From Fanfic to Fiction: How I Stopped Borrowing Characters and Started Building Worlds
What do you do when fanfiction writing just doesn't satisfy anymore?
WRITINGFANFICTIONORIGINAL
Let’s be honest: fanfiction is the gateway drug to storytelling. One minute you’re innocently reading a 200k slow-burn enemies-to-lovers AU at 3 a.m., and the next you’re elbow-deep in your own 12-chapter saga where Sherlock runs a coffee shop and falls in love with a barista named John Watson who’s secretly a vampire. We’ve all been there. No shame. In fact, fanfiction is where many of us first realized we could actually write.
Playing in the sandbox of someone else's sandbox works as a perfect way to practice those all-important writing skills. You get to use prefabricated characters, so you don’t have the stress of creating them, and you get to play with your favorite characters. What could be better? You just have to focus on the world around the characters, and that’s already built as well! So, you can just relax and have fun.
But then something strange happens. You start tweaking canon. You invent new characters. You write entire chapters that don’t even feature the original cast. And suddenly, you’re staring at your screen thinking: “Wait… is this mine?”
The Fanfic Toolkit: What It Teaches You
Fanfiction is the best writing bootcamp no one talks about. Here’s what it gives you:
·Instant audience feedback: Comments, kudos, and the occasional “PLEASE UPDATE” scream into the void.
Character study: You learn how to write consistent personalities, even when you’re bending them into new tropes.
Plot pacing: You figure out how to keep readers hooked, chapter after chapter.
Dialogue mastery: Because let’s face it, fanfic readers live for banter and emotional confessions at 2 a.m.
Setting consistency: When you can reference the wiki at two AM, you know what it’s like to find out, was that building on the left or the right of the coffee shop?
Fandom friendships: Let’s face it, you end up with people excitedly wanting to talk plot and about the canon with you, and it’s a great way to get feedback.
Feeling “heard”: Sometimes, the writing world is lonely and you wonder if anyone is even paying attention to your stories.
It’s like training wheels for storytelling, but with glitter, angst, and way too many coffee shop AUs.
Making the Leap: Writing Original Fiction
Transitioning to original work feels like stepping off a fanfic cliff and hoping your wings are made of plot twists and vibes. Suddenly, there’s no canon to lean on. No built-in fandom. No prefabbed characters. Just you, your brain, and a blank page.
But here’s the secret: you’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience.
That OC you created for your fanfic? She’s ready for her own universe.
That AU setting you built? It’s begging to be expanded.
That emotional arc you crafted? It’s yours now with no canon constraints.
Writing original fiction is like fanfic with the training wheels off. Scary? Yes. Liberating? Absolutely.
Embrace the Chaos (and the Freedom)
When you write original fiction, you get to:
Invent your own lore (and break it).
Create characters who don’t need to fit anyone’s mold.
Build worlds that reflect your voice, your values, your wildest dreams.
And the best part? You’re not just writing stories. You’re building a brand. A universe. A legacy.
Tips for Fanfic Writers Going Original
Start with what you love: If you adore found family tropes and morally gray heroes, bring them into your original work.
Borrow structure, not content: Use the pacing and emotional beats you mastered in fanfic to shape your new stories.
Don’t fear the blank page: Fill it with the things that made you fall in love with writing in the first place.
Lean into your strengths: Take that best loved fic and give it an original spin, and make it your own.
Expect quieter readers: Unlike fanfiction, original readers don’t make the kind of “noise” fanfiction readers do; it doesn’t mean they don’t love it, though.
Fanfiction readers don’t follow all the time: You may expect your fanfiction readers to follow you in droves to the original; be prepared to realize fanfiction readers