What software should I use to write with? What characters are good to use? etc?

7841062
This site has a Guide for proper writing tips, but if you're a first-time writer there's no getting around your needing to acquire experience. And as far as software goes, there are grammar and word-checking programs like Grammerly that many writers use, myself included.

7841065
Awesome!

7841062
I'll be honest with you... No. There is no guide on creative writing and that's why its hard for most people to write. Most of what you'll see talked about is nothing more than suggestions on how to express your ideas and tone to the audience. Everything else is subjective. The best path to start with is asking yourself why you want to write and who are you writing for. Then you simply ask yourself: "What's a story I would want to read?" and begin.

The only solid advice I could give is to study/consume other storytelling media. Doesn't matter if its novels, films, or games, they will all teach you something or show you a way of writing a particular subject. It's the only internship storytellers have. Second, don't be afraid to just try it. It doesn't matter what "it" is. Attempt to write your idea, character, or scene and learn from it whether it succeed or failed to express what you wanted. Don't sweat the technical stuff too much. You can always fix it or find an editor.

Good luck on the start of your, hopefully, long writing journey!

7841062
Writing is ultimately subjective. What makes a good story varies from person to person. My best advice to you would be to try a few different genres and see what users on the site react to best. But at the same time, they are your stories.

There is no definitive guide, but here are some general nuggets of information.

First, try learning from media you read, watch, listen to, etc. and then taking the best from your inspirations to try to write anythung that conveys your thoughts and ideas into a comprehensible story that you want your audience to receive. Art is a message to its audience, so make sure it's one worth their time to receive.

Keep your expectations low and try to keep it a short story as your first attempt. Multichapter epics WILL burn you out.

After you've written your first draft: WALK AWAY.

Distance yourself from your writing. Do something else for a while. Then, come back and do your rewrites for your second draft. Repeat until you feel satisfied with the results and then do your best to divorce yourself from the writing. You need to be able to let your story go and do its best on its own two feet. If you find yourself defending it from all sides, you're likely still too attached and may take feedback, constructive or otherwise as an attack on you. Distancing yourself is a learned skill that requires fortitude on your part, but it really helps your mental health if you story turns out to get dunked into the red bar.

Once you release it, observe the feedback and take it to heart when it is constructive. If it's your first time writing, it will likely crash and burn, so you will be performing an autopsy to see where you went wrong. Then, once you've calmed down, maybe had a good cry, steel yourself and write your next story.

7841062

What software should I use

It's dangerous to write alone; here, use these:
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/213620/programmatical-editing
http://www.grammarcheck.me/
http://www.reverso.net/spell-checker/english-spelling-grammar
http://www.onlinecorrection.com
http://www.spellcheck.net/
http://www.slickwrite.com
http://www.paperrater.com/free_paper_grader
http://www.writersdiet.com/test.php
http://hemingwayapp.com
http://www.polishmywriting.com/
http://spellcheckplus.com/
https://app.grammarly.com/
http://www.expresso-app.org/
http://www.webpagefx.com/tools/read-able/
https://virtualwritingtutor.com/
https://www.grammar.com/grammar_check.php
https://chat.openai.com/
Bing AI - Search

7841062
Google Docsis my go to. And generally writing down notes and paragraphs by hand that I come up with with a notebook I always keep around my person.

Also. Do not writte unless you are already am avid reader. I can't emphasize enough how impossible writing to entertain becomes.if you don't enjoy reading fiction for your own amusement. And you better read things that aren't just fanfiction.

7841062

What characters are good to use?

The characters of the alphabet.

Take your time researching and planning. You are probably going to rewrite it a lot. Get pre-readers.
Also: Write for fun, not fame.

If you somehow manage to write something that's actually good you will probably want some cover art. The Art for Fimfiction group is a good place to get some as you can get lucky and find someone who will draw your cover art for free. Alternatively you could save up some money buy a drawing tablet learn to draw and draw your own art. That's what I did and I highly recommend it. Also just have fun and don't take yourself too seriously!

My recommendation? Write whatever you want to write. Fanfics, as with any form of media or fiction, will never be seen as good by 100% of people who see it. There are notorious stinkers to some who are held as beloved classics by others, and vice-versa. What matters most is when you finish your story, step back, look at t and go "yep, I'm happy with it"