GUEST – Reneé Le Vine – Research Your Fanfiction

Today, I’m glad to have author Reneé Le Vine to share her thoughts on why it’s important to do research when writing fanfiction! From Reneé: Research Your Fanfiction Research and fanfiction are two words that sound like they shouldn’t go together. Fanfiction is just for fun, right? Research sounds like something that you would save for more serious writing, like school essays or that unfinished original novel that’s staring you in the face. And while fanfiction is definitely more of something you would do for fun, doing research is still a good idea! Unless you’re writing one of those fics where the canon and/or plot doesn’t matter, I think your readers will probably appreciate you taking the time to at least have some idea what you’re doing.

GUEST – Abigail Falanga – Glorious Boundries

Today, I’m glad to have author Abigail Falanga to share her insights on how the boundries of fanfiction can help you become a more creative writer! From Abigail: Confession: I don’t read fan fiction. I don’t even write much fanfic any more. Anyone still reading? Good. Because, whatever my failings in the fanfic regard, what I have written has taught me so much – about writing and even about the world.

GUEST – Brianna Tibbetts – Fan Fiction and Your Creative Drive

Today, I’m glad to have author Brianna Tibbetts to share her insights on how writing fanfiction keeps her productive in her own writing! From Brianna Tibbets: When I discovered fan fiction was a thing in 2011, I didn’t think I’d ever want to write it. I read it on occasion, mostly to fill in holes in character development left behind by existing franchises I loved, but I couldn’t have imagined writing it myself. Then, in December of 2012, the BBC show Merlin ended. I loved the finale, but felt distinctly unsatisfied. There was so much I wished had happened, but none of it would ever be addressed, because the show was over. So, I wrote my first fan fiction to get it all out of my system. Less than two hours later, I had five thousand words about two of my favorite characters on my laptop screen. Writing fan fiction was much easier than I’d expected.

GUEST – Sarah Gorman – In Defense of Fanfiction for Young Writers

Today, welcome guest blogger–novelist, screenwriter, literary agent, editor, and fanfiction veteran–Sarah Gorman! In Defense of Fanfiction for Young Writers I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: writing fanfiction is an immensely creative and uplifting resource for young writers. I cannot truly express how helpful writing fanfiction, posting it online, and receiving feedback was for me in middle school, or even high school. Why? For several reasons.

GUEST – Author H.A. Titus – What Fan-fiction Taught Me

Continuing my series on the benefits of writing fan-fiction, today I have my first guest. H.A. Titus is the author of Forged Steel, a short story contributor in such anthologies as Avenir Eclectia, Different Dragons II, and Quickfic Anthology 2. She’s also a contributor to the New Authors Fellowship and an online friend I’ve known for a long time. Today, she shares with us some of the lessons she’s learned while writing fan-fiction.