The Ultimate Guide to Harry Potter Fanfiction

Your Writing Is Going to Suck

And you know what? That's okay. 

I wish someone had told me this when I was younger. You see, there was a time, long before I was writing fanfiction, that I had a story idea. It was a horrible idea, but I didn't know that at the time. I really enjoyed it, actually. I wanted to write a book. I sat down, and wrote the first chapter. Then I reread it, and realized that it was absolute crap. I started from scratch. And that happened again, and again, and again, and again, over and over until I had completely lost any motivation I'd had to write in the first place. If I was this bad, I reasoned, there was no reason for me to keep trying. 

Thank God above that I didn't keep thinking that way six years ago when fourteen-year-old Elli cranked out the worst piece of literature known to man. It was a Hunger Games fanfiction that has since been banished to the pits of Hell where no eyes, even my own, will ever see it again. It was horrible, it made no sense, and it made me so, so happy to write. I wrote it so quickly that I didn't have time to go through my self-deprecating cycle until I was done, and by then I was done. 

I'd finished a story. Even if it sucked, it was an accomplishment that would change my world forever, because if I'd done it once, I could do it again. 

And I did. I've written so many horrible stories over the years. Some of them are deleted, never to be remembered. Some of them are sitting forlorn and forgotten in my drafts. Some are still up, because for whatever reason they got popular and I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger on all the undeserved, supportive comments.

I've also written some good things, I like to think. Those have generally been in my more recent works, though I've found glimmers of quality in my older books, too. But, on the whole, my journey as a writer has been one of growing better. 

The thing is, I never would have gotten to where I am today if my writing hadn't sucked so profusely six years ago. And I never would have gotten to where I am today if it hadn't sucked a little bit less five years ago. And I certainly wouldn't have gotten to where I am today if, five years ago, I had looked back at what I'd already written and thought, "Well, that sucks. I guess I'm not cut out for this."

Writing is a skill, my friends! It's a talent as much as music is a talent. No one will be good at it without years of practice and honing your skills! You have to make mistakes. You have to write horrible things. You have to allow yourself the freedom to mess up, to write badly, to follow your cliche dreams and write something that you would never read, because it's writing those things that help you get better! Yeah, you can look back in a few years and cringe. You can hide those writings away where no eyes can seem them but your own. But they're still a vital part to your writing journey! 

I've said it often, but you can't let yourself be discouraged by comparing yourself to published authors. Heck, don't let yourself be discouraged by comparing yourself to people like me, who are only vaguely good. You would never look at someone who had been playing piano for a decade, and then announce that because you can't play a concerto like them when you've been practicing for merely two months, you're not cut out for playing piano. 

Your writing is good because you enjoy writing it. Your writing is good because you enjoying thinking about it. Your writing is good, regardless of what anyone else says. Your writing is good, because it's helping you grow into an even better writer. 

My whole point here is to encourage you. Don't give up! Keep writing, even if you think it sucks! It might. You'll probably look back in a few years and wonder what could have possibly persuaded you to write the things you did. But know that that's normal and a sign of growth! You can never get better if you give up now. So keep writing, because one day you're going to wake up and realize that you got better at it without even noticing. 

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Not a lot to say here, except that I've now updated three times in one night when I think I hardly updated once last year. Clearly, I am killing this college thing. 

Let me know if you have any questions! And please, I dare you to argue with me on this! I promise, you won't win. 

~Elli