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How to Write: A Novel Based Off a Fan Fiction

One Writer's Opinion

By D.A. BaldwinPublished 7 years ago 16 min read
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The world of fan fiction is such a strange phenomenon if you really think about it. I mean, you as the writer are essentially taking things that exist—movies, shows, video games, comic books, manga and anime, even "real" people—and creating your own stories within those worlds and with those characters, or making entirely new ones of either or both. Whether it's a retelling from a different character's perspective or with the "wrongs" of something (like how it ended, what romantic pairings formed, who died or didn't die, and so on) righted, or it's set in an alternate universe or has a crossover with a similar or completely different series, or it's just mindless smut or fluff, fan fiction is a very broad spectrum comprised of every genre imaginable, and every kind of writer—and style—along with them.

Now, not every fan fiction is a masterpiece. You have plenty that are, to put it bluntly, poorly written or full of unfortunate implications, and then you have stories that exist solely to troll readers, etcetera, etcetera.

But those examples aside, there's an underlying beauty to fan fiction. It's a way for people who may not feel confident enough in their abilities to create something using a pre-existing foundation. It's a means for someone who feels strongly and passionately about a story or characters to add their own spins, to create something new from something old. Whether they succeed or not is partly subjective and partly based on their skill level (and how well they respond to criticism, both good and bad), but I would say more often than not, writing fan fiction can be a rewarding, positive experience for the writer and their readers. It's a wonderful tool for writing, creating, and growing as a person, and it's also super fun.

Where things started to get a little murky is when someone who writes a fan fiction decides they want to turn that story into an original story.

Now, I cannot speak for others, I can only speak for myself and note the kinds of comments I've seen in regards to this act over the years, since I've done my fair share of browsing forums and blogs and other such things. From what I've seen, it's not the most popular thing to do, or at least, it isn't regarded very highly by many circles in the writing and reading world. I can see why, especially when you look at a handful of the books born from fan fiction, such as perhaps the most infamous example of a series that used to be a fan fiction: Fifty Shades of Grey.

Fifty Shades highlights the problems that can come from turning something that used to be fan fiction into an original novel. Other forums and blog posts have detailed how the first book alone is more or less the exact same as the fan fiction, with only names and words switched around to reflect the "shift" into something more original. I'm not even going to discuss the high amounts of problems within the story in regards to its characters, themes, the shoddy romance, and the horrendous misrepresentation of BDSM, as others with more talent and a better grasp at writing have done so many times over. Rather, my main issue with it for the sake of this article is that it does everything wrong when it comes to turning a fan fiction into its own story. This, despite the fact that the plot and the setting—as flawed as they are—are indeed different from the series it was based on, Twilight.

The first thing you want to keep in mind if you have a fan fiction you decide you want to turn into an original story, is that you have to ensure that the two don't read the same. This is the biggest problem with the writing style of Fifty Shades, since others have brought up how similar both versions of the story look. There are side-by-side comparisons illustrating this point, such as the following snippet from both Fifty Shades and the original fan fiction to serve as a demonstration of my point:

This is from the fan fiction:

I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror. Damn my hair, it just won‘t behave, and damn Rose for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal. I have tried to brush my hair into submission but it‘s not toeing the line. I must learn not to sleep with it wet. I recite this five times as a mantra whilst I try, once more, with the brush. I give up. The only thing I can do is restrain it, tightly, in a pony tail and hope that I look reasonably presentable.

And this is from Fifty Shades:

I scowl with frustration at myself in the mirror. Damn my hair – it just won’t behave, and damn Katherine Kavanagh for being ill and subjecting me to this ordeal. I should be studying for my final exams, which are next week, yet here I am trying to brush my hair into submission. I must not sleep with it wet. I must not sleep with it wet. Reciting this mantra several times, I attempt, once more, to bring it under control with the brush. I roll my eyes in exasperation and gaze at the pale, brown-haired girl with blue eyes too big for her face staring back at me, and give up. My only option is to restrain my way.

As I said, there are plenty of other sites with more examples than the above. My point is that, if you want to turn a fan fiction into something more, you need to put a whole lot of effort into it. Changing the names and tweaking some words isn't enough. That's the bare minimum of effort right there, and at that rate, I have to wonder why you're even bothering.

This, of course, is because I am in a similar boat: I am in the process of taking a fan fiction I wrote years ago and transforming it into a novel.

About five to six years ago, I wrote a fan fiction. A Twilight fan fiction.

I am not entirely thrilled to admit it, but, at the same time, I can't lie and say I wasn't proud of my achievement way back when. It was rough, very flawed, and it showed how new I was to writing and how inexperienced I truly was. I recognize that now, oh do I ever, and I try not to think about it or even to draw much attention to it. For me, that fan fiction represents a younger, less skilled D.A. as a wannabe writer, rather than someone who could actually write well.

