How Writing Fan Fiction Can Help You Be a Better Writer

Writing fan fiction is incredibly fun. You get to take characters you love from your favorite tv shows, books or movies, and create new stories for them. However, fan fiction tends to get a bad rap for not being “real” writing. Probably because anyone with any skill level can do it. But I disagree. I, myself, have written fan fiction and found it to be a great source of learning. It helped me to stretch my imagination and develop many skills as a writer. Here are some reasons why I think writing fan fiction could benefit any one who wants to be a better writer.

You Use Character to Develop Your Story-telling Skills

When you take characters from a movie or a tv show, you are getting a character that has already been set up. You know their histories, their relationships, their strengths, flaws and desires. Knowing a these’s things is incredibly helpful to generate ideas for conflict. You see, most stories are about a character facing a problem that challenges their flaw. We know a character is supposed to change and we tell the story of that change. Therefore, because we are already familiar with these characters, we can use our creativity to come up with fun and tricky situations to put them in.

I used to write fan fiction for The Vampire Diaries (2009). In my stories, I made Bonnie Bennet my main character. Bonnie (Kat Graham) is a witch raised by her grandmother, both of whom belong to a long line of powerful witches in Mystic Falls. Bonnie is also Elena Gilbert’s (Nina Dobrev) best friend. In the show, she was usually the magical fix-it tool to get her friends out of trouble—a magical negro trope to be precise. Bonnie often used her magic to help her friends at the expense of her personal storylines. I wanted to change that because what I understood about Bonnie’s character is that she is loyal and fiercely protective of the people she loves, however, she does not put herself first. The first fanfic I wrote was about Bonnie developing feelings for her best friend’s ex, Stefan Salvatore, who she’s been working with to help save Mystic Falls from being overrun by a powerful family of vampires (The Mikaelsons). This was good conflict for a character who is fiercely loyal and protective of her friends. What if she’s the one causing pain to her friend? But, what about her feelings; do they not matter? What will she choose to do in the end?

When you know a character, coming up with interesting problems for them to face, whether it be a romance or defeating some evil vampire family, helps develop your story-telling skills.

You Learn Discipline

When you write fan fiction, you are likely to post your work online. FanFiction.net and Archive Of Our Own (Ao3) are the most well-known sites that host fan works. I used to upload a chapter a week on FanFiction.net. As I had a deadline and readers waiting for updates, I needed to be consistent. That meant writing and editing a chapter a week. If you struggle to get any work done, uploading your story on a website may help you be more consistent. It also helps you practice writing. Everyone knows, the more you write, the better you get. Why not practice writing stories with characters you already know and love?

You Get Feedback

When you share your work online, you give people the opportunity to read your work and provide you with feedback. Feedback is very important to a writer. It’s the only way we can improve as readers can give us a different perspective of our work. Of course, you need to be critical of what feedback to take, but even getting a simple “I love your story, please write more” is enough to boost your confidence. I know that any comment I got pushed me to continue to writing and sharing.

You Write With Inclusivity and Representation In Mind

If you are a writer of color, like myself, and you like genres like sci-fi, fantasy and supernatural romances—or any genre for that matter—you are aware that the market is vastly white. It can sometimes become hard to imagine ourselves in the stories we greatly love. When you yearn for representation, sometimes you’re left having to do it yourself. Start by writing fan fiction for characters you identify with in the tv shows and books you love. Thanks to Bonnie Bennett, a black character, I was able to write stories for a character that I saw myself in. This helped me come up with original characters that did’t fit into the stereotypes often perpetuated by the media.

You also get to break stereotypes with your work. I made Bonnie the protagonist of her own story, with agency to decide when she used her powers. I also made her desirable to the male characters in her show. And, why not? It happens in real life.

Try It

No matter where you’re at in your writing journey, I really recommend you try your hand at fan fiction. If you’re stuck writing your original novel or if you’re just starting to write, use fan fiction as a tool to help stimulate creativity and strengthen your skills.

Do you write fan fiction? If so, tell us about in the comments!

Hi! Shantal here. I’m a writer and a storyteller. I created Shantal Writes to share my experiences with writing fiction. I also provide new writers with tips, tools, and writing advice. I hope you find something helpful while you’re here!