Top Ten Qualities of a Good Warrior Cats Fanfiction

Has your plot been explored in the books before? Has someone else written about it?

It is okay if you have a similar plot (for example, your antagonist is trying to take over the forest, like Tigerstar), but try not to make it exactly the same and try to add more unique subplots.

Yes, the plot shouldn't be copied from one of the books.

- Willowmoon of ThunderClan

Cliches aren't the worst thing in the world, but try to avoid them. They can be enjoyable if done right.

Examples of cliches in Warrior Cats stories:
- Main character becomes leader in the end
- ShadowClan is evil and ThunderClan are the heroes
- Forbidden love
- Cat trains in the Dark Forest
- Main character is hated by their Clan

Here's a huge list of clichés to avoid:

1. Mary Sues/Gary Stus
2. ThunderClan is always the hero
3. ShadowClan is always the villain
4. Dark-colored cats are evil
5. Bright-colored cats are good
6. Forbidden relationships
7. Medicine cats having mates and kits
8. Using Twoleg words even if they're not a kittypet/rogue/loner or a former one (e.g., a queen saying to her kits, "Go to bed, my kits")
9. Cats doing things they can't physically do, like kissing or driving monsters
10. The main character always becoming a leader
11. The main character is always a she-cat
12. The main character wins every battle
13. All the cats want to be mates with the main character
14. The main character is always part of a prophecy
15. Naming things that cats wouldn't know (like angel, dragon, or galaxy)
16. Obvious prophecies
17. Bad spelling and grammar

Super important! Stories about Mary Sues or Gary Stus are not at all exciting or interesting!

For example, if your main character is Brightwillow and she is super awesome, amazing, super kind, brave, powerful, etc., those are all good traits for a character to have. However, it would be more realistic if Brightwillow is kind, stubborn, brave, judgmental, intelligent, and overly critical. Flaws should at least balance the good traits if that's the case.

-Birdcreek's Opinion :)

I'm working on ways to improve my OC Flyheart. She's snarky, harsh, and her insults and nicknames are heavily inspired by Azula and Toph. I feel like inspiring cats based on characters from other shows or movies that are heavily flawed makes them more likable.

Avoid using a cat's name directly or making the future too obvious.

For example: "After the sharp-eyed Jay and the roaring Lion, peace will come on Dove's gentle wing." This is a direct quote from Omen of the Stars, and it can be pretty clear who it refers to.

A prophecy like, "Out of the darkness, Stars will come and get rid of the evil Tiger and Holly," is too on-the-nose. This line is a direct quote from Starkit's Prophecy, and it makes the story and characters too predictable for fanfiction.

Imagine if every prophecy ever was like, "The Light will beat the Night." Unless you're making a trollfic, I'd rather go with, "The glow will defeat the darkness." Or something like that. I don't know, I'm not all that great at making prophecies.

Take LOK (Legend of Korra). Amon thought bending was the source of all evil and tried to cleanse the world of it. Unalaq wanted to end the Avatar and Raava. Zaheer wanted the people to be free of all world leaders and the Avatar, and Kuvira wanted power over the Earth Kingdom.

Keep this in mind when writing the main villain. Try not to have a villain who goes around killing others for no reason.

Also keep this in mind when writing the main hero. What does the hero want more than anything? What will they do to achieve that goal? And who or what will get in their way?

When characters are developed, it makes them feel more human to the reader (well, not physically human because they're cats, but more human-like with thoughts, actions, and emotions).

Things to think about when developing your characters:
- Do they have strengths?
- Do they have flaws?
- Do they have a good balance between strengths and flaws?
- What is their goal? Does it change anywhere in the story?
- Why do they do what they do?
- What kind of relationships do they have?
- Are the characters the same as they were at the start of the story? What could have changed them?

Also, make sure to give some of the background clanmates personality. If you want people to care more about the minor characters, try giving them more personality and meaningful interaction with the main characters.

Leafcloud doesn't have any mates because she doesn't want one, nor kits, not ever. She doesn't know who her father is because he died in a battle before Alderkit and Leafkit were born.

Until she met the Moonstone in a leaf-bare to communicate with her father, Leafmask, who looks a lot like her (they both have brown fur with white patches, but Leafmask has green eyes and Leafcloud has amber eyes).

- Leafcloud of ThornClan

Try to give the main character relationships with other characters that make sense. It doesn't have to be romantic or positive. It can be familial or platonic, or it can be negative, like a rivalry.

Not everyone has to love the main character, but give them characters they can open up to unless the character is supposed to have no one at some part of the story. And, of course, give the romantic relationship between your main character and their love interest development.

This deserves a higher ranking. Description is a major factor in stories, and I understand if you feel that your writing isn't the best, but letting the reader figure things out on their own in some spots makes the story more enjoyable and gripping!

-Birdcreek's Opinion :)

Don't say: "she was sad."
Instead, say: "she hung her head low and walked slowly, her eyes dull."
Try to avoid the word "feel/felt" (e.g., "she felt sad").

