I have this story idea bouncing around in my head that is really crazy and maybe insane to attempt as my first ever story, but I'm going to anyway.

But, having never written a story before I don't even know where to begin. I have a loose plot idea like I said and I really like it, so I would hate to screw it up by having absolutely no idea what I'm doing. Can anyone offer me any tips?


I'll even share my insane plot idea with hopes that its too crazy to have anyone want to use for their own. Changed my mind. It seems like throwing a baby to the wolves and that fact that I have to start out with explaining how insanely ooc and outside the normal realm of stories here it will be embarrasses me beyond reason. TBH its more like a story in my head that I want to force into becoming an Inuyasha fanfiction because I love the characters so much.

So, If I haven't scared you away yet with my anxious babbling, I'd really like to have some help with this.

Though I've been writing for a while I'm still pretty new to fanfiction writing myself, hopefully I can give you some useful advice. ^.^
Usually when I have a plot bunny running rampant in my head there is always one scene from this would be story playing over and over again in my mind. I find it helps me plot out the rest of the story by writing that scene out. It doesn't matter if the scene is from the beginning or even the end of your story but at least you have a better idea of what you want to write.
For the actual story plotting it self I suggest getting a notebook and creating a very brief chapter outline so your not floundering around trying to figure out what to write like I was doing for my first story.
Resources, resources resources. I can't stress the use of how helpful to me these are.
They could be anything from character bio's, pictures of clothes, or random room descriptions, (you can get a room description generator at a site called seventh sactum. I don't recommend actually using them but they will give you plenty of ideas. trust me)
Hopefully all of my babbling helped you. If you want you can message me any time you want on my profile. Heck I'll even offer to beta read your story, I know it was a TON of help to have someone check over my story.

You just made me the happiest girl ever, I would love for you to beta for me!

I'm a little unsure as to what you're asking for. Are you looking for someone to bounce ideas off of? Are you looking for another author to help you understand how to go about putting ideas together into a plot you can put on paper and post? Are you simply looking for someone to check grammar and spelling? You sound as if you have this idea floating around in your head and you're unsure about how to make that idea into a postable story, but again, I'm not sure.

As to your idea for a story? In my opinion no plot is too far fetched as long as it is written well. Most of the best stories out there contain extremely unusual circumstances. Think about all the comic books out there. Don't you think characters like the X-Men, The Avengers, or any superhero seems a little extreme? What about some of the greatest fantasy novels ever written? Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter series? What about the series "A Song of Ice and Fire" by George Martin? His books have been turned into a wonderful series being produced on HBO as we speak. It has dragons, sorceresses, murder, witches, kings and all kinds of fantastical story lines that capture audiences across the globe. Authors like Gaimain, King, Powers, Pratchett, they all come up with crazy insane ideas for stories, and then spin them into magic that other people pay to read. So don't be discouraged to write a tale just because it seems too far out of the box. Those tend to be the best stories.

Texanlady's right! Being the wonderfully accomplished author she is, she is absolutely right when she says no idea is too far fetched when it is well planned out.

When the Inuyasha series came out, no one really thought of having the SxK couple as one of the biggest fandoms out there-- but look at Dokuga!

When you really adore a certain scene, one thing you have to make sure is that in order to make a plausible chapter story out of it, you must outline and plan, plan and plan. But if you're wanting to just write scenes at a time without having to connect every chapter, you can start a drabble series or maybe a one/two-shot.

I'm still new to writing fanfictions myself, but I've been an SxK fan for years and have read countless stories. I've realized that there are so many different styles of writing, it's near impossible to 'mimic' one... and a waste of time in my opinion. The best part about fanfiction is that you get to develop your own writing style, and like everyone... when you first begin-- it won't be perfect. I'm still learning that myself. And if you feel discouraged, you can always 'self-promote' your story here on the Dokuga forum for more feedback.

