I assume if you’re here, it’s because you have either read fanfiction or you are interested in writing it. While the idea of writing something and posting it to the internet can be a daunting and potentially emotional task, it can also be liberating and cathartic. D.L. White and I briefly touched on the scary part of posting your work to the internet and she feels if she’s not nervous, she didn’t take enough risks in her writing. And I would agree with her.
Creating and immersing yourself in a world where you get to decide what happens is incredibly freeing. So, do you want to learn how to write a fanfiction? Excellent! You’re in good company! I’ve been reading fanfiction for nearly twenty years and writing my own stories off and on during that time.
I’ve scoured the internet looking for the best tips and tricks and put them all conveniently here for you to follow. With a little flare from what has worked for me and some advice from Ms. D.L. White.
Step 1: Choose your fandom.
Make sure you choose a fandom that interests you and one you know a lot about. Write what you know. It’ll be very difficult to write about something you know very little about.
Step 2: Create an original character.
Choose characteristics you find admirable. Is your character going to be a main character? Are they the antagonist? The protagonist? Are they the love interest of a character already in the universe? Avoid making your character a “Mary Sue,” unrealistically perfect or flawless. No character is infallible.
Step 3: Decide on a theme.
Based on the fandom you’ve chosen, decide what the overall theme of the story is. Is the story in your head in an alternate universe from the original content? Is it a romance? Is it funny? Once you decide on the general theme, you can start thinking about the direction you want to take your story.
Step 4: Decide how the story will end.
Once you’ve decided if the story will end happily, tragically, or somewhere in between, ask yourself, “How will my characters get there?” I have found that if I think of a scene that doesn’t make sense in the context of my story, I ask how to get my characters to this scene and work backward, in a sense. If I want my characters to end up happily married, how does one propose to the other? How do they first start dating? How do they meet? Doing this makes it easy to avoid the “where do I go from here” way of writing.
Step 5: Start writing!
When I interviewed D.L. White she suggested, “Just start. If you can get it down on paper, you can fix it later.” I have the same approach when it comes to writing. I have found that if I just get my thoughts on paper, I can rearrange them later during the editing process. While you’re writing, assume your audience knows the fandom. There’s no need to get too descriptive on the background information. If someone has decided to read your story, odds are good they already know the lore behind the overall universe.
Step 6: Have fun!
The fun part about writing fanfiction is not to take yourself too seriously. It’s supposed to be a way to check out of your head and into another world. Let your imagination run wild on paper. The only rules to break are the ones you’ve set for yourself. Take notes from the authors who have inspired you.
There are plenty of resources out there to help you get started writing. If you’re looking to publish your creative story, not fanfiction, you can use sites like storybird.
These Writing prompts can get some creative juices flowing and allow you to get a jump start on writing. Even if you aren’t writing fanfiction and just writing creatively. This is a great way to do that.
Once you’ve written your story, the next step is to edit it and you can either do it yourself, have someone else be a beta, someone who reads your story and gives you feedback, or you can use one of the many websites out there to help you. Two sites that I have found that are easy to use and free are scribbr, and grammarly . Each of these sites can be used to proofread your work before you publish it to the internet forever.
Like I said before, posting to the internet is scary. But do it scared. Put yourself out there, or you may never know how good you really are. I know the site I’ve posted on does not take kindly to disrespectful comments. Instead, the comments are usually focused on congratulating the author and celebrating the writing or story.
Here’s a fun video about fanfiction writers!
Coming up next: The ugly, and somewhat legal side of writing fanfiction.
Sources:
“A Beginners Guide to Writing Fanfiction by Animedemon001 on DeviantArt.” By Animedemon001 on DeviantArt, www.deviantart.com/animedemon001/art/A-Beginners-guide-to-writing-fanfiction-454700419. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Connor, CJ. “How to Start Writing Fan Fiction.” BOOK RIOT, 4 Jan. 2023, bookriot.com/how-to-write-fan-fiction/.
Unsplash. “350+ Writing Pictures [HD]: Download Free Images on Unsplash.” 350+ Writing Pictures [HD] | Download Free Images on Unsplash, unsplash.com/s/photos/writing. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5Y6k01WiP0. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
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