is strong but all throughout your writing, you have so many details that it's hard to keep up.
It's okay to have details to paint the setting but at some point, it simply becomes too much and I can't enjoy the writing due to the amount of detail being shoved down people who read's throats.

Less will always be more. It doesn't mean to stop adding details, it just means to limit yourself.

🐨Before adding details keep this in mind:

"Will it help the story in any way?"

"Does it help explain the setting or how the character feels?"

"Does that extra detail really need to be placed?"

"Can this be a bit simpler?"

2)You're not in charge, you're only there to supervise. (FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE HELPING OTHERS EDIT THEIR WORK)

🐨If you have chosen to help edit someone's work there are some basic things to keep in mind and boundaries you aren't allowed to cross.

Here's a list of thing to keep in mind when editing:

-First and most important, don't change their story.
Don't alter it in any way unless given permission. You're there to support them and check grammar and spelling errors, not to critique and try to change their story.

-Unless given instructions or permission to edit as you please, keep your editing to grammar and spelling only. Always ask about things if you have questions and keep the author's best interest in mind.

-Personal preference. Some authors like some things written one way so always consult with them before editing something.
For example, I like to use Y'all a lot because I'm from Texas and it's something we say frequently.

3) From the door to the store

When editing/writing a line let's say as simple as:

"She went to the store."

A level A editing/writing will look like:

"She opened the door to her apartment, her purse slung over her arm. Heading down the stairs, she made her way to the street, and walked a couple of blocks before reaching the store."

Level A had enough detail that you can imagine it, but not so much that it's overloading your imagination.

Level C editing/writing (bc there is srly no in between) is very very indecisive.
It's all over the place and makes you wonder what the point of that paragraph was.

"She opened the old creepy black door to her one-bedroom apartment located on the first floor of an apartment complex her stepfather let her rent for Christmas a year ago because her brother wouldn't live there, the air fresh, her perfect face looking out of the hall of the corridor while her lashes fluttered open and close. The air of the city hit her face like bullets as she walked out down the stairs and into the very crowded street with kids and women everywhere. If while she did this, her hair was pulled back in a nice ponytail, her eyes glistening with the sun's rays.."

Do you get where I'm going with this?

Details are good but to an extent. No reader wants to spend six minutes reading a paragraph of someone going to the store.
Unless on a rare occasion, you're describing the setting to the reader because it will be important.

4)The thesaurus is your friend.

Repetition is annoying and can make your FF boring.
Sprinkling in some different words can add a more enjoyable feel to it. Don't go insane and make every word unbearable to look at bc no one would say certain words in real life. Limit yourself and only switch words if a part sounds repetitive.

5)Writer block

What do I do when I have writer block? I just read other people's work, re-read my own, go back to edit once more, or just skip the part I'm stuck on.

Never try and add to the part you're stuck on.

It will only make that part of the story weak, and not proceed the story in the way you want.

If all else fails, then go ahead and try to write a part, but I suggest going back and rereading with fresh eyes once you're done.

Either that or ask someone to edit that part for you, or ask people for advice.

Other's voices are important.

6) Don't make a title or cover first

Wait.

First, get your FF in order.

-Plot
-Characters
-Character background
-Conflict
-Sequel or prequel or none?
-Audience
-Setting
-Genre
-Topic
-Character Growth
-Possible Endings (There can be more than one, that's the cool thing about writing.)

7)Questions to ask yourself while writing

How will my character grow throughout the book?

Who's my target audience and what genre corresponds to this audience?

Is my plot to cliche?

Has this been written before?

Will I have time to write this?

Will my editors be able to edit on time?

What problems will my character face? Will they be external or internal problems?

8)TIME!! TIME!! TIME!! ⏳

WRITING IS A COMMITMENT.

You will probably spend days without sleep trying to edit and write things.

It's like having a kid.

It'll need time to grow and expand its reach, but once it does it's unstoppable.

Yet, you'll see it struggle, and need to take days to care for it.

You'll spend sleepless nights, and have times where you want to give up on it, but you can't, because you know for a fact you can see it through, and when you finish, you'll be super proud.

Before ever uploading something, have at least 10 chapters already done beforehand with at least all of them edited so that you won't stress as much about uploading on time.

In my case;

Broken Hearts had 70 chapters finished, and 20 edited.

Invisible Girl doesn't because it was an out the whim writing, something I came up with out of the blue.

I stress out less with Broken Hearts because I know the chapters will be ready on time every week, but Invisible girl stresses me out because it isn't prepared when I need it.

Realize you can reach out to others for help as well.