Please, it's one of my pet peeves when people write names wrong in fanfiction. It makes it so much harder to read.

- Willowmoon of ThunderClan

By this, I mean:
Firestar rather than Fire Star, fire star, fire Star, Fire star, etc.

ThunderClan rather than thunderclan, Thunderclan, thunderClan, Thunder Clan. You get the idea.

I'm pretty good at this! I sometimes forget to capitalize "Clan" or "Clans," but overall, I think I do well with it.

- Fawnflight of ThunderClan

I'm okay with cats having unnatural colors and powers, but don't make their powers so overwhelming that it turns them into a Mary Sue.

The canon series isn't about a crazy fantasy world where cats are green, and the sun is purple. Remember, if you don't imagine a certain fur color for your fanfiction character, don't put it in your fanfiction character.

I often see this, where the mom or dad doesn't exist and the only characters are the main character, main friends, and the bully.

Never forget to create family for main characters, important characters, or characters where knowing their parents is important. Though I think you could bypass this if that character isn't very important at all.

-Ivypaw

They're important. Please add them!

It makes the story much more understandable.

Yes! Definitely. In my fanfic, the medicine cat is too old and has no apprentice, and no one volunteers. The leader chooses the main character's sister, who is in love with another apprentice, to be the medicine cat apprentice. The medicine cat apprentice drowns herself in the lake because she doesn't want to be a medicine cat. She wants to reunite with her love in StarClan, and she can't if she's a medicine cat (yes, I know she's being foolish. She just became an apprentice). Her brother is traumatized and becomes the medicine cat, leaving his girlfriend, another apprentice, depressed.

I feel like I always forget this.

Yes, you should include this in your fanfiction (unless it is irrelevant).

When there is conflict, try to think of a solution that isn't in the books. If the solution has been explored a lot in the books, people are more likely to make an easy prediction because they have most likely read those books too.

When the story is unpredictable, it keeps the attention of the reader because the reader is more intrigued with what is going to happen next. It can also make the story more memorable.

On the topic of unpredictable solutions, getting rid of the villain by them randomly getting killed by a falling tree is unpredictable, but it might not be the best way to get rid of the villain. What made Tigerstar's death scene good to me was that it was unpredictable, but the events that led to his death didn't feel like they were randomly thrown in there. Rather than dying from a random falling tree, he was killed by his own ambition (he wanted to control BloodClan, but Scourge was like, "NOPE").

This was unpredictable because he had always been strong, won almost every battle, and his ambition to rule the forest was what really got him to where he was. In the end, he was killed by one of his biggest character traits. That was unpredictable, but it made sense and wasn't just randomly thrown in there.

A lot of other Clans can be evil. Try making a fanfiction where a SkyClan or ThunderClan cat is evil.

Yep, don't make every ShadowClan cat evil, every ThunderClan cat good, or assume RiverClan cats always like to swim, etc.

- Ivypaw

Like a villain that takes care of their friends and family!

Don't make a Mary-Sue or Gary-Stu. They are very boring and have no flaws. I'll show you what a Mary-Sue/Gary-Stu is.

Rainbowkawaiisparklestar killed every evil cat instantly with her powers to rule the universe! Everyone loves her! All of the cats are her mates. She doesn't need parents or siblings - she is created by magic! She has 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 kits with all of the cats.

- Leafcloud of ThornClan

Yes! I always struggled with this one. Don't just include what the main character is doing. Say stuff like, '___ was sharing tongues with ___ as the deputy was in a deep conversation with ___ and ___.'

It's very confusing if you have a cat, especially from an original Clan, named Fireheart or Leafpool, that is completely different from their namesake. Less well-known names aren't as big a deal, but it's best to avoid doubling up.

~Stygianfrost of ShroudClan

Never do this! I absolutely hate it.

Leafcloud's backstory:

Leafkit didn't know who her father was because he died in a battle between ThornClan and CinderClan. Her mother, Blossomfern, deeply mourned when her mate died. Leafkit would always question who her father was.

Alderkit and Leafkit were in a situation where a fox attacked. Blossomfern flung herself at the fox and attacked it. Blossomfern survived.

Leafkit became Leafpaw, and her mentor was Slateclaw. Slateclaw was shy and quiet but very smart. He passed his intelligence to Leafpaw. When she met Rustclaw, she followed in her pawsteps to be evil. Primrosepaw tells Leafpaw not to trust Rustclaw, whatever she says.

Leafpaw is trying to decide what pathway she will take. Leafpaw, now Leafcloud, decides to keep both. She finally found out who her father was when Leafcloud and Wishfrost came to the Moonstone and met Leafmask, her father, who looked a lot like her except for their eye color.

- Leafcloud of ThornClan

Definitely! My friend loves Warrior Cats, but she tends to make everything too peaceful. It isn't as exciting.

- Ivypaw

Sandstorm died to thin out the crowd. Spottedleaf died so Firestar wouldn't have to choose. Pebbleshine died to define Violetshine and Twigbranch. You see, there is a reason for characters being killed off in the real books.