My point, is that I am in the same boat that plenty of authors nowadays, like Cassandra Clare and E.L. James, were in at some point. I've spent the better part of the last five-plus years trying to turn what was at one point a fan fiction into something that is genuinely original.

And let me tell you: it's been quite the journey.

Of course, the first thing I did when I started this project of mine was I changed all the names, since that's the most obvious thing to fix first. Then came the foundation, which, for the fan fiction was... similar to the core material, but I, as with many fan fiction writers, had gone out of my way to tweak both the story and the characters themselves. I changed some of the personalities, I went with a much different romantic focus, and I even threw in some original characters to boot. Looking back, though, while the plot was different and the characters were somewhat different, had I just kept things the way they were (with name changes, term changes, and probably some altered lines and dialogue here and there), the story, had I been able to publish it, would've been an abomination.

I'm not just talking from a style perspective, since so much of my dialogue and sentences were very rough and choppy, I'm also talking about the overall structure of the story. The pacing was all over the place, the character development was sporadic and randomized, and an especially egregious problem I became aware of was the romance. My earlier drafts exemplified these problems, since the romance I had established came about super fast, with little to no build up and very little complications. I basically wound up with the same problems I have spoken about in my How (Not) to Write: A Y.A. Romance article, except without the abusiveness or disgusting characterization for the romantic lead.

Even so, my earlier drafts were appalling, as I'm sure most writers feel when it comes to their initial drafts of a story.

But editing these things one time wasn't enough. Oh no, not even close. Because while I may have fixed some aspects, doing so brought to light a whole slew of other problems that I wasn't even aware of. I think it was after my second true edit-through was complete that I came to realize how much more work an original novel is compared to a fan fiction. And this taught me a lot.

You see, when you write a fan fiction, no matter your skill level or the focus of the story, you don't typically have an editor. You have yourself, and whether or not you want an editor or a Beta reader is entirely up to you. You could post everything, rough and all, online and call it a day, and you don't have to worry about it or even care if someone dislikes it. But you can't have that mind-set when you're trying to create something you want to actually publish. To create a publish-worthy book, you have to put a lot of time, energy, heart, and soul, into ensuring that what you create is the best possible story that it can be. I felt this way when I started, but my various revisions and work with an editor has taught me that I was unprepared, and that I was way more inexperienced than I thought I was—and I knew I didn't have much experience from day one.

However, as I said, I learned from my mistakes.

From day one, I set out to ensure that my story was as different from the fan fiction it used to be as much as I could. I removed all references to the pre-existing characters and went out of my way to change the ones that stayed. Their names, their appearances, their personalities, their abilities; it may not be perfect even when I do get it published, but I feel very strongly that, if you were to (torment yourself by) read(ing) the fan fiction version and then compared it to the original, that you wouldn't have the same problem as the Fifty Shades example from above.

Anyone can take a fan fiction and switch the names out and change some words. Doing that is simple, it takes very little effort, and really, all you need is basic knowledge of Microsoft Word or whatever writing program you're using. It honestly baffles me that Fifty Shades got anywhere near the level of recognition it received when it reads so poorly, especially when you compare and contrast it to its origins. I know not everyone thinks about or even necessarily cares when it comes to reading, as some people read to escape. That's fine, I have no problems with it, as it's something I do from time to time as well. However, I believe it is important to at least be aware of these kinds of things if you can be, especially if you want to create your own novel based on a fan fiction you yourself wrote.

And so, as someone who has spent over five years doing this, I want to offer some advice to any aspiring writers who might want to take a fan fiction of theirs and turn it into something bigger, better, and most of all, their own. Obviously, you needn't follow this, these are merely the lessons that I have learned over the years:

