Why I Write Fanfiction

I have always loved writing ever since I was a little girl and it is still my hobby as an adult. I don't harbor a burning desire to be published, but I still love writing for fun. I have two original works in process,and I also write fanfiction.

Fanfiction is, in the simplest terms, writing in a universe that has been created by someone else. Fanfiction authors use known universes they didn't create as a base for their own stories. Some popular examples are the universes of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings. So for example, an author might write a story about Luke Skywalker and his experiences after the end of The Return of the Jedi. Fanfiction can be written for pretty much anything people enjoy whether movies, TV shows, video games, or books.

That's what fanfiction is, but some people might wonder if there is even a purpose to writing fanfiction. A question often leveled at fanfiction authors is "Why not just write your own works?" I'm going to answer that question for me personally below with five reasons I write fanfiction.

1. To Expand or Fill in the Gaps in a Known Universe

I don't write fanfic unless I feel a need to; I must be motivated to write in a known universe. Mostly I write in an already created universe when I perceive a place for expansion or explanation--and I want the answer! Sometimes this means I write a scene from a different character's point-of-view than was told in the original story or write to fill in a time gap where viewers/readers weren't told what happened. I might follow minor side characters that weren't explored in the story, giving them their own voice in the known universe. I also sometimes write "fixes," rewriting a scene or ending to a story that dissatisfied fans of the universe, suggesting a better way it might have been done.


2. To Hone My Writing Skills

The highest benefit of writing fanfiction is that the universe is already created, so you don't have to start from scratch creating a world. Fanfiction cannot be published anyway because the authors are not the creators of the original fiction. This means there is less pressure than there might be if an author was working on a story to be published. Thus, there is freedom in fanfiction to expand and hone an author's writing skills without a burden of "perfection." I can try different ways of writing and receive feedback without worrying about making my work good enough for a publisher.

3. To Explore Humanity

Often the ideas or characters in a medium will encourage me to think. I love it when a story stays with me after I watch/read it and makes me ponder. For this reason, I never write just to create a good yarn, though I'm not opposed to good yarns, they're just not my style. Both in my reading and my writing I want to dig deeper into the characters to ask questions about who we are, how we navigate a difficult world, and how we manage the conflicts within our own souls. Even in a fictional universe far removed from earth, similar themes appear: the search for identity, loss and grief, childhood traumas that affect adulthood, difficult choices that change the trajectory of lives, and so on. I latch onto exploring these deeper ideas of a known universe, sometimes even when they were just hinted at.

4. For the Community

It's really fun to share the fandoms you enjoy so much with others who like them and fanfiction authors often get to connect with each other since they are exploring the world at the same time.

5. For the Readers

This is actually the least of the reasons I write fanfiction. Rarely, if ever, do I write fanfiction for the fans of the fandom. But let me explain, because that makes it sound like I don't care about the readers. I have made a promise to finish any fanfiction story I start because I am committed to the readers. One of the worst things is to get caught in a good fanfiction story and find the author has abandoned it. I also sometimes get requests and if the idea interests me, I'll write what a reader wants to see. So I do care about the readers. However, I rarely initially write something expressly for the readers. I have always had the approach to fanfiction that I am writing this for me and if someone wants to read along, that's great! Reasons 1 to 3 trump readers. I'll write even if no one reads a fic because my goal isn't to acquire readers. In fact, one of my favorite trilogies I ever wrote was about five minor characters in the Elder Scrolls universe. I knew when I wrote my trilogy that it wouldn't attract many readers, but it didn't matter to me because reasons 1-3 motivated me. To this day I still love that trilogy and am wholly satisfied with it and how writing it stretched me and has informed my other works to this day.


So, these are the reasons I write fanfiction. Fanfiction can certainly be a minefield. You'll find some really badly written fanfiction out there and much that is self-indulgent and sometimes just a poor excuse for sating the lusts of the authors. But there are those who write fanfiction for good reasons that stretch them as writers, that reveal needed messages to the fandom culture, that cause readers to think and grow. And sometimes, even just a good yarn if that's what you're looking for. It's an endeavor for many that leads to better writing and better ideas.