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Description
Lots of people have asked me, "How do you write fan fiction? I can totally imagine [insert Hetalia character name here] doing that!" I haven't had a good response up until now, although I've given out chunks of advice at a time to many people who have asked via comment or note. I've thought over it; what do I think about myself when I come down to writing fan fiction related to Hetalia or something else? Do I try to relate to myself, or to everyone around me? Here are some tips I found handy…

1. Make sure that your grammar and spelling are absolutely fantastic.

I've come across lots of fan fictions I just couldn't bear to read because of the many grammatical mistakes and run-on sentences. I understand I shouldn't judge stories like this (I've come across many fantastic ones with the spelling/grammar issues, don't get me wrong) but it's hard to get through one wondering if one homonym was supposed to mean another, or something else.

SOLUTION: There's usually spellcheck integrated into your internet browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.) and it will be underlined red if it is spelled wrong; it's called Grammatik or something of the sort, and it's also integrated into Microsoft Word. However, the internet version of Grammatik only corrects spelling! A useful thing I found was I could type things into Microsoft Word (any version) and have it correct everything for me. However, be careful because MS Word might miss a few portions of your fan fiction and might correct foreign names or phrases (like German, which it tried correcting me on a ton) so it's best you read through it yourself or post a preview on your journal and ask for opinions on it before you post the actual thing. It pays off!

2. Think of a unique title for your fan fiction.

What are fantastic titles? Maybe a theme, which is a sentence or a possible portion of the sentence (ex. Joyful Moments of Life, etc.) or something that tops off the story in one word or foreshadows what's going to happen in the story. Catchy titles gain lots of readers for your stories.

SOLUTION: I've found using a thesaurus on MS Word helped me a ton for thinking of unique titles which caught people's eyes. You could think of a word first though, and then write a story based off of that word itself. Ideas can come out wonderfully either direction!

3. Write a description requesting comments and favorites.

Descriptions have an impact too. I've often found myself faving things on dA without leaving a comment, and it didn't really help the author of the story except earn a pinch of popularity. If your story is a series, it's helpful to have a story directory that is up-to-date, meaning it links to the other stories in the series. If I read a part in the series which was like, the last part, then I would really hate myself and try to find the first part. If I can't find the first part, guess what? No faves, no comments, no happiness.

SOLUTION: Try to be optimistic and tell of how much effort you put into the story! It gives the reader-tan a boost in their energy as well and they'll reflect on how well you did with faves and comments. If you want faves and comments, ask for them politely and you'll definitely earn some faves. Remember, linking stories in series is really easy; you could do something like this:

While editing, you can add the full links by copying them and pasting.

This is the chapter directory!
Chapter One: www.deviantart.com/submission
Chapter Two: www.nyancat.com/music
Chapter Three: www.gangnamstyle.psy

After editing, you can just click "Save" and what it shows up like is this.

This is the chapter directory!
Chapter One: [link]
Chapter Two: [link]
Chapter Three: [link]
Of course, they're clickable links, so there's no need to worry. If they're on that chapter on that webpage, there's no need to put the link on again to prevent confusion. So if reader-tan was on Chapter Three already, you would probably want to put the description of Chapter Three like this:

Chapter One: [link]
Chapter Two: [link]
Chapter Three: You are here!

4. You're not in-school, but make your writing look pretty.

I'm not your boss, I know—but making your writing look nice also makes reading on the eyes a lot easier. I've also lost my place in multiple fan fictions wondering where I was on which paragraph because text isn't automatically indented or paragraph spaced on dA submissions. Be sure to put an extra space in between paragraphs!

SOLUTION: Do the writing first, and it's easier to correct it and space it correctly at the same time. All you have to do is remember to hit the "Enter" key when you're correcting your mistakes or revising, and that's pretty easy! Or you could correct common mistakes first then add the spaces. It's up to you, after all.

Now we're getting to the actual writing process. What is the meaning of OOC?

OOC means out of character. It is generally used in fan fiction, and it happens! Sometimes people don't write the character of whatever anime or TV show or whatever fandom it is like they actually are and that is called being OOC. There's no need to apologize for being OOC, but here's a few tips to prevent being OOC.