If you feel like giving up and want to completely abandon a story, ask someone to finish the book for you. This is only if you know for a fact it won't make it in your hands.

Sometimes, you need to let them go to someone who can make the story grow.

But realize what consequences that come with giving up the ownership of a book.

9) Organize

Have everything planned out before you write, and have a good idea if there will be a sequel or not.

Organization is key and having a notepad never hurt anyone.

Trust me.

10) A Good Summary/Description

A good summary defines your work and catches people's eyes when trying to figure out if they want to read your work or not.
Always edit properly and don't leave with questions at the end.

Avoid: -Just read to find out
-You'll see
-Read to see what happens.

11) COVER AND TITTLE

DON'T leave your cover open.

It looks unprofessional and people won't look twice at reading your book.
A cover brings people's attention to your book and makes them more willing to read it.

Also, stop with the nonsense when it comes to titles.

No: Bad girl good boy

It's so cliche it hurts.

Don't make it too obvious either.

No: BTS and My super awesome character who will always win when in trouble and get the super hot guy without trying.

Try something like one of my favorite books

The bad blind date.

ravsisrekt 's book is so well written and has a nice catchy title as well.

The summary is incredible and I do recommend reading.

Their title is simple and leaves you wondering what the book is about.

Something simple yet to the point.

A tittle that gives the reader a glimpse of what started the whole ordeal with the main character.

Something less cliche and more fresh or new.

But make sure it connects to the story and isn't way off.

Like, don't call a book Werewolves and talk about only Vampires...

Or like FarFromSuga 's books which are the prime example of what a beautiful title and cover are. You should definitely check her work out since it's one of the best out there. She's a hidden gem.

Her book Follower is a good example of a good cover and title.

Keeps you wondering how good the book can be, plus it's super pleasing to the eyes.

*update advise*

Chapter length:

(This is more of my preference but it can help as a guide)

So when it comes to how long each chapter should be it really really depends on both the end product of just how long the book is gonna be, what's going to be in each chapter, and how long do you think a readers attention spans can be.

Long ass books should be cut down to about 3000-5000 words if they are good, and if you want to have a limit of about 40-50 chapters.

Books that may surpass 200+ chapters should have shorter chapters to keep a reader both engaged, and also so they don't fall asleep halfway through a chapter or lose their place in the chapter. I regiment 1000-3000 word count for these.

Short books of about 10 chapter expectations (as in you want 10 chapters or more out of a short book) I'd say 2000-4000 word count since they are short books and that can give you a good amount of substance per chapter in a short book.

Shorter books/one-shots should be around 1000-3000 just to have enough space to both have characters, development, and somewhat of a coherent plot.

Books around 20-30 chapters should have something of a 2500 word count per chapter just to be able to get everything you need in a chapter without both boring the readers or making you enter the bottomless pit that is writer's block.

Korean words in books:

I see this so often it makes me cringe a bit. I understand some Oppa, Hyung, noonas, and unnie, but to an extent and there has to be a fucking reason for using these.

My example is like my book broken hearts or the moon boys.

The guys tend to call each other hyung instead of their name and since in Broken Hearts it's set in Korea with a girl learning Korean it would make a bit more sense.

Unnie and Noona the guys use it when speaking to others in the industry or in school but hardly use it with foreigners.

Korean words like hello or I love you or just random ass words sprinkled in a book (unless helping others to learn the language) are both cringy and borderline Koreaboo.

Trust me it makes it hard to talk to people who call me unnie. 😑 like I get it but I much prefer Author-nim bc it's a bit more comical, (for comedy's sake) then Unnie which both makes me feel old and also cringe. Maybe a personal thing but if I see hello, goodbye, and I love you in Korean in a book that's all in English or even in messages it's kinda... Cringe.

It's like reading Spanish fanfics. It's my parent's native language so reading a sex scene in Spanish makes me think of my family which in turn makes me cringe. (No hate on my Spanish fanfic writers or speakers I just cringe bc I personally have a connection to the language compared to English or Korean and even then Korean out of contexts gets cringy too.)

But don't take it personally, it's my preference. I'm 18 and those kinds of things make me cringe hardcore. Trust me, if high schools taught me anything is that anything can make you cringe.

Book Cover Advice

Less is more. Don't mix in too many fonts.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THE TITLE NOT THE PICTURES.

Make sure the title is legible and easy to see.

It should blend into the background too much, and should also be easy to read.

Stray from cursive unless it can be read easily and works with the cover correctly.

Try using other books for reference and make sure the picture isn't too blurry or it'll look unappealing.

Remember I'm no expert so don't take my words at heart too much.

Have a great day my sunshines!

Mama KoalaBeaw
~♔~