Are you a fan of fiction? Whether you read novels, watch television or watch movies, stories are everywhere. Sometimes you like the ending and sometimes not. A good story always leaves you unsettled. You always crave for more. After reading a good story, we always try to give it an ending of our choice, and it can often turn into a huge story. Have you ever experienced this?

For me, it all started with Robert Thier's book Storm and Silence.  I am a huge fan of his work. I joined Wattpad to read his stories. That's how I was introduced to fan-fiction where readers like you and I post their own versions chapter-wise. This showed me that I too could take stories further my way. That is called fan-fiction. Let me give it a proper definition.

writing fan fiction

What is a fan-fiction?

Writing stories using existing characters from a movie, a T.V. show, books or even real people (famous personalities) is fan-fiction. It can be written in any length, any setting. The main reason behind writing fan-fiction is the playful desire to engage with the existing story and the lives of the characters.

Where to write it?

There are many e-platforms available where you can actually read and write too. It gives you great exposure and a better start to writing fan-fiction. I initially used Wattpad. There you can find fan-fiction of many famous stories around the world. There are many writers, who often arrange such online events where you can submit fan-fiction written by you. They publish them through their account but give you credit which is great. This way, you get a good start and a lot of beta readers too. You can also write it on your blog or other storytelling platforms. There are many platforms where you can read and write fan-fiction. Here I am sharing list of a few platforms:

ao3

From a Sci-fi Hollywood movie to Bajrangi Bhaijan and Bajirao Mastani, you can find anything on this website. This is like a holy book of fan-fiction. You need to search what you want to read from the huge list.

FanFiction

You can guess by just reading the name of the website. Just search want you want to read and you are good to go.

Wattpad

Wattpad is the first website where I started reading fan-fiction. It is also very easy to write on Wattpad. Here you can connect with other authors and take part in activities too.

Quotev

It is very user friendly. You can find all the categories at the top. Just click and read.

There are many other websites but I found these easy to use and the content is enough to start with.

Why write fanfiction?

  • To fulfil your desire to have more time with your favourite characters or in their favourite fictional worlds
  • There is a lot of flexibility and experimentation possibilities. You can try a different genre. You can go with first person, second person or even third-person narratives, choose the length yourself, take the story wherever you want.
  • You can gain experience in terms of writing as well as dealing with beta readers because the probability of getting your work read is more if you use a good platform. You can learn how to handle criticism.
  • It can lead you to new work. You can submit your work to different agents or in different competitions and this can help you grab new opportunities.

How to write?

  • The first thing is to choose what you love and start. Just keep the trend in mind too. Go for popular stories and characters first. This broadens the chance to attract readers.
  • Read a lot of fan-fiction first. This will give you an idea of how to go about it. Research work is important.
  • There is no need to pick up the end of the story but you can take your favourite part of the story and can create something new. For eg, if you like two characters in the story but want to add something about how they meet you can make it interesting by adding drama to their meeting scenario in any style you want or can even add a few romantic dates in their life from your imagination.
  • Always decide the ending first. It is important in fan-fiction. Even if you write just a chapter decide where you want to end it and then go with your words.
  • Don’t worry about the word count. This is a fascinating part of writing with your mind. It gives you the flexibility to go where the story takes you. First, write your heart out and then edit it.

Some important tips

  • Protagonists and antagonists are the major characters which is the requirement for good fan-fiction. Make sure they push the boundaries a bit. There should also be a sense of humour and some practical struggles that real people face in their lives. It will be more relatable to the readers then.
  • Post your work to the right website. There are many platforms available; you need to find out which one suits you best.
  • Always reply to the comments of the readers to get connected with them.
  • You can also be open to fanart for your work. You will find out that people are crazily in love with the characters and will amaze you with their work, love and support.
  • Keep a close tab on your favourite writer who releases their work on e-platforms. They often organise activities where they demand fan-fiction from their actual fans. Your work gets prominence and you get the credit.
  • You can grow your social media brand by connecting with potential readers.
  • You can introduce new characters to the story. This can make your transition to new work easier and after that you can publish it.
  • If a reader is on a fan-fiction website that means they want to surprise themselves with new possibilities. Give them that.
  • Watch out for inappropriate content and warn your readers beforehand so they know what to expect.

If you like a story, its characters, its setting or if you are a movie buff, why not try writing fan-fiction and see where it can take you. Even if you don’t want to share it, you can still enjoy living in your imaginative world and can even improve your writing.

If you're looking for some writing tips, check here.

This was written as part of guest posts. To learn how you too can pitch us and earn reward points, check out this post.