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I've been playing around with the idea of writing a story based in the world of FFVI for about two years now and I have a problem: I've never written anything substantial before and I don't know where to begin. Heck, I don't even like to write essays, but I love stories and now I want to try creating one.

If anyone who's written stories before can give me some tips on making good stories, I would really appreciate it.

Oh, and here's a little spoiler to pique your attention: The main character of my story will be Maduin.

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The first thing you want to do is get the whole story planned out in your head before you write anything. I like to know the general idea of what's going to happen to all the characters, what the conflict is going to be, etc., before writing. I failed to do that with my last story and ended up with messy results.

After you get everything down in you head, put an outline on paper. This will help a lot, especially if you have branching storylines.

Finally, begin writing. The most important thing here is to try to write naturally. Don't try to sound like some fancy writer, try to sound like yourself and you'll get the best results.

Hope that helps.

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Hip-Hop QOTW:

"Yeah, where I'ma start it at, look I'ma part of that
Downtown Philly where it's realer than a heart attack
It wasn't really that ill until the start of crack
Now it's a body caught every night on the Almanac"

"Game Theory"
The Roots

The next thing to do is post this in a different forum. Not your fault, just remember for later. Thanks!

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Though I don't consider myself a writer of any particular merit or experience, I'll see if there are a few pointers I can give you.

The first important thing is to come up with an original, creative idea.  I've seen plenty of stories which are extremely well-written and flawless in every technical sense, but insufferably boring and/or spoiled by a disgustingly cliche'd premise.  Try to avoid predictability as much as possible.

Next comes the actual content of the story.  Although it may just be me, I think it's key to make sure that the spelling and grammar of your story is as perfect as possible, because a truly entertaining story can often be marred by simple errors, and it can really detract from a reading experience.  When it comes to characterization in a fanfic, make sure that you try to stay true to the original characterization, and consistent with the storyline.  That is, don't try to think up things that are utterly outlandish and entirely un-canonical.  Vivid description is key, make sure that you really involve the audience and paint a clear picture in their minds.

Another important thing to remember is to keep a balance between fiction and game mechanics.  Remember that the story you're writing is based on a video game, but also be sure to treat it as an actual story instead of some sort of bizarre program addendum.  I've often seen hideous examples of this, particularly during a fight scene.  Oftentimes the author creates a dilemma for a spellcaster because they've "run out of MP", or make the story's characters significantly stronger by having them "gain levels."  Though these blatant writing gaffes may seem laughable at first, they really do happen, so just be careful.

Making an outline of major story events is helpful, though not an absolute necessity.  When creating original characters, don't try to stereotype them or pattern them after some which already exist; do your best to create a complex, developed persona.  Also, it's important to keep a consistent mood in the story: don't let a heart-wrenching tragedy turn into a light-hearted farce at the last moment.

Finally, make sure that you're having fun.  Many times the quality of a major work suffers simply because the author isn't in the mood to write it.  When this happens, don't worry.  Just take a break, maybe try something new for a little while, and come back to it.

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"I always have a quotation for everything - it saves original thinking."
~Dorothy L. Sayers

"The truly remarkable thing about television is that it allows several million people to laugh at the same joke and still feel lonely."
~T.S. Eliot

"Defeat is not defeat unless accepted as reality - in your own mind!"
~ Bruce Lee

Thanx alot. I'll keep all your suggestions in mind.

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