Matt Chock wrote:

At 10:47 AM 8/1/97 -0400, you wrote:

Hey..as I was reading fanfics this morning I took a
look at that Nekophilia one.  Pretty cool..I liked it.
When I compared it to similar stories that I'd written,
it struck me: here was a REAL story, as opposed to the
almost-outline-like fics that I tend to turn out.

Try as I may, I can't seem to ever produce anything as
rich as most people do.  It just ends up sounding stupid
or corny.  Are there any hints you pros can give to someone
to help them get their game (and prose) on track?

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I know how you feel.  I always end up shooting an idea full of holes as I
write or stop myself from posting because it lacks substance.  How do you
guys consistently crank out these great fics?

Write from the heart.  Most people have the intelligence to write; the
difference between a writer and a good writer lies in a person's ability
to connect with his (or her) soul, and bring that out into the open. 
This can be improved through two things: practice and experience.

Practice... This means more than writing more.  This means being honest
with your thoughts and feelings.  If you feel nothing when you write,
then that is what the reader will feel when they read it.  Acting (even
something as simple as role-playing) and singing are two non-writing
activities I've found that can help with this.  

Experience is by far the more difficult of the two.  The best way I can
put this to you is with a simple question:  Could you adequately
describe the electric feel of a kiss without the experience of it?   You
have to live life in order to write about it.  I once talked with a
friend and fellow writer about his past, which included several
incidents of personal tragedy.  My initial response?  "I don't know how
you stayed sane."  

One other thing: The best writers also have ideas that, for one reason
or another, didn't quite work.  Don't get discouraged; keep on working
with the idea, and you'll usually find a way through it.  

-- Nick