The Appeal of Fanfiction

Anyone who hasn’t heard of fanfiction before will most likely feel confused and possibly intrigued by the concept of normal people writing stories based on pre-existing works. So what exactly is fanfiction? It’s a work of fiction created by a fan of a certain book, movie, TV show, video game…the list goes on. So where is all this fanfiction? How is it even published? Well, technically it’s not (at least, not by any publishing companies), but the best place to look is obviously the internet. Fanfiction.net is definitely the first place to check out for newbies, although I wouldn’t stop there. There are tons of sites out there dedicated to certain fandoms, characters, or pairings that are all accessible through a simple Google search. (I personally recommend Livejournal communities for quality writing, though of course your luck may vary.) Okay, so we know what it is and where to find it, but who exactly writes this stuff? The short answer is everyone. Anyone is a feasible fanfiction writer, even if you’d rather not publish it on the internet for the masses to peruse. So, if for some reason you believe you’re not good enough or your idea isn’t cool enough, keep in mind the sheer span of your readers and remember that anything is accepted. There’s one more question to answer before we move on: Why bother writing fanfiction when you can just write fiction, i.e. a book? There are many answers: Because you care about these characters, Because your idea is based in this universe, Because your story doesn’t stand well on its own. Fanfiction can certainly be the jumping board for a published work, but in general the concept of fanfiction is to celebrate a pre-existing canon by being creative within the universe that canon gives us.

Now that you understand the concept of fanfiction, you might be wondering why you should care enough to search out something to read. Is it even worth it? Only you can answer that question for yourself, but the best way to find out is to read. The easiest type of fanfiction to start with would be the continuation of a story that the original canon leaves open-ended. What happens next? Here’s an example that almost anyone can understand: Disney’s Mulan. An excellent film and one of the few of Disney’s that doesn’t shove a happily ever after in your face. There’s a very distinct feeling of life moving on and a few hints for the future, but nothing concrete. (Let’s tactfully ignore the sequel for the moment.) Here is the perfect opportunity for aspiring writers to fill in the blanks with their favorite characters. You’re free to write all about Mulan and her potential love interest Shang getting happily married and having twenty children before dying peacefully in their sleep. Or if that’s not your cup of tea, then they could go on some more crazy adventures, meet back up with their friends Ling, Yao, and Chien Po, and finally return home to regale their families with imaginative stories. The sky’s the limit, as the open-ended cliché makes perfectly clear.

So you’ve wrapped up a couple of endings that were nagging at you and now you’re probably wondering, ‘What’s next?’ Two words: fantasy fulfillment. Fanfiction is essentially daydreams put into (hopefully) coherent writing to share with other people. The most obvious type of fantasy fulfillment is something I call Missing Moments. Throughout the course of a story, there are some things that are left out of the telling simply for the sake of narrative. This is one of the marks of good writing. It also leaves a bunch of holes that fanfiction writers love to fill in with their own creations. It could be something as mundane as ‘What happens between this scene and the next?’, as deep as ‘What ultimately led to this character’s change of heart?’, or in a more romantic vein, ‘How exactly did these two characters end up together?’ If the original story leaves it up to you, there is no right answer so a fanfiction writer’s creative license is unlimited. The Missing Moments type is also an excellent way to explore otherwise flat or static characters. If the original story is told in third person limited, with only one character’s thoughts and motives laid bare, it leaves all the other characters free for you to explore and theorize about.

When you have a particular canon universe, there are things that can be done in that universe, and things that can’t. The second type of fantasy fulfillment is a much broader concept with ideas that can all be grouped under the heading Non-canon Scenarios. The simplest examples would be ideas like, ‘Wouldn’t it be funny if this character ever met this character?’ or ‘What would happen if this event had never taken place or if this character had never existed?’ or even, ‘What if the whole story took place during a different time period?’ All of these questions lead to a fanfiction category called an Alternate Universe, or AU for short. If it’s true that events shape the future, then changing those events would result in a different future. This is the basic idea behind every AU fanfiction. The difference between this type of fanfiction and published fiction is that, though the story and even some of the characters are completely different, the writer is staying true to the essence of the original story and its characterizations. Yes, the story is a little skewed, but these are still the characters we know and love. This is the challenge for every AU writer: put the characters through situations they wouldn’t normally encounter and predict how they would react while staying true to their original characterizations. Sounds easy, right?

So why put the characters through all these hoops? Just to watch them squirm? To see how they’ll react? That can certainly be an answer, but more often than not the be all, end all of fanfiction can be summed up in one word: Shipping. No, not the postal kind. Shipping is a colloquial fandom word that means supporting two (or more) characters in a romantic way, whether it’s a canon pairing or not. See, it comes from relationship. Ship, Shipping. Clever, no? Anyway, while there are many good stories out there with a healthy mix of romance and other genres (or even no romance at all), the sad truth is the stories centered entirely on romance outweigh those at least 20 to one. The world in general certainly has a one-track mind and the internet is no different. This is not to say that Shipping can’t be fun and entertaining, but when looking for a good story in this category, read the summaries carefully.

If you’re working with a pairing that is already canon (or at least heavily hinted at one day being canon), then your path is pretty much already laid. The basic idea behind canon pairing fanfiction is ‘I wish this pairing had more moments or some closure before the end.’ This type expands upon the groundwork laid by the original creator and glories in a pairing that both the fans and the creator support. The other type of Shipping is based upon non-canon pairings, whether they are likely to happen in canon or not. These stories follow the question, ‘Wouldn’t those two make a good couple or a better couple than the canon pairing?’ Sometimes the two characters in question are uninvolved in canon and the only thing holding them back from being together is one good fanfiction story. Other times, one or both of the characters are in a relationship already, but don’t let this roadblock stop you for long. Relationships are ever-changing things and there is always something that can happen to completely derail even the healthiest ones. The fun part is figuring out how to go about creating a story like this with rational, in-character reactions from everyone involved. And still other times, there are extenuating circumstances. Maybe the two characters have never even met, maybe they’re sworn enemies, or maybe being in this new relationship would question their sexuality. Getting around these obstacles is much more difficult, especially if you’re trying to remain true to the characters. Just remember: anything is possible in fanfiction.

So is the ultimate goal of writing fanfiction to bring satisfaction to yourself and your readers? For some of us, that answer would be a yes, but that doesn’t mean that’s all fanfiction can do. Quite frankly, it’s good writing practice. Many first attempts at full length (or any length) fiction tend to end in embarrassment and How-did-I-think-this-sounded-good? moments, but ultimately it’s an excellent learning experience. (Let’s compare the Twilight saga to some of Stephanie Meyer’s recent writing, shall we?) You can write about fandoms and characters you find entertaining and interesting while developing your own style that can ultimately lead to your very own published work.

So, the question you’re probably pondering: is fanfiction for you? Well, the only way to know is to try, but I hold true to the belief that there’s something for everyone out there. And if your scenario hasn’t been dreamt up yet, why not write it yourself? The point of fanfiction is fans creating things for other fans to enjoy, so go out there, read, write, and have fun!

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