The Amazing Tool that is Fan Fiction

Yes, I’m one of those people. I love fan fiction. Hell, I write fan fiction (not that I’ll share those stories any time soon). I came in at time when fan fiction wasn’t accepted by the mainstream, back when it was a deep, underground movement within fandoms. Tumblr, Wattpad, FanFic.net, AO3 (my personal favorite), they weren’t places you shared with your friends without a certain type of trust.

Now, fan fiction is everywhere! It’s accepted, loved, and people can even make a living off of writing it! Many authors will share stories of how their novels started out as fan fiction, but I don’t think any less of them for it. (Looking at you, Christina Lauren! Keep doing what you're doing!)

When you think about it, almost everything is fan fiction, especially in romance. Is that hunky main character of yours based on a sexy celebrity? There’s such a thing as real person fan fiction and if your story was on a different platform, you would fit that category. Fan fiction is not only a great place to draw inspiration, it is also a tool to help you write better!

When you already have an established world, complete with thought out characters, you can take them and just focus on the story! Now, I've seen plenty of people look down on fan fiction. Some see it as theft, others as laziness. But, if done the right way and with the right motives, I believe it can help authors really find their own voice and learn how to weave a story. It’s so much easier when you’re not having to look too closely into character arcs and continuity.

Fan fiction is not going away anytime soon. And, it may very well be the thing we need in the writing community to explore our own potential as authors!