I got my start writing fanfiction as a teenager, and I'm starting to think it negatively affected me. Like-- I'm terrible at world-building. I never had to build a world before; it was already done for me. I took for granted people already knew the characters. When you're writing fanfiction, you don't have to create romantic tension. If people like the pairing, they'll click on your story, and they don't, they won't. I had no idea how to make a likable or interesting hero. It was already done for me. In some ways, fanfiction helped me. It gave me an audience. It made me want to write. It helped me figure out what I was good at, what worked, and what didn't. I got feedback and attention. I'm really good at writing blurbs and summaries now because I spent a ton of time on it. I worked by trial and error. Whenever someone left me a review, I paid close attention to what they liked and what they didn't. But at the same time... I feel like I'm half-grown. Like--I have a lot of experience writing a good opening, but I have zero experience with world-building. Does anyone else feel this way? @Laurin Kelly -- I know you got your start writing fanfiction, too, and I'm curious about how you feel.
I think almost all writers tend to get their starts writing fanfiction. I mean, shit, I was writing fanfiction when I was like eight years old. A dipshit child version of myself once attempted to create a novelization of Final Fantasy 7. I got like 20 pages done, even. All badly written by hand. For me, fanfiction actually massively improved my world building capabilities. In fact, I'm a pretty amazing world builder and people have actually paid me for help when it comes to fleshing out their worlds. I wrote a good number of fanfictions set in the World of Warcraft universe, one of which actually got a response from someone from Blizzard Entertainment (the developers behind the game) who commented it was one of the best works of fanfiction set in WoW they'd ever read. Too bad the assholes seem to never do writing contests anymore. I can see how fanfiction might leave you stunted in world building and character building, though. When I wrote WoW fanfiction, for instance, I didn't have to really describe any of the characters or the settings. When I wrote a story taking place in a city, anyone reading the fanfiction was going to know what the city looked like, so I didn't need to really describe anything. When one of my characters was a goblin or an orc or whatever, I didn't have to tell the reader "The orc was a big green guy with two white tusks and he was evil and liked to hit people with his axe", anyone reading a WoW fanfiction is already going to know what a Warcraft orc guy looks like. So I got to get away without having to give a lot of exposition or set anything up. I didn't take this for granted, though, I knew that fanfiction granted me the privilege of setting a world all up for me. When I introduced a character, that character was pre-established to some degree. Either they were an existing character who was totally established or they were at least based on a race or from a location established in the Warcraft canon. I moved very naturally and easily away from fanfiction when I started to write original works, so I guess I'm not the best at giving advice for someone feeling 'nailed' to fanfiction. I suppose one thing that helped me get very good at world building (and creative thinking in general) is to expand on your fanfiction's world. When I wrote my own stories in Azeroth (the universe where Warcraft takes place) I would creatively expand on the lore myself. I'd add my own things to it, create my own characters, etc. If you write fanfictions about Harry Potter, for instance (as a random example), maybe instead of only writing about how Harry and Ron fall in love and mpreg each other at Hogwarts, you could expand the world with your own ideas. Maybe write a story set in a new wizard school somewhere else in the world, with original characters and a story that just happens to be set in the Harry Potter universe. Instead of viewing fanfiction as an excuse to not have to come up with your own ideas, use it as a stepping stone to invent your own ideas. I'd say romance might be the toughest thing to 'shake' when it comes to fanfiction writing. For me, I didn't write any 'shipping' stories or ever really utilize existing characters, I invented my own stories or 'built' off of stories from Warcraft that were never fully used. If you're in the habit of writing hokey fanfic romance, then you may have a harder time developing better romance skills. But then, I'm not a romance writer so I guess I don't have much helpful input on this :Y
I've never written Fan-Fic before. Sure I include little Easter-eggs to other things that I am a fan of, but never simply written an off cannon in universe story. Though I don't know who has picked up on those fun little nods to some of my favorite stories and concepts in my own writing. However, I have not used whole pre-fabbed story lines to base any of my writings on. It just wouldn't feel like mine, ya know? Not that I don't have fan theories or would not mind thinking about rewriting another's work to reflect my own thoughts, it simply seems like a decent concept excorsize in writing for fun as well as for honing story telling skills. Just not for something that is intended for the masses. Granted it seems that semblance of trying to be somewhat original in some genres is less common with the advent of such trite that shall not be mentioned for obvious reasons. Also that it seems a little like cheating to take an existing story, change a few elements while keeping the core of it intact, and calling it your own work feels a bit dishonest to me. To be fair this is only in my opinion, seeing as there is always going to be those that are either for or against such things.
