Most people might assume, after learning that I am a writer, that I have been writing stories with original characters all my life. That is, at best, only partially true.
In fact, for a very long time, I struggled with creating characters, naming them, everything. I had no problem coming up with great plotlines–it’s just that the character creation part was difficult, for whatever reason. Especially as a young writer (referring to single-digits ages), I never could seem to come up with original characters that were good enough for my plotlines, but I could always match plotlines with established stories, taking old stories in new directions.
And so, quite by accident, I became an author of what I now know as fanfiction, at a very young age. (For instance: somewhere in my house, there is a very old fanfiction about Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty hanging out and playing games, written on steno notebook paper in blue highlighter because I was about six-and-a-half and thought the blue ink was “pretty.” xD)
What Exactly IS Fanfiction?
Fanfiction is basically a new work of written fiction based off a movie, TV show, video game, or book; fanfiction authors can borrow nearly all, some, or nearly none of the original work’s characters, settings, and plotline in order to shape their own creation.
Fanfiction’s Slightly Bad Reputation
However, fanfiction in general has gotten a bad rap, for two reasons:
- It is usually considered a type of “derivative work,” which is kinda-sorta-not plagiarism–you are borrowing someone else’s characters to act out your plot;
- The fanfiction form has been used more for writing pornographic scenes than really doing anything new with the established characters.
Some established authors hate that their works get fanfic’ed, some are fine with it, and some are indifferent entirely. But many writers and literature lovers dislike the field of fanfic authors greatly, mostly because of these two reasons. They even go so far as to say that fanfic authors are not “real” writers at all, since they borrow rather than create their own characters.
Why Fanfiction Is Actually Not So Bad
However, this criticism misses part of the point of fanfiction: doing something new with established characters. It’s kind of like playing in a literary “sandbox,” just trying new things, seeing what happens. It can free creativity (and inspire new plotlines) in a way that struggling to create original characters can stifle.
For instance, my old story about Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty hanging out as friends might sound silly. But I was willing to step outside the box of traditional thought, even then, and try something new with the characters. It made writing a whole lot more fun; I got to toy around like a chemist mixing chemicals and substances in a lab. It wasn’t the best story on earth, but it wasn’t meant to be–it was done for fun, and for the experience of trying new ideas.
I think of fanfiction primarily as flattery to the original author of the work; after all, they’ve made awesome characters in a well-designed world, otherwise people would not respond by trying to work with those characters in that world. I don’t believe that fanfic authors are trying to steal anybody’s credit (I certainly don’t approach it that way, at least); it’s just that sometimes, your creativity gets to boiling when a great author’s work has struck a chord within you.
I also believe that fanfiction can be a good training ground for new authors. Certainly I cut my teeth as a writer by writing fanfic! Where I once struggled with creating good original characters, I have now become good enough to trust my instincts while pulling together characters for my own novel. Where I once worried that my style was too trite and boring, I have now tightened up my writing style through practice with fanfictions of all sorts.
I do agree that some fanfics are a little difficult to read because they seem so personal to the fanfic author; I also agree that some fanfic authors go a little overboard. But one cannot become a better writer without practice and input from readers, and fanfiction sites can be great places to get feedback and share the stories that have been bubbling inside your brain. And after all, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to read it! 🙂
To Learn More about Fanfiction
The potential legal pitfalls of publishing fanfiction online is well covered by ChillingEffects.org’s Fanfiction article–you do have to be careful publishing it!
But, on the positive side, there are many fanfiction archive websites online, as well as numerous fanfic author communities through Livejournal, Tumblr, WordPress, and many others. Here are just a few links I know of:
WARNING: Not all may be safe for work, and some may have more adult-themed stories, as discussed earlier in this article.
Most-Recommended
Fanfiction.net
MediaMiner.org
FictionPress.com
Other Excellent Sites
Archive Of Our Own
Mibba.com
Figment.com
ImagineFanfiction.com
Wattpad.com
Fictionesque.com
ForeverFandom.net
FanficAuthors.net
MyFandoms.com (also for fan videos and art)
FicWad.com
Lists of Fanfiction Sites
Fanfiction Directory
Fanfiction Sites: A List on Squidoo.com