1. Never, ever write the character like s/he's your slave.

What I mean by that is never write the character as if he'll do anything from your imagination. For example, would Germany from Hetalia really start dancing to Taylor Swift's songs, or would Ash from Pokémon begin to realize the full meaning of love? I would say the answer is no, and I would most likely guess most people would agree unless they're full supporters of certain pairings like Ash/May or Ash/Dawn.

SOLUTION: It's true that not all ships or crazy ideas are impossible, but that's the point of fan fiction. Never be discouraged from writing because I just wrote that, but I'm just putting some framework on spontaneous OOC-ness. I'd say the point of fan fiction is turning the characters from the fandom flexible, bending them to your will but not to the point of OOC. It's true Germany's tsundere, but it doesn't mean he can't fall in love; you've got to use the character's personalities to their advantage. I'll explain this next.

2. Use indirect references from the fandom.

What I mean by that is OFFICIAL fandom. Like when Italy got stuck in a tree one time, you could reference that—what I do NOT mean is for you to follow other unofficial examples, because most people wouldn't get the references and in all, wouldn't really feel attached to it. If you were to link your own fan fiction to another fan fiction, it would seem really weird and distorted unless it was from the anime itself. And of course if you use things from the anime, the majority of people would understand it because they've watched all of it, and it would in all make more sense.

SOLUTION: Watch some of your favorite episodes over again and extract some quotes, and then try to reuse them in the story as if bringing up an old memory that you had just remembered.

3. Relate these characters to real life.

Imagine, what would they do in some real life situations? Compare their reactions in the show or fandom to whatever situation in real life and see how much you can write into the fan fiction. Don't be afraid to write it out first then try to imagine if it were OK!

SOLUTION: There are some really fantastic role players out there, and there are usually group chat rooms which allow multi-role playing. It's true some role players may be OOC, but see if you can use that to your advantage in writing. Sometimes I get ideas myself via good role plays.

Any other questions you'd like to ask? I'll be happy to answer them below! If you have any tips as well, I'll add it to this list and credit you… Don't be afraid to comment!

Description
Lots of people have asked me, "How do you write fan fiction? I can totally imagine [insert Hetalia character name here] doing that!" I haven't had a good response up until now, although I've given out chunks of advice at a time to many people who have asked via comment or note. I've thought over it; what do I think about myself when I come down to writing fan fiction related to Hetalia or something else? Do I try to relate to myself, or to everyone around me? Here are some tips I found handy…

1. Make sure that your grammar and spelling are absolutely fantastic.

I've come across lots of fan fictions I just couldn't bear to read because of the many grammatical mistakes and run-on sentences. I understand I shouldn't judge stories like this (I've come across many fantastic ones with the spelling/grammar issues, don't get me wrong) but it's hard to get through one wondering if one homonym was supposed to mean another, or something else.

SOLUTION: There's usually spellcheck integrated into your internet browser (Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.) and it will be underlined red if it is spelled wrong; it's called Grammatik or something of the sort, and it's also integrated into Microsoft Word. However, the internet version of Grammatik only corrects spelling! A useful thing I found was I could type things into Microsoft Word (any version) and have it correct everything for me. However, be careful because MS Word might miss a few portions of your fan fiction and might correct foreign names or phrases (like German, which it tried correcting me on a ton) so it's best you read through it yourself or post a preview on your journal and ask for opinions on it before you post the actual thing. It pays off!

2. Think of a unique title for your fan fiction.

What are fantastic titles? Maybe a theme, which is a sentence or a possible portion of the sentence (ex. Joyful Moments of Life, etc.) or something that tops off the story in one word or foreshadows what's going to happen in the story. Catchy titles gain lots of readers for your stories.

SOLUTION: I've found using a thesaurus on MS Word helped me a ton for thinking of unique titles which caught people's eyes. You could think of a word first though, and then write a story based off of that word itself. Ideas can come out wonderfully either direction!

3. Write a description requesting comments and favorites.

Descriptions have an impact too. I've often found myself faving things on dA without leaving a comment, and it didn't really help the author of the story except earn a pinch of popularity. If your story is a series, it's helpful to have a story directory that is up-to-date, meaning it links to the other stories in the series. If I read a part in the series which was like, the last part, then I would really hate myself and try to find the first part. If I can't find the first part, guess what? No faves, no comments, no happiness.