Yeah, I agree with you @Cave Troll and never did fanfic either, for the reasons you stated. I started writing fiction when I was 12, then stopped when I started writing non-fiction in college and am just now getting back to it, so I do relate to @CoyoteKing 's feeling of being half-grown as a fiction writer. I think every writer has an area they either haven't explored before, or neglected to develop because they focused on one of their strengths. Overall, I think we just have to be patient with ourselves as we work at getting better. We're lucky to be doing this now, with so many resources to help us at our fingertips. When I started, the only way you could learn how to write was to take a creative writing class. Now, we can learn this stuff any way we want, at our own pace. You figured out how to write by writing fanfic. If you figured that out on your own, I think things will eventually start to click...All of a sudden, you'll catch yourself writing something you didn't think you had the capacity to write. Hang in there! You can do this. You're only stunted if you're standing still. If you're better than you were yesterday, or last week, or last month, or last year, you are not stunted. Just keep moving forward.
Bear in mind, some writers do get to write paid "fanfiction". There's tie-in novels for every major franchise, sequels to / retelling of classic novels, and an increasing number of "BIG-NAME AUTHOR'S FAMOUS SERIES / CHARACTER (but actually written by a completely different author)" books.
So that's the reason I suck at world building? Damn you, past self! Though I never wrote much fanfiction, but when I did I liked to get inside the head of someone else's creations. How to write this so things would seem genuine, like an episode of this specific series but with the focus from what I find interesting. I think the biggest problem fanfiction ever gave me was the feeling of guilt. I had a hard time writing for a few years and my ex used to tell me to write fanfictions, since then I will only have to focus on the story and not world building, characters and all those things that were already there. But I couldn't do that because at that point fanfiction felt almost "dirty" to me. Like you can never become a proper writer if you lower yourself to fanfiction! Now I know that doesn't have to be true. We have published writers who started out in fanfiction here! So it could probably be a good growing grounds for some writer.
Well now to be fair, it's not exactly fanfiction at that point because it'd be considered canon by the actual storyrunners, eh?
If you're struggling with world building and description of this world, why not try writing about somewhere you know -local park or woods, seaside path, favorite vacation spot. Image someone living in a tent in the woods, what would they see, how do you get to the tent. Practicing with places you know might help before you start inventing either whole new worlds or fictional buildings or towns. Unless you're writing science fiction a lot of stories are based in real places or a place that is made up of real elements from several places. The location of a story sometimes can be quite a small detail in the story. It's like every other writing technique, it can take practice. I have found that setting description is one of the elements I am not good at and I have to work on it a lot to make it any good. I'm too quick to get the bare bones of the scene written so then have to go back and tease out the setting description. I will know which room the scene is in and that will be it initially. Better go get practicing....
I started in fanfiction, but I wrote mostly RPF, which meant I still had to build the world and most of the characterization. For me, it was really valuable, just to have an audience. But I can see what you mean about it not requiring you to develop certain areas. Still, it's hard for me to see that as "stunted", exactly. I don't think fanfic made it harder for you to grow in those areas just because it didn't demand that you grow in those areas? Writing fanfic probably helped you get really good at certain aspects of writing, so now you can more-or-less ignore those areas and focus on the areas that aren't as well developed. Everything's an opportunity for growth, right?
That's actually a really good point. I guess you're right. Fanfiction didn't hurt those skills, it just didn't help me in those areas. I agree, the raw feedback was really helpful. That's the one thing I liked most about it. And the praise.
I think they find their skills 'stunted', since it does not require much to create an already established world/universe. That is a possible reason as to why they are having a bit of trouble creating their own. The simplest way to grow that part of their storytelling ability is to stop writing Fan-Fiction and start creating their own universes/worlds independent of other narratives. Not saying that cannot go back to writing it later, just that they need to exorcise their own creativity in that area (along with any others that may be under developed from taking the 'easy route", as it were). So it would serve them well to write their own stories based entirely upon their own creation, free from outside influence as far as utilizing other established ones. If you don't use it, you lose it.
Like I mentioned in my previous post, I actually don't totally agree with this type of thinking. I think one can develop their creative-building skills by writing in fan fiction universes, they just have to use their creativity to build their own things within an already established world. For instance, it'd be like coming up with a new Wizard School in the Harry Potter universe, instead of just using the totally pre-established Hogwarts. While you'll still have to eventually transition into building up your own world from scratch, I think it's always easier to be creative when you're letting your imagination work with something you already know and like.
Interesting. I suppose I never thought of it that way. Though the things that interest me, I have to start from scratch. Easier to avoid the immersive approach, when you just dive right in. Keeps the imagination more alert when you have to do everything yourself. Just an observation. It takes less creativity to expand upon the preexisting, since it is basically the foundation that you know how and where to build off/from it. Not all that more complicated than say creating your own character in a video game. Sure it is the odd element out because you are inserting it, and controlling the actions, but it does not change the overall base of the game. Way to think right up against the box. I was merely saying that they should try to build their own stories from scratch, not give up writing Fan-fic altogether.
