How to Fanfic

I got three notes on the Tumblr post of the new chapter. Granted, all three notes are good notes from good people, but I still cried. Like, a lot. Like, all day long.

I'm still extremely distraught. I'd like to be melodramatic and say something to the effect of "I am a garbage person who only produces shit work and I should just give up," but the truth is that I write compulsively and probably couldn't stop even if I wanted to. If I'm going to keep at this, though, I need to do it in a way that gets more positive attention and doesn't result in me feeling like a poor misunderstood tragic artist.

This is what failure has taught me.

• Sometimes writing is magic, but mostly it's work. You need deadlines and a schedule.
• You need to update frequently and on a fixed timeline. Once a week is good.
• Never post anything in the morning. Tumblr primetime is after 5:00pm.
• The best time to post anything is in the late afternoon or early evening on Sunday.
• 2,500 word chapters are ideal. If a chapter gets much longer than that, split it.
• No one wants to read The Next Great American Novel. Content is important, not style.
• Keep editing the first few chapters as you go along. They need to be perfect.
• Be active and supportive within the fandom, but don't expect anyone to help you.
• Always respond to AO3 comments immediately, and reblog people's comments on Tumblr.
• Commission artists to illustrate your story. There is no better advertisement.