Mind & Grind Set

The first step to begin a fanfic is inside yourself~ - Sun Tzu

Jokes apart, to actually start a fanfic, you need to think about it.

Just think about it.

Let the ideas come to you and start writing them where it's most convenient, whether that being on a google search on your phone or a Microsoft word document. It doesn't have to be detailed, just enough to make you remember said idea and be of easy access to go back to either read or edit it.

The plot, event, interactions, power combos, and any aspect of your fanfic, as the days and weeks go by, will start pilling up and connecting naturally. How? Your unconscious is already proven to do that automatically as you keep that in your mind and let time go by.

This is especially true for creative and ingenious thinking, many geniuses and inventors simply thought about something until it took a form they could work with. No cap. Proven through research.

(DeviantArt) Spend time on your story. Don't rush your story to have it out by a certain time. Give it thought and time. No work on genius was made in half an hour.

It's surprising how many people mess up this first step, hurrying a fanfic like their idea was going to be stolen by someone else, treating it like it was a business idea that would revolutionize the world.

It won't. Chill. Sit down and think. If someone uses your idea, good for them. Read it as inspiration.

Be careful of the line between adoration and theft though. (Wordmothers)

It's true that a writer should understand one's influences, but that doesn't mean that a fanfiction writer has to feel like he's treading a minefield whenever he writes. The key is attribution, which goes both ways. Not only should you remember to credit the authors from whence you've borrowed the characters, settings, and the story's premise, but they or their estates should be willing to credit your work.

You also should make sure to add your own creativity to the story. If you're just re-writing an existing scene in a movie, you're not actually creating fanfiction. You're just plagiarizing a scene. Bring originality into your work.

The second step is to be mentally ready to research the theme, the world, the characters, and more in detail, having wiki-fandom websites on your speed dial.

Don't assume characters, go to the wiki and fandom, and read it.

Nowadays, there are lazy fanfic writers who don't even touch the original material they are making a fanfic of. They settle for reading someone's fanfic about it and making it based on that. Actual potato, get out of the couch and do the minimum required.

Tell you what, if you are this mediocre doing your hobbies, passions, and entertainment, you are also mediocre in your work and life in general. No excuse.

It's also good to read other fanfics that made it to the top. Inspiration and all that.

The third step is to not take yourself too seriously.

What I mean by this is not to slack off and forget everything said in the lines above, but to stop yourself from having a sense of pressure to make a perfect fanfic, to a point where any passion you have vanished and it just becomes another work for you.

This is especially true for frequent updates. Relax. One good chapter a week, maybe even a month, is good enough. Don't let anyone get to your mind that you need to do more, but instead let those that tell you to do better.

This is the fourth step. Constructive criticism. And fortunately, updates are not on them. Have you seen an author of an actual book being told to do it faster? No? You know why? Because writing can't be rushed. Grammar, plot, setting, etc, should be the only things that matter to you.

This is even truer in webnovel, so littered with garbage, anxiety, and children that one good fanfic shines like a star, regardless of its update schedule. There have been many examples, any long-timer here can back me up. They probably still have them in their library, I know it.

The fifth step is motivation. Perhaps this should have been at the top…

Oops.

Going back at it, ask yourself: Do I like X series? Do I love it? Can I see myself writing it? Do I truly want to invest time in this hobby?

Be sure of you're the degree of your passion for the series, sometimes it's just a momentary thing. Be sure you truly like it.

If you are a loveless psycho mercenary who only thinks about things logically and pragmatically, that's fine too. Why? How?

Money.

P/a/t/r/e/o/n does exist and is not shameful to make money off your time, as long as it is good enough to be valued as such, and not bait for kids whose parents are so absent they don't realize their children are seeing fanfics with R-18 covers and smut each chapter.

Those guys don't even bother putting 18+ tags anymore. Nor a warning when it starts and ends in the chapter.

Keep a minimum degree of morality, people notice. I do.

Another thing important to know is why most fanfics die. (Mostly from tvtropes)

The key to making sure yours doesn't is to understand the leading causes of Dead Fic. Before you begin writing, answering these questions may help you gain an understanding of your fic's potential lifespan:

"Am I writing primarily to receive reader feedback? If I don't receive the level of feedback I desire, how will I take that?"

"Do I enjoy the series/game as much as I used to? How interested in the series am I at the moment? Will I lose interest anytime soon?"

"Do I have time in my life to commit to this? Or, am I standing at a crossroads where I may soon find fanfiction writing (especially for this series) unimportant?"

"How confident am I in my writing ability?"

"Do I have a plan for my story, or do I want to start it just to see where it goes?"

Now that you got the grindset going, let's move to the next page… where most fanfics die. Read it closely. It's the most important.