SOLUTION: Try to be optimistic and tell of how much effort you put into the story! It gives the reader-tan a boost in their energy as well and they'll reflect on how well you did with faves and comments. If you want faves and comments, ask for them politely and you'll definitely earn some faves. Remember, linking stories in series is really easy; you could do something like this:

While editing, you can add the full links by copying them and pasting.

This is the chapter directory!
Chapter One: www.deviantart.com/submission
Chapter Two: www.nyancat.com/music
Chapter Three: www.gangnamstyle.psy

After editing, you can just click "Save" and what it shows up like is this.

This is the chapter directory!
Chapter One: [link]
Chapter Two: [link]
Chapter Three: [link]
Of course, they're clickable links, so there's no need to worry. If they're on that chapter on that webpage, there's no need to put the link on again to prevent confusion. So if reader-tan was on Chapter Three already, you would probably want to put the description of Chapter Three like this:

Chapter One: [link]
Chapter Two: [link]
Chapter Three: You are here!

4. You're not in-school, but make your writing look pretty.

I'm not your boss, I know—but making your writing look nice also makes reading on the eyes a lot easier. I've also lost my place in multiple fan fictions wondering where I was on which paragraph because text isn't automatically indented or paragraph spaced on dA submissions. Be sure to put an extra space in between paragraphs!

SOLUTION: Do the writing first, and it's easier to correct it and space it correctly at the same time. All you have to do is remember to hit the "Enter" key when you're correcting your mistakes or revising, and that's pretty easy! Or you could correct common mistakes first then add the spaces. It's up to you, after all.

Now we're getting to the actual writing process. What is the meaning of OOC?

OOC means out of character. It is generally used in fan fiction, and it happens! Sometimes people don't write the character of whatever anime or TV show or whatever fandom it is like they actually are and that is called being OOC. There's no need to apologize for being OOC, but here's a few tips to prevent being OOC.

1. Never, ever write the character like s/he's your slave.

What I mean by that is never write the character as if he'll do anything from your imagination. For example, would Germany from Hetalia really start dancing to Taylor Swift's songs, or would Ash from Pokémon begin to realize the full meaning of love? I would say the answer is no, and I would most likely guess most people would agree unless they're full supporters of certain pairings like Ash/May or Ash/Dawn.

SOLUTION: It's true that not all ships or crazy ideas are impossible, but that's the point of fan fiction. Never be discouraged from writing because I just wrote that, but I'm just putting some framework on spontaneous OOC-ness. I'd say the point of fan fiction is turning the characters from the fandom flexible, bending them to your will but not to the point of OOC. It's true Germany's tsundere, but it doesn't mean he can't fall in love; you've got to use the character's personalities to their advantage. I'll explain this next.

2. Use indirect references from the fandom.

What I mean by that is OFFICIAL fandom. Like when Italy got stuck in a tree one time, you could reference that—what I do NOT mean is for you to follow other unofficial examples, because most people wouldn't get the references and in all, wouldn't really feel attached to it. If you were to link your own fan fiction to another fan fiction, it would seem really weird and distorted unless it was from the anime itself. And of course if you use things from the anime, the majority of people would understand it because they've watched all of it, and it would in all make more sense.

SOLUTION: Watch some of your favorite episodes over again and extract some quotes, and then try to reuse them in the story as if bringing up an old memory that you had just remembered.

3. Relate these characters to real life.

Imagine, what would they do in some real life situations? Compare their reactions in the show or fandom to whatever situation in real life and see how much you can write into the fan fiction. Don't be afraid to write it out first then try to imagine if it were OK!

SOLUTION: There are some really fantastic role players out there, and there are usually group chat rooms which allow multi-role playing. It's true some role players may be OOC, but see if you can use that to your advantage in writing. Sometimes I get ideas myself via good role plays.

Any other questions you'd like to ask? I'll be happy to answer them below! If you have any tips as well, I'll add it to this list and credit you… Don't be afraid to comment!