Let's face it, if you have ever been a part of any type of fandom, be it a band or a TV show, you have most likely either read some fanfiction or at least heard about some. Fanfiction is an integral part of fandoms as it is made by members of the fandom for other members of a fandom. I mysel,f am a Fanfiction writer. Right now, I mainly write stories based on the CW TV show The 100 and the characters involved, but I have been known to dabble (read/write small things that never get finished) in other fandoms. As a Fanfiction writer, there are certain questions you get asked non-stop, but before you can ask me any of them, I have complied this list of the most common ones.
1. Do You Write Porn?
NO. Let me say that again just so we are clear, no, I do not write porn. Okay, I get it, most people who have heard about fanfiction automatically think of this weird fetish story about these two characters from that one show/game that is basically porn for your imagination. I get it. Yet— while there are certainly those who only write more explicit pieces— a huge chunk of Fanfiction may never contain a single sexual act. I personally have written over 102,688 (roughly around 250+ pages 1.5 spaced 12pt. font) and now even had so much as a kiss (much to the dismay of my readers). fanfiction does not even have to be about romance. There are Fanfictions about characters accidentally winding up in Ancient Rome or pieces that lean more toward character studies, or diving deeper in a character’s thoughts during a particular scene. The possibilities are endless. It’s not always porn. It’s sometimes porn.
2. Why do you even write about characters that aren't yours?
Listen, I get that the characters I write about do not belong to me, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love them with my entire heart. You have to love them to pour endless of hours into writing and rewriting and more rewriting and eventually editing this story just to see how the character reacts to being dropped into a new situation or even a new world. It’s fascinating taking a character who knows nothing beyond Medieval technology and suddenly dropping them into the 21st century or vice versa. Suddenly you are faced with challenges of deciding how they would react to real world problems and situations. Will your Roman gladiator be a Facebook user or a Twitter addict? What is their style? How does your pacifist elf deal with suddenly being in the middle of WWII? I write about these characters from TV shows to give them new lives over and over again in ways that could not possibly happen on the show itself. I love them and want to give them these endless lives.
3. What is the point of fanfiction?
Fanfiction is different for every person, both for reading and writing. Sometimes, people turn to fanfiction when a TV show or book ends in a way that is less satisfactory (I’m looking at you True Blood) and want it to “fixed.” Others want to read something that centers on a pairing (most commonly known as a ship) of characters in a romantic scenario (my category). Some just want to read alternate versions of scenes that happened in the actual show. There are thousands of different types of fanfiction out there and everyone has their own niche that they fit into. So to answer the question “What is the point of?” it really just depends on what need you are trying to fulfill. I guess in a general sense it writing fanfiction would ultimately to introduce your perception into whatever it you are writing about.
4. Why even do this if you don't get paid?
You know for the amount of time I spend writing my fanfictions, you would think I would get some sort of payment for it. The truth is, I do all of this for me. I love writing. Like, a lot. I enjoy coming up with silly little stories for my characters to go through or seeing how a character deals with heartbreak when they are already at the end of their rope. It’s fun. I do not get paid to do this. At least in the general sense. I get paid in the amount of practice I get to put into my craft— a craft I want to make a living off of. I get paid in the kind (yet sometimes firm) criticism I get from my readers. Most of all, I get paid by each view and like I get on my story. There is nothing more rewarding than getting a comment about someone telling you how much they enjoyed your story— that they laughed at this one scene, or cringed at another. While I strongly maintain that you should write for you (believe me you’ll kill yourself writing to please others), validation of the hard work you’ve put into your story is the absolute best. Money would be nice, but it’s not necessary.
5. Can I read your fanfiction?
No. Yes. Maybe? Fanfiction can be extremely personal, despite (most often) having been posted online on some platform or another. Personally, I love when people read my fanfiction, but that does not mean I’m openly giving out my username. It’s not that I’m ashamed of what I have written (trust me, I could care less if you do not like what I have written) it’s just that if a person is not a part of the fandom the fanfiction is written for, it often loses a lot of meaning. Think of it like picking up the second or third book in a series. While the plots may be independent of each other, you do not understand all the little references or impact of certain characters. Sure, you can follow along and pick up what you can, but you miss such a huge part of the experience. I guess that is one of the “bad” things about fanfiction writing; as writers, we often take for granite these foundations that are already laid out for us. These foundations do not exist outside of fanfiction, but at the same time it allows for a different type of storytelling.
So there you have it folks, all the answers to the questions you were probably going to ask (at least in some variation or another). I hope this gave you a better insight into the mind of fanfiction writers and maybe even made you think about the person behind your own favorite fanfic. There are people behind that screen and they love what they do. I love what I do.