Yes, there are definitely 'traps' someone can fall into when they use fanfiction as too much of a crutch. All of the fanfiction I ever wrote were original stories utilizing both existing and original characters (I wrote actual stories, though, and not just self-inserts of my player characters adventures or whatever), but I still had the 'privilege' of not having to build anything myself. Locations already existed, the overarching world was all already there, characters and people didn't need to be explained or created, etc. It can help you prepare for your own creative work, but it alone won't make you completely ready to tackle world building. But for those who have trouble world building, either because fanfiction has left them "weakened" at coming up with their own ideas or because they're just unable to imagine their own things, creatively expanding existing universes is a good way to start flexing your imagination. If you can come up with a whole new Wizard School in Harry Potter land, for instance, with its own story and its own history and its own rules, then you're a lot closer to being able to come up with your own fresh idea than someone who is only able to find themselves being creative when they're able to utilize Harry and Ron in stories set in Hogwarts, using nothing but all the things J K Rowling established.
I don't write it, but I certainly do enjoy reading it. Maybe you're not giving yourself credit for what you learned in fanfiction? Sometimes it's just about how we process the knowledge we have. I've been reading some slashy Sam/Frodo love stories lately and have been greatly entertained, as a general reader just looking for the story, and also as a writer when I see how well some fanfiction authors know the style, the color, the mood, and diction of the original writer. This is not to say that I haven't enjoyed reading someone take Sam & Frodo (don't you just want be at their wedding?!) and drop them into an urban fantasy palette, give them modern idiolects and reimagine their story in our world. Both ways are - imo - a valid exercise of setting. Writing a little story that sounds like it could have been written by Tolkien himself (if he dug boy-luv) tells me the fan-writer is paying close attention to the details as invoked by Tolkien. The urban fantasy spin tells me the fan-writer understands the characters and is capable of taking their dynamic and give it a double spin, in both place, and extent of their relationship. I don't know... I'm just saying don't sell yourself short. Maybe you have more tools in that toolbox than you think and you're just not seeing them. I feel there's good cause to think this simply based on the fact that you're willing to be this introspective regarding your process. You're digging in the box, so to speak.
True. But still, the line between fanfic and "real" writing can be pretty blurry a lot of the time, they're not two separate and self-contained things.
I was just kind of poking some shit at you is all. I do agree with you on the fact that fanfiction and 'real' writing aren't wholly separate or self-contained things, though.
I feel that fanfiction has helped me, to be honest. My first long winded piece that i've ever finished was a 19 chapter fanfiction when I was in middle school. It helped me because I learned plot development. This was back when the series I was writing about was only a trilogy (before the author tacked on like 45 million books! erg!). I wanted to extend the story, so I created my own plot, my own troubles the characters went through. I never added any extra characters, but I played around with suspense and conflict amongst those characters. I feel that, if I took away the characters, the story would be completely my own. Think of it this way, you writing fanfiction, you had to come up with your own plot and conflict (even if it was an extension of the book you are writing about), you developed the plot further or the characters further. In terms of world-building, in my Popular Fiction class in college, we talked about world building. My instructor is an Urban Fiction writer and author and she said what she does for world building is go on pintrest! She had all of us so confused but she said thats literally all she does. She'll look at clothes to develop her character's style. Houses and furniture, and other little details. Eye color, and people, she'll add to her lists. Another way I world-build is through various "design" games. For example, I'm writing a Sci-Fi that takes place on a different planet. I found a planet creator online. It has the quality of Google Earth and various terrain settings from Venus to Saturn's moons, as well and weather patterns that have been documented have been factored into the creator. Various suns are in the options and depending on the sun (or suns), your planet changes. I play around with characters by using character designers to create how i want my characters to look or the alien species in my Sci-Fi to look. Most recently, I used photoshop to put my character in a setting that I created. I found all of these tools online for free, and I love going to them because playing with these tools helps me be more creative and further develop my characters and the world they live in.
I was in the same boat as you, I loved what fanfiction did to my confidence. Complete strangers were taking the time to write long, positive reviews for my work, it encouraged me to pursue what is now my passion. But at the same time, yes, it does make writing original stories difficult if you have no other practice. The best advice to give, that certainly worked for me, was simply read a lot of books that are in the same genre you want to write. And you could recall events from my own life if you have trouble conveying emotions from the imagination. As for world building, I literally just started getting good at it :') and that's mostly because I have a boyfriend who is already amazing at it and could help me out. There are however tutorials and questionnaires available online to get you started
