Anyone can craft cool fan fiction. But it takes some dedication for a specific story to take off. At the very least, you need to choose a franchise you love and understand, as this will make it easier. It is challenging but rewarding. Here are some ideas before you begin typing.
Learn the Rules of Creative Writing
Think of a professional author with tons of books to their name. A few might spring to mind. Stephen King is a great example. Do you know how Stephen King got so good? He studies creative writing and understands the literary devices required for a great story. These are vital elements of most great stories. These include narrative depth, emotional resonance, and a rich setting with relatable characters. Writing is harder than most think, but you will get there!
Choose a Franchise You Love
Most great writers will tell you that you have a better chance of success when you write about what you know. Writing about the things you know well means you can convey this better to the reader without making them feel alienated. This is vital for fanfiction because the reader is there to lose themselves in their favorite fantasy world. You have a responsibility to make sure that the setting, characters, and thematic devices are the same as the ones they have come to expect.
Crafting Cool Fanfiction in an Alternate Universe
Now, we have mentioned that there is a responsibility to keep things as expected when writing fanfiction. But there is an exception to this rule. It is okay to create left-field stories set in an alternate universe. This gives you greater freedom to play around with certain elements and experiment. The 100 million people who read and write fanfiction probably do so because there are alternative settings out there. As a blogger, this is where you can have the most fun!
Know the Types of Stories that Work
Even in an alternative setting, there are still rules. Readers expect certain things to be a certain way, and some of these must remain the same or similar. Race swapping and gender swapping are common. However, the core themes and stories that will draw your readers in must remain similar. For example, Fifty Shades of Grey began life as a Twilight love story. Of course, Fifty Shades is a far different type of story. However, at the core both is an unbreakable bond of trust!
Come Up with a Fantastic Cover
We all know we shouldn’t, but most of us do it! Yes, we judge books by their covers. When you think about it, it is a silly saying. The cover is the first thing a reader will see, so why not spend time coming up with a great one. The book’s cover is the thing that will draw the eyes of the reader. Commissioning artwork is one way to do this, but it will be expensive. Today, you can use AI tools like Midjourney or Leonardo to come up with compelling artwork from a description.
Summary
Learning how to write creatively will help you come up with cool fanfiction stories. Themes are best kept the same, but you can play around with story elements in alternate universes. Spend some time developing the cover in order to capture the readers’ attention in the first place!
