Three Ways Fan Fiction Can Make You a Better Writer

Fan fiction is rarely viewed as a serious form of writing, and it often gets a bad name. However, writing fan fiction can make you a stronger writer. It teaches you how to analyze stories, create engaging characters, how-to and practice different writing styles Fan fiction is a valuable tool that can help you craft better stories and feel more confident about your writing abilities.

It is easy to underestimate fan fiction as a literary form, since it by and large cannot be marketed, and is often seen as a lower form of writing than standard fiction. However, while it is true that fan fiction has a smaller market than traditional fiction and it is not nearly as lucrative, that does not mean that writing fan fiction is a waste of time. There are three important ways that fan fiction writing can help you strengthen your writing abilities.

1. Writing fan fiction shows you what attributes make strong characters.

In order to write quality fan fiction, you have to research your subject. Placing already conceived characters in new situations will give you deeper insight into what motivates characters; you will learn which attributes are core characteristics and which ones can be changed without compromising the character's identity. The best way to practice this skill is to write micro-stories, using characters from a wide range of backgrounds. By familiarizing yourself with them and practicing character analysis, you will learn what distinguishes strong, compelling characters. This, in turn, will help you craft unique, engaging characters in your own stories.

2. Fanfiction teaches you the different effects of a writer's voice.

Pre-designed setting or characters and then write a new story, using your own writing style. This tends to be favored by casual fan fiction writers because it is much easier to write in your own voice than adopt that of another writer. However, there are definite benefits to writing the second kind of fan fiction, where you try to mimic the writing style and voice of the original author.

A notable example of this is Sherlock Holmes fiction. Many professional writers have published new Sherlock Holmes mysteries, thanks to the fact that Sherlock Holmes is now in the public domain. Instead of writing these stories in their own voices, the majority of these authors have decided to copy Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's characteristic style. Some of their stories reproduce his voice so accurately that they could easily be mistaken as originals.

Devoting this level of attention to voice and style is difficult. It takes a keen eye for detail, plus plenty of trial and error. Despite this, the payoff is well worth the effort. By learning to mimic another author's voice, you will become more aware of your own. This is a common practice when novice poets first start writing. They copy the styles of their favorite poets, and through a steady process of elimination, they learn exactly which aspects they want to carry over into their own poetry. The same concept applies to fan fiction. Studying the styles of established writers will help you gain a better idea of what you want your own writing voice to sound like.

3. Creating fan fiction motivates you to keep writing.

This may seem like an obvious fact but is no less important for being so. The worst thing a writer can do is stop writing. Many writers live in mortal fear of the dreaded "writer's block", where the ecstasy of creation is replaced by a complete lack of inspiration. When you have writer's block, it is easy to step away from your computer or journal, hoping that the sensation will fade on its own.

This is, in reality, only a temporary solution. Sometimes writer's block goes away as quickly as it arrives, but more often, it creates a growing discomfort with writing which can turn into a real sense of fear.

A new idea has the shiny, alluring spark to make us curious so that we want to know more. We’re motivated by its mystique and sense of untapped possibility.

It’s easy in the creative cycle to get stuck on creating new ideas and become demotivated, then chase after a new idea. It’s a familiar path when that initial luster wears off.

Writing fanfiction keeps you motivated as you write, you keep asking questions. Curiosity is an intrinsic (internal) motivation that successful authors are able to sustain. You ask questions such as:

• Why did my character say that?
• What does my character want more than anything in the world?
• Where will the next scene take place and why?