Fan fiction can be so much fun to write and share! When you write fan fiction, you set your stories within a world that someone else created. You may create your own new characters, or borrow characters that already exist.
In any case, the pleasures of fan fiction are clear:
You get to spend more time in a fictional universe that you love from a book, show, or game. And you can share that passion with other people.
What are the perils of sharing fan fiction?
Well, first of all, it might be hard to believe, but not everyone in the world shares your passion for that book, show, or game. So right away, you might lose readers who don’t share your enthusiasm. That’s not such a big problem—you can’t please everyone, right?
Second, you might find that it’s hard for non-fans to understand your work of fan fiction. Think about it: you have an intimate relationship with the world where you set your story, but other readers might not. What seems obvious to you will be baffling to them.
Third, you might not be willing to do the work of recreating the world in your fiction. When you create a story that’s all your own, you know that your top job is to suck your reader into your fictional world. You do a lot of work to build characters and setting that make your story unique. But when you’re writing fan fiction, it seems silly to build something that’s already been built.
Finally, it can be very hard for fans to know what non-fans don’t know. You get so fully engrossed in the world that you’re writing within that it’s easy to forget what it would be like for someone to discover the world just through your writing.
My suggestions for sharing fan fiction
- If you want to write pure fan fiction, just share it with fellow fans. Why? Because it will probably be baffling to non-fans, and they are likely not to show you the appreciation that you want or need.
- If you want to share fan fiction with non-fans, make it your own. How do you do that? First, change the names. Make a conscious effort to personalize the world. It’s fine to keep your story based on the fan world, but move away from the shared knowledge of the fan world. Try to think of it as your own story. Take responsibility for selling your story to the reader, and forget about being able to depend on the fan universe.
Remember: writing sometimes has a built-in audience
You wouldn’t expect doctors to enjoy technical manuals for car mechanics any more than you’d expect car mechanics to want to read the finer points of how to perform gall bladder surgery! A lot of writing has a built-in audience.
It’s important not to mistake your own passions for everyone’s passions. Fan fiction is so fun to write and share with other people who take part in it. But don’t be disappointed if non-fans don’t share your enthusiasm or get what you’re doing.
Remember: the writer chooses their audience
Remember that you have control. If you want a narrow audience, fan fiction is great. If you want a more general audience, work to expand outward so that you are bringing the world of your story to your audience.
In fact, here’s a little secret:
If you make your fan fiction more readable to non-fan readers, it will actually be better writing all around. Try it and see!