I have a confession to make.

I’ve been unfaithful to this blog.

I’ve been writing somewhere else.

And I’ve liked it.

I know it’s been radio silence here for a while – I’ve got about six half finished blogs I need to complete and upload, most of which are now hideously out of date. But I’ve actually, word count wise, written much more in my absence than I normally would here.

You see; I’ve been writing FanFiction. (Phew. That felt good to get off my chest).

And what’s more, people are actually reading it. (More than can be said for this blog!). And liking it. And commenting.

In a couple of months I’ve written 50K words of my story. (No. I’m not going to link. No, I’m not going to tell you what category it’s under. But, if you know me, you’ll probably be able to work it out/find it).

50k is somewhere between a third and half of a novel. And I’ve stuck with it, and I’m still going. I’m not saying it’s novel-worthy content – it certainly took me a few chapters to get into my stride – but it’s a start. It’s got me back into the swing of writing a little each night. It’s got me thinking about plot, characterisation, language (y’know, the fundamentals of writing). Most importantly, I’ve remembered the absolute joy I feel when I get lost in the midst of a plot.

So, I hear you ask, why FanFiction? Why not plunge straight back into the deep end again and start my attempt at a novel number 752?

Well partly, because I’ve run out of plot ideas after so many failed attempts at writing my novel, but that aside, I think FF is a fantastic tool for any aspiring writer.

There’s a discipline to FanFiction which you don’t necessarily have when you create everything yourself – particularly around characterisation. When characters already exist, have been established and have a large fan base there is a lot to live up to. The best FanFiction is able to get under the skin of characters someone else has created. There are some universes which have lots of character background to go from (think Harry Potter, or similar), but there are others where there are only a few episodes, or short books to go from – and in either case to be able to understand creations which aren’t your own is an art. Some of the stories I have read deserve to be published in their own right (of course, they can’t be, since they borrow other’s creations); but the quality of writing is so much higher than you often come across in the world of modern publishing. (*cough* ghostwritten books “by” celebrities to name just one, hideous, example).

Another aspect of FanFiction which is, somewhat, unusual is the convention of uploading a chapter as and when you have written it, rather than posting the whole fic in one go. (Of course, some authors have the discipline to write the whole thing first and then upload it in snippets, but they are better people than I). It’s a different, more immediate way of writing. And it also means that if you want to carry your readers along for the whole ride, you’ve got to be writing something pretty good. Back in the day, it was fairly common for books to be serialised (think Dickens’ Bleak House, which started off as a serial, and ran for 18 months – no wonder it’s so long and convoluted!). There’s something very freeing about being able to publish something as soon as you’ve finished it – without second guessing yourself too much. I’ve sat on beginnings of books for years because I’m too scared to show anyone. This removes all of that.

Which isn’t to say you don’t need to take care over the writing and editing…If the writing is poor (and yes, for all the good writing in FF, there is a lot which doesn’t quite cut the mustard); people aren’t going to subscribe to you, they won’t come back to keep reading – so there is an implied pressure to keep up the quality of your chapters. All of this is good – of course. I can normally tell if my writing is good or not, or if I’ve put out a weaker chapter, but having this confirmed is very useful. Ultimately, it’s what makes you a better writer.

And then, there’s the community; the people in the FanFiction world are great (at least all the ones I’ve come across). Writing can be very solitary at times – and it can be hard to write without distraction. Knowing that when you upload a new chapter people will comment, and “like” it, and post about it elsewhere is a very powerful motivational force. And what’s more, the majority of people won’t just give you a line or two saying ‘Great Chapter, I love it!’; they’ll give you a full critique, which often runs to paragraphs of them discussing your work. This is gold-dust as far as a writer is concerned, it’s such a valuable resource to be able to tap into.

Commenters don’t often have harsh criticism. They tend to focus on the positives (which is lovely for a delicate snowflake like myself) – but there is still a lot to be gained from this. You can look at the bits they like, and then if there’s anything they haven’t mentioned – or a repeatedly ignored section – then you can have a hard look at them again and work out why they don’t quite read properly. It puts onus on you, but it’s a good inbetween reviewing the work yourself and having a big-scary-editor type pull it apart. Plus encouragement is needed sometimes – to get yourself into the discipline of writing regularly, and in a style that people are receptive to, you do need a little boost here and there.

I’ve learnt more than I thought I would in my few months in the fanfiction world. I’m mostly flabbergasted that anyone would actually read my writing, and eternally grateful that they have. I think it really is the people, and their support which makes writing for it so enjoyable. I’d encourage anyone who’s suffering from a bit of writer’s block, or just wants to write something for fun for a change to give it ago. Get sucked in. Embrace the fictional worlds that others have created. Work out how to write other people’s characters and receive instant feedback. It may just be the inspiration you need to get you started on your bigger projects.

As for me? I’m enjoying it far too much to let go of my little tales. I’m in for the long haul.