By Kaylee Joy
From “The Mortal Instruments” series by Cassandra Clare, to the infamous “50 Shades of Gray” by E.L. James, more and more authors are getting their start in fanfiction. But how do you go from a run-of-the-mill fanfiction writer to a fully-fledged published author? As a digital producer, I’m here to teach you. And you’re already on the right track, because the first step is a desire to improve.
Creating your own Protagonist
Let’s be real here, fanfiction is probably one of the most fun things to write. You get to play with your favorite, fully developed characters without pressure to flesh them out. Plus, readers are already chomping at the bits for more content featuring these characters so it’s not as hard to find an audience. To break away from this crutch, you must practice developing your own protagonist.
Now, creating a character entirely from scratch can be daunting. But you don’t need to know every detail right out of the gate/ To start, simply make a list of traits you find important to your character. For example, if your protagonist is an intellectual type, you may want to include what subjects they’re interested in (I.E. specific sciences, a historical time-period, classical literature). Be as specific as comes naturally to you, the little details can be discovered later. If you need some inspiration, I recommend using a Dungeons & Dragons character sheet. The website https://www.dndbeyond.com/characters/builder gives you step-by-step instructions while filling it out.
Envisioning a Setting
Another challenge many writers who found their beginning in fanfiction may face is envisioning a setting. Most fanfiction is inspired by television shows, movies, or video games. All of which present a visible setting that writers can physically look at while creating their stories. So how do you detail an entirely imagined setting without an exact reference? My recommendation: Go explore!
Start by looking up the type of setting you have in mind (for example, your story may be set in a forest or perhaps an 18th century town) and find a place nearby that emulates that setting. Physically exploring these places will give you the chance to soak in every detail and learn how to recreate them in your own way. Especially in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, there are loads of historical buildings, natural pheromones, and museums at the tip of your fingers. If there’s nothing nearby like your setting, there are an infinite number of virtual tours online for you to click through. There’s even a tour of the international space station if your story is set in the stars! Once you find what you’re looking for, it’s time to start writing. Try to describe the scene in as well as you can. Practicing observing and detailing your environment will help you understand how to create your own settings.
Letting Go of Tropes
Finally, it’s time to let go of the infamous fanfic tropes. Or at the very least, loosen your grip on them. Now, tropes in and of themselves aren’t necessarily a bad thing. But when you lean on those tropes for every beat of your story, your reader can get bored quickly as they already know what’s going to happen.
There are some tropes – Especially “Alternate Universe” tropes – that are too graphic to ever make it past an official publisher. (If you know, you know. If you don’t, for your own sake do NOT try to find out.) But even some of the most highly regarded tropes, such as “Enemies-to-Lovers” or the classic “Only-One-Bed”, may be inhibiting your creativity.
To begin to break away from these popular tropes, the best thing you can do is stop consuming them. Try taking a break from Ao3, Wattpad, and Quotev. Let your favorite characters breathe and give yourself the chance to fall in love with new characters by heading to the bookstore.
Keep in mind, learning to create your own stories can be a long and grueling process. Take it slow and don’t discount the experience you’ve developed by writing fanfiction, just learn to grow from it. Writing anything is leagues better than writing nothing. However, as we are writers, it is important to cultivate our creativity so we can improve. All these tips will help you expand your ability as an author in the making.