Also, you're very lucky to have found a good beta For me personally, English isn't my first language and it's very hard for me to use proper grammar while interpreting it in my head. I sort of 'ponder' my stories in my native language and English-- so more often than not, I have grammar mistakes.

I wish you the best of luck on writing, and definitely feel free to PM me if you like!

Texanlady, I think what I'm really looking for is almost someone to help me write this story out, I honestly have never put together anything longer than a few pages of an essay for school. So what I really want is feedback as I write before I post so I can improve what I have. I have a general end goal of where I want this story to go, and a few of the things I know I want to happen along the way, but how to get there is really kind of beyond me. And I am not really sure my writing is up to Dokuga quality, there are some amazing writers here and I don't want to fall below standard.

JadedRayne, can you offer me any planning advice? I tend to just write and let the story come together as I go, but sounds like that's not the best idea. I definitely plan to have a whole connected story.

I find that when undertaking the task of writing a multi-chapter story it helps to do a detailed outline. First, I write out a list of the characters I'm going to use. I write down their names, their appearances, ages, social stations, and how they relate to one another in the story. After that I write up a timeline that connects all the major plot points I want to hit upon that will carry me through the story.

Example of character list:

1. Sesshoumaru:
species- Youkai
gender- Male
station- Lord of the West
appearance- 6'2, slim muscular build, knee length silver hair, magenta markings, golden eyes, claws, crescent moon on
forehead
personality- arrogant, stoic, dominating, aloof
misc- close retainer in Jaken, has a human ward name Rin, wants to rule the world, expert warrior, has his own sense of honor

2. Kagome:
species- Human
gender- Female
station- Shikon Miko, high school student, adoptive mother
appearance- 5'4, slim waist with curvy hips and chest, blue eyes, waist length wavy black hair
personality-kind, caring, giving, self-sacrificing, optimistic, bubbly
misc- adopted a kitsune named Shippo, broke the Sacred Jewel and feels honor bound to restore it, love Inuyasha at one time
reincarnate of Kiko

When I have an idea for a story I think of the major scenes I want to happen that will connect the story together. I try to make a detailed list so that I can set the scenes appropriately, and so that no information that is critical to future chapters is left out of the scene. Each bullet tends to be a chapter. In each bullet I try to incorporate everything that needs to happen in that chapter. I'll have to use my own plot to showcase this method as I don't know the story you have in mind.

Example:

1. Sesshoumaru has a solo scene where he explains why he wants Kagome, a scene that sets the stage for the story, and why only Kagome can help him achieve the future he wants.

2. Sesshoumaru meets with Kikyo to offer a trade. He'll restore her to life if she'll help him trick Inuyasha into giving him Kagome.

3. Kikyo calls for Inuyasha, who is alone with Kagome to prevent their friends from interfering, and pretends to be dying so that he'll seek out Sesshoumaru to carry out the plan they've agreed upon. Kagome reminds Inuyasha that Sesshoumaru's sword can bring back the dead. They leave to track Sesshoumaru.

4. Inuyasha carries Kikyo while Kagome follows. They find the Western Lord and Inuyasha asks Sesshoumaru to bring his dead love back. Sesshoumaru agrees to do so only if Inuyasha will give him Kagome. He words his demand so that Inuyasha believes his brother only wants Kagome for as long as it will take her to complete the "tasks" he has for her. Not realizing that the "tasks" Sesshoumaru has in mind are being his mate and breeder. Inuyasha agrees and trades Kagome in return for his brother restoring Kikyo to life. Sesshoumaru saves Kikyo with his sword and leaves with Kagome

5. Sesshoumaru explains to Kagome why he wants her while Inuyasha ...

Now after I finish writing the scene list I start the story. I take one bullet and then I set the scene by describing where the character is. They could be in a meadow, a palace, a cave, in the sky. Anywhere you want them to be. Just describe it well enough so that the reader can picture it in their mind. Then make it clear why the character is there, and where they are going from there. I use transitions and interjections to incorporate other characters. Most of the time a story isn't as fascinating to readers because of what the characters say to each other, but because of how the author sets the scene itself so that the reader can picture it in their minds. Make sure to include feelings. Like in the chapter I detailed in bullet 4, I made sure touch upon how Kikyo felt as she was pretending to be truly dying, Inuyasha's anxiety about how he was going to save her while protecting Kagome, Sesshoumaru anxiousness to finally have Kagome in a position to claim Kagome, Kagome's sadness at knowing Inuyasha was choosing Kikyo over her again. Readers identify best with a story when they can relate or understand how the characters feel about what is going on. So flush out scenes with descriptions of the setting, the characters themselves, their actions, and their emotions about what is going on.

So that's what I do. I write out the characters I'm going to use in a list, and I do tend to add characters along the way as the story takes on a life of it's own. I also write out a brief outline of the scenes or plot points I'm going to need to make my story happen. Of course extra scenes tend to come to mind as you're writing, but you do have a general blueprint, or guideline, to follow so that the basic shell of your story is there. This way you don't get lost or run out of ideas. The idea of the story is already written out, and you just need to flesh out the scenes with descriptions and details.

I hope this helps. This is the process I use, and I'm sure other writers use different techniques. If you like mine? Great. If not? I hope you find one that works for you. Good luck in your writing, and don't get discouraged. Every writer, published or not, has been where you are. We all overcome.

Sincerely,

TexanLady

Definitely agree with TexanLady about outlining. You can never be too detailed in listing all the highpoints you wish to refer or expand on in a scene/chapter as it may be pivotal later on.

After outlining you replace the jot notes with the the actual fleshed out dialogue/prose and delete the jot notes. My WIPs tend to be notes replaced with bits of prose because sometimes my imagination/fancy is caught on a particular scene and I NEED to type/write that out first.

You may find you cut out material and add more as you start the actual writing but having an outline before you start writing helps organize the story flow. It's just like outlining an essay - intro, 3 paras with supporting points/evidence, conclusion. Only you have more than 3 paras for the body.

One last thing, as to being up to par with other writers? Or here on Dokuga? Don't concern yourself with that. You shouldn't be trying to live up to anyone's expectations but your own. Being a writer isn't about being as good as someone else, or being better than them. It's about being the best you can be. Being a writer is a life long process. I don't know of any author that writes the same in their twenties as they did in their teens. Or in their thirties as they did in their twenties. As we learn we grow, as we grow our writing evolves. I look back on my writing from three years ago and I cringe. That's just the way it is. It's by putting ourselves out there, taking in constructive criticism from what we've posted, and bettering our writing because we've learned from our mistakes that we achieve our potential, and potential? Is an ever growing thing in my experience. You never know what levels of success you're capable of until you achieve them, and once you do? Aim even higher.

Muzui, create your story. Write what you want, what you feel, write what you see in your head, and be open to evolving, and you'll be a writer. Don't get stuck on living up to anyone's standards but yours, and always be ready to raise your standards so you can grow.

As an update, I've finished an outline, and the first chapter . I am really glad to say I'm happy with the way it has turned out so far.

Thank you guys for encouraging me to do this!
I'll let you know when I put the first chapter up, in case you are wanting to see what I came up with.

Here's a link to my new story

Similar Features -- Kagome is the village burden. Orphaned, and with no mother to speak of in this matriarchal society, she is left on her own to make ends meet. Kagome's long time friend and recently her almost lover, is betrothed to another. An arranged marriage for him ruins all hope of Kagome's happy ending. To make matters worse, when something horrible happens to Kagome, things don't go quite as would be expected, at a loss for what to do, Kagome attempts to escape from the only home she has ever known.

Oops, sorry, I edited and forgot to add this. My story is rated MA for thematic reasons, and the high possibility of adult content,


Big thanks to you all for your help!!

Everyone needs to go read this story!
Mizui did an amazing job on it!