Happy to share!

When it comes to fics, I usually picture at least one scene really clearly, kinda like a movie. I’ll write that scene first and then build around it. It's not always the height of the action, sometimes it's just a small moment between two characters I really want to capture, but this scene will usually set the tone for the rest of the fic. Sometimes it’s fun for me to go back once the fic is fully posted and read just that first scene I wrote and then compare it to everything else. I like seeing how the tone carried (or evolved) throughout the story.

I will also usually associate at least one song with that fic at this first scene point (music is a huge part of my writing process but that's a whole other post, lol)

From there, I try to ask myself a couple things: how did the characters get there? what's the setting? how do they know each other? Based on those questions, I start to fill out my outline. This is usually bullet points with the occasional line thrown in, or a link to a place on Google Maps/TripAdvisor/whatever if I want to get specific with my settings

I realize this works kind of backwards from other writers, because I tend to write both out of order and start with a scene first and then an outline afterwards. I blame my previous experience in film for this tbh

I’m trying to get better at my outlines for longer projects, so I organize my bullet points in order and then try to fill in scenes between them (even if sometimes I write [filler scene here], it gives me a reminder that I need to add something to connect some scenes or flesh out the characters more). This helps me see the fic more as a bigger picture vs. individual scenes I cobble together.

Also!! character bullet points!! I like doing that a lot. For example, if your main character is an office worker, who else works on that floor? list them, maybe give them job titles, a couple of words on how they interect with your main character. Now you don't just have a vague “character works at (place)”, you have a whole dynamic built up before even writing the fic yet. It makes writing feel a lot less intimidating when you have a plan

For editing, I will usually go back and read parts/scenes I don't feel confident about first and edit just those scenes, then I go back and read the fic in full to see how it flows. I just did this last night, and it helped me realize I wrote a whole scene without even mentioning where my main character was 🫠 so it helps to catch errors like that! Also starting small helps me feel less overwhelmed vs. reading from the beginning every time I want to edit.

I also reference my outline as I edit, and check off bullet points that I know I’ve written. If I’m not happy about how a scene sounds, sometimes I add notes to my outline about what I want to change or add, and revisit it in a day or so. That resets my brain so I can see the scene a little more objectively.

Some smaller things I do that I find helps a lot:

• change the font of a scene I’m editing or even the whole fic once I want to do a read-through
• add notes to myself in-fic in a different color font or highlight it in a different color to reference later
• Run spell check a few different times throughout my editing process, not just once. I’m a notorious device-switcher when it comes to writing (I go between my laptop and phone a lot) and my phone tends to lead to more typos. Rechecking it throughout the editing process will catch those errors better vs. just running it once
• Asking a friend to read through the fic or part of it. This can be a formal beta reader request where they check for grammar, spelling, etc, or just asking a friend “hey, does this sound like the idols I’m writing about?”
• For long fics, I sometimes write a scene or two in a separate doc and then add it to the main doc once I’m happy with it. This helps me 1. with scenes I feel iffy on if I want to include or not 2. feel less intimidating than opening up a huge 10/20/30k doc to write 3. it loads faster LMAO

I do a lot of things that may come across as weird/not proper/nontraditional, but I’ve always been like this when it comes to my writing. I used to be scolded back in middle and high school for not writing an outline before starting my essays, but for years the only way I could write was to just jump in. Outlining is still a fairly new process for me, so I’m always fine-tuning it and trying new things I learn online or from friends, so this may look totally different a year from now. All that being said, this is basically my process right now!

Thank you so much for asking, I had a lot of fun laying it out like this!!