  1. The first thing you want to do when turning a fan fiction into a novel is you want to change the characters. I don't just mean the names, either. You can change a character's name, but if you keep their appearance and their personality, then you may as well not even be bothering changing anything. Be bold. You no longer have to utilize a template that already existed. If the character you're using has long brown hair, when you change them, give them short blue hair or spiky orange hair, some other color or style. Change their physique, make them taller or shorter. Don't limit yourself. The further away from the character they were based on, the better it will look for your story, and the better you will wind up feeling when it gets out into the world.
  2. After you've changed the names and made the look of the characters you are making your own, tweak their personalities. In my experience, even fan fictions wherein pre-existing have been changed to fit an entirely different world or setting tend to keep some core elements of those characters involved. I suggest you go in a different direction. If the canon character was shy, make them more outspoken. If they were headstrong, make them more reserved. These changes don't have to be drastic, but let them evolve into their own person. The same can be said for that character's likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, and hobbies. Find ways to reshape your characters to your liking while distancing them from the blueprints they were based on. That way, it will help lessen the comparisons people will make, and it will give you as the writer more room to develop them.
  3. Change the setting. If the story your fan fiction was based on was set in one place, move the setting somewhere else. Use a different state, a different country, or even make up your own. Once again, if you force your story to stay in the same spot, you're limiting your choices and making your new story too similar to the thing it used to be. Changing the status quo will create new doors for you as a writer and for your characters, especially if you go with a setting that is vastly different from what it used to be. Another thing to consider is changing up familiar locations along with the setting. Just think of it this way: do you want to watch a movie where the characters are only ever seen in the same three locations? Or would you rather they move around and change settings more frequently? There's no need to go overboard, but consider adding in new locales or different places for your characters to be.
  4. Alter the plot to some degree. My original draft was more or less the fan fiction without the Twilight references added in. It was a jumbled mess, and I wound up changing a lot to fix this. It took quite a few drafts to get to a point where I felt like the story was, while still somewhat similar to the fan fiction, divergent enough that I felt comfortable with it. If your fan fiction's plot is different from the plot or focus of whatever medium you have crafted a story for, that is good, but I highly advise going the extra step and changing it as much as you are capable of. The previous three steps will go a long way in helping to create a more unique, more original story, but changing up the plot to better compensate the other changes will help even more.
  5. Edit, edit, edit. It should come as no surprise, but editing is your best friend. Never be afraid to go in and change things to your liking, and never be afraid if you get new ideas for a character, a subplot, a major development, etcetera. Always be sure to read over it every once in a while, since going over a story with fresh eyes will no doubt allow you to see things you might've missed before, tweaks that could be made to make it stronger. Remember: this is your story, your world, and you are free to change it to your liking (and should change it when it needs it), and it is yours to make as good as you can. However, on that note, also...
  6. Listen to your editor. This is more basic advice if you want to write a story, but always listen to the feedback your editor gives you, even if you may not agree. Editors are there to help. Their job is to be unbiased eyes and catch things that need to be tweaked, cut, fixed, added onto, and so on. Be aware that sometimes your editor may say something or suggest something you don't agree with, but don't disregard their advice when that happens. Listen to them and sit on it. Think about what it is they said from your perspective, but also from someone who isn't you. Imagine what a reader would say, imagine what someone you know would say. Just be open to other feedback and critiques, as this will help not only teach you how to deal with criticism from others, but it might also help you realize that they might actually be right about that change or idea.
  7. Never let the source material be your guide. I have found that it is important you be aware of the source, especially if the source does things you don't like and you want to avoid them, but don't let the source be the thing you aspire to be like. Be your own writer, and make this your own story. You are not trying to write the second coming of whatever book or movie or what have you, you are creating your own spin on your own world. Be aware that there will be pitfalls to deal with and hurdles to jump over, but don't let the source be one of them. Acknowledge it, and power through. This is your story. Paying homage is fine, but avoid letting it take over what you're trying to write.
  8. Compare and contrast your drafts with the fan fiction. Look at them side-by-side, or pull out specific passages or pages to see how different they appear. The further apart they seem—in dialogue, structure, flow, style—the better it means for you. It shows you've gone above and beyond in ensuring your novel is different and stronger than what it used to be. And if they're still similar, don't get discouraged. Sometimes that isn't necessarily a bad thing, it just shows you've got more work to do.
  9. And finally, have fun. Writing is meant to be fun. Don't listen to the people who say writing is about money. This is an experience. You are creating a world, a story. You are putting your time, energy, heart, and soul into something that you want to see made real, so don't disregard it and don't try and force yourself to do anything. Take your time and have fun. Let your mind wander. Let your fingers act on their own. Writing is a journey, an adventure, and I truly believe it should be treated as such, whether or not you're turning a fan fiction into its own story, or just writing your own story.

Keeping these in mind, I think the only other thing worth noting is something that I would say to anyone writing: pay attention to what you write.

Be aware that every line of dialogue, every action, every inaction, every pivotal decision made, every thought, will be noticed by your readers. Many writers have written stories thinking one thing, but people read it as something else entirely due to the execution. Twilight is a prime example, but there are plenty others out there. If you aren't careful, you can end up with a story loved by some, and despised by many because what they read was the opposite of what you intended.

I simply urge caution, since the last thing we need is another story turning out like Fifty Shades.

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About the Creator

D.A. Baldwin

I am currently a student at a university, trying to find my way in life, while also trying to write a book. Lots of ideas bouncing in my head for potential articles, so we'll see how that goes. Cheers!

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