What is Fanfiction?

Fanfiction is creative writing that uses characters from existing movies, shows, books, video games, etc. for short stories. There are websites and forums dedicated to the creation and sharing of fanfiction, and on occasion it becomes a book when the author changes the names of the characters. Though none of the books I can think of are decent quality. However, the majority of fanfic writers make no money off of their stories. Fanfiction is written to share stories about characters other people love, putting them in different situations and relationships. It is a creative outlet for people who are full of ideas but cannot legally publish a book about these characters. Sometimes, people create their own characters and put them into the pre-existing universe. 

There are three main websites for fanfiction: ArchiveOfOurOwn, Fanfiction.net and WattPad. Though Tumblr contains fanfiction as well, that is not it’s main purpose and Yahoo purchasing it destroyed the creative abilities of its users. Archive is an excellent website full of a large variety of fandoms to read. The writers clearly take time to work on their stories and it is reflected in their work. I too post there, because I feel that my work is the type of quality that deserves to be on Archive. Fanfiction.net is a bit of a mixed bag. While it has a variety of fandoms to choose from, the story quality isn’t consistently readable. WattPad, in my opinion, is full of unreadable nonsense that includes uncomfortable topics, which is why I did not hyperlink it. There are smaller websites dedicated to specific fandoms, but you’d have to do some research to come across one of them. 

My journey with fanfiction began in middle school, when a friend of mine introduced me to fanfics of a show she was watching. Intrigued, I decided to give it a shot with my current fandom, Yu-Gi-Oh! That was when I discovered my passion for writing. I used my school notebooks to write short stories and moments. I spent every moment I had writing, much to the dismay of some of my teachers. I learned how to write by reading and writing fanfiction. It became an escape for my mind, which had been fairly creative already, and helped me put those thoughts in order. However, as high school came around so did my anxiety and depression. School took up all my energy and time, making it hard to find motivation to write. It was my sheer stubbornness that kept me writing. I was considered foolish for wanting to become a writer, and because I struggled greatly with math they considered me stupid, for lack of a better word. But thankfully my parents believed in my writing skills, and I was able to study writing in college. I have one year left, and though I write original work, I do spend a good amount of time on my fanfiction. It will always be a great passion of mine, and the people who read and support it help me become a better writer. 

I currently write Marvel fanfictions because that is my favorite fandom. I only post works that I am proud of, so many ideas get scrapped. I even have a notebook where I keep track of all my in-progress stories, and the completed/posted ones have little kitty stickers by the title. 

I believe that because we are not making money off of these stories, big companies who actually own the characters do not sue or try to take the work down. I would like to work for Marvel one day though.

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