Fanfiction isn’t just fandom—sometimes the best way to spark creativity is to step into beloved worlds and experiment with familiar characters.
I was recently talking with a writer friend who mentioned that she had gone back to re-read her “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fanfic. She joked about the level of cringe, but also the endearment she felt for her baby writer self. It brought back fond memories of her deep attachment to the TV show and the sense of accomplishment she felt when posting fanfic and receiving positive feedback from other writers in the community. Although I didn’t write fanfic myself, her story was very poignant and I think that all writers have felt similar emotions—the feeling of discovering the first spark of awe that comes with writing stories you want to read yourself.
For those of us steeped in the fantasy and romance genres, fanfic is nothing new. Fanfiction involves using characters, plot points, and/or worlds created by other writers to develop your own stories. Take your beloved characters from an established film, novel, or TV show and place them in situations you’d like to explore. Change a character’s gender. Imagine the characters as younger or older. Introduce a new character into an established cast or world. Fanfic is deeply satisfying for fans of the original work because it allows you to take the creative reins of something you already love.
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How can fanfic serve as a writing exercise? Fanfic exists within worlds and characters that are already developed, allowing writers to play and create in a space where some of the parameters have already been defined. Within those boundaries, however, you are still free to be as creative as you like. Set Sherlock Holmes in a futuristic human lunar colony and see how he unravels a crime. Write a scene depicting something from Heathcliff’s mysterious three-year absence in Wuthering Heights. Reimagine a familiar heroine (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer) facing a challenge that never appeared in the original text.
Maybe this seems like the domain of intense fandom, often associated with young or novice writers. Some may argue that fanfic is frivolous and does not require the same level of skill—only a fierce passion for a cultural product and the belief that it can be improved. However, well-known authors such as Neil Gaiman, Christina Lauren and Ali Hazelwood have all discussed how writing fan fiction played a crucial role in their development as writers.
If this still hasn’t convinced you to give it a try, consider this: fanfiction writers often describe their work as simply “having fun” with an established story. Writing can sometimes feel like very serious business—we often dissect our work through dialogue, characterization, mood, setting, plot, and all the other components of storytelling. Fanfiction, however, offers a chance to step back from some of that pressure: to play with characters and worlds you already know, experiment freely, and perhaps rediscover the simple fun of storytelling.
Some Possible Prompts
After the Ending: What happens after your favorite story ends? Write a scene that takes place ten years later, showing where one of the characters has ended up.
Side Character Spotlight: Was there a minor character who stood out in one of your favorite books or TV shows? Write a scene from that character’s perspective.
Fanfic Favorite: Two of your favorite characters who often clashed or competed—what if they fell for each other instead?
I love this piece – it gave me a totally new perspective on fanfiction. It makes a lot of sense and reminds me of the phrase, “good artists copy, great artists steal”. In the process of “stealing”, you can filter, combine, adapt, etc. in so many ways to make it your own.
Hope this gives you the inspiration to get a bit thievy with your writing exercises. Often, I think that the things we use as a starting point end up unrecognizable in a final draft.