First off... I agree with the style guide commentary... telling someone to buy 30-100 dollar worth of books is like telling someone your trying to get involved in Warhammer 40k that in order to get them involved... they must cough up 300-500 bucks to get an army to play with... and if they don't like that army they'll need 3-5 hundred dollars more to try the next army... and each figure is 10-50 dollar a piece to have painted, so its not a gray blob (or they can learn to paint tiny, tiny, objects themselves.). The answer is if they aren't getting hundreds of dollars each week as an allowance they are not going to bother.
The same thing goes for the 'style guides' you recommended. You explain somewhat vaguely in context what a 'style guide' is, but its got an in crowd vibe to that section. Basically a bit of the vibe I got from a stupid line that has annoyed me sense I heard it in 5th grade... 'If you have to ask you'll never know'.
The spend money on something that you have never heard of because some professional writer recommended it is a bit heavy handed. First... Do not start out with recommendations on which ones to buy... Your writing a guide for beginning authors/writes and up. Not a guide for College English majors. Start by explaining what a 'style guide' is in the first place. Once you have explained the concept behind said books and what they are for you can then start recommending specific books. Stating with which of these books they are to all buy, then hinting at what they are for is coming across as an ad for said books.
Back to order Topic 1) is always a good start. Then Topic 3)-7) are all good for order. Then Topic 13) as its the end of the proofreading section and encouragement to continue despite mistake is needed.. Then suggest Topic 2) with my revisions as a close to the General writing section.
Now that you've written the general purpose tips (adding others if needed) you can use the style guide suggestion as a lead in to the next section. The actual content in a generic sense. Starting with a lead in intro paragraph about the specifics of writing fanfiction. Start off with Topic![[Image: glasses.gif]](http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/glasses.gif)
its good to check source/reference materials... also add in that suggestions above remembering that not everything on the net/in the media/in all books is correct. While new things are cool and spiffy... if you make an error that thick skin will help a lot (reinforcing this necessary skill). If you make a mistake (or someone else is mistaken/deluded about the item in question) having a source to point them to helps.
Reminding the readers of Topics 6) and 7), as changes for coherence are related, but different from changes in facts/story logic. Just, because it says what you want it to be doesn't always make it correct.
Now that grammar/spelling/readability is handled and then checking things out to make sure the material is correct slip into the general broad topic of fanon. You made the same mistake earilier as with these style guides It feels tossed in the middle as an after thought and the order is jarring in its abrupt shift of focus... here is the text you gave:
For example I looked ip 'fanon' on dictionary.com I got it was an article of clothing. Which means if the reader of the guide doesn't know what 'fanon' already they are going to be utterly confused.
Instead mention they should actually see said cannon and what the canon is. The books, Tv program, manga, anime, or even subtitled fansubs at the very least should be watched/read before writing. Fan created facts and events that didn't happen in the original continuity/continuities are fanon. Make specific note it is not advised to write for any series where they have only read fanfiction for it. Technically, you may want to explain what fanfiction is in the first place for a paragraph in the opening intro section as well.
For example we had a thread that mentioned authors you can't write fanfiction for. One of these is Anne Rice. I remember reading about why she stopped letting people write fanfiction for her work, when you originally could. The short answer: Stupid people. The long answer: Rice feels it necessary to respond to every e-mail from her fans. At some point she stepped back and realized the reason she wasn't getting anything written was over the course 2-4 months she had ended up responding to thousands, if not tens of thousands of e-mails daily and ran out of time. What were these e-mails? Angry e-mails about how she had to fix all these plot holes that they found reading fanfiction for her works. It just didn't register with her large numbers of her fans that she wasn't writing under a thousand or so pseudonyms. As I said stupid people.
Now that you have given an explanation of what is wrong with using fanon, what fanon is mention that it is important to notify the reader of major/noticeable changes to the continuity. Whether with a intro paragraph or so in the intro explaining the changes or bringing things up in the text of the story itself. Dont discourage them from making changes just point out that if the reader doesnt learn of an important change its a major flaw.
Then you have a good start off point to get into the annoying things people do and the specific grievances people have with stories starting with the talking voices in the blank void.
The same thing goes for the 'style guides' you recommended. You explain somewhat vaguely in context what a 'style guide' is, but its got an in crowd vibe to that section. Basically a bit of the vibe I got from a stupid line that has annoyed me sense I heard it in 5th grade... 'If you have to ask you'll never know'.
The spend money on something that you have never heard of because some professional writer recommended it is a bit heavy handed. First... Do not start out with recommendations on which ones to buy... Your writing a guide for beginning authors/writes and up. Not a guide for College English majors. Start by explaining what a 'style guide' is in the first place. Once you have explained the concept behind said books and what they are for you can then start recommending specific books. Stating with which of these books they are to all buy, then hinting at what they are for is coming across as an ad for said books.
Back to order Topic 1) is always a good start. Then Topic 3)-7) are all good for order. Then Topic 13) as its the end of the proofreading section and encouragement to continue despite mistake is needed.. Then suggest Topic 2) with my revisions as a close to the General writing section.
Now that you've written the general purpose tips (adding others if needed) you can use the style guide suggestion as a lead in to the next section. The actual content in a generic sense. Starting with a lead in intro paragraph about the specifics of writing fanfiction. Start off with Topic
its good to check source/reference materials... also add in that suggestions above remembering that not everything on the net/in the media/in all books is correct. While new things are cool and spiffy... if you make an error that thick skin will help a lot (reinforcing this necessary skill). If you make a mistake (or someone else is mistaken/deluded about the item in question) having a source to point them to helps.Reminding the readers of Topics 6) and 7), as changes for coherence are related, but different from changes in facts/story logic. Just, because it says what you want it to be doesn't always make it correct.
Now that grammar/spelling/readability is handled and then checking things out to make sure the material is correct slip into the general broad topic of fanon. You made the same mistake earilier as with these style guides It feels tossed in the middle as an after thought and the order is jarring in its abrupt shift of focus... here is the text you gave:
Quote:This is aimed at people who 1) know what this 'fanon' thing is in the first place, 2) preaches to the choir, about the evils of said spackle for writers. Also sounds ranting and looks like a half finished thought in and aside. Basically, like some randomite wandered on stage and said 'Fanon, live it, love it!' and you respond with 'Ranma Saotome, fanon is all your fault!!!' Then start talking about target audiences.
As a corollary, resist the urge to fall back on fanon, even (or especially!) when it fills a known hole in your fictional setting of choice. Fanon is never unavoidable -- and making up your own detail from scratch will sometimes lead you into profitable new areas of exploration.
For example I looked ip 'fanon' on dictionary.com I got it was an article of clothing. Which means if the reader of the guide doesn't know what 'fanon' already they are going to be utterly confused.
Instead mention they should actually see said cannon and what the canon is. The books, Tv program, manga, anime, or even subtitled fansubs at the very least should be watched/read before writing. Fan created facts and events that didn't happen in the original continuity/continuities are fanon. Make specific note it is not advised to write for any series where they have only read fanfiction for it. Technically, you may want to explain what fanfiction is in the first place for a paragraph in the opening intro section as well.
For example we had a thread that mentioned authors you can't write fanfiction for. One of these is Anne Rice. I remember reading about why she stopped letting people write fanfiction for her work, when you originally could. The short answer: Stupid people. The long answer: Rice feels it necessary to respond to every e-mail from her fans. At some point she stepped back and realized the reason she wasn't getting anything written was over the course 2-4 months she had ended up responding to thousands, if not tens of thousands of e-mails daily and ran out of time. What were these e-mails? Angry e-mails about how she had to fix all these plot holes that they found reading fanfiction for her works. It just didn't register with her large numbers of her fans that she wasn't writing under a thousand or so pseudonyms. As I said stupid people.
Now that you have given an explanation of what is wrong with using fanon, what fanon is mention that it is important to notify the reader of major/noticeable changes to the continuity. Whether with a intro paragraph or so in the intro explaining the changes or bringing things up in the text of the story itself. Dont discourage them from making changes just point out that if the reader doesnt learn of an important change its a major flaw.
Then you have a good start off point to get into the annoying things people do and the specific grievances people have with stories starting with the talking voices in the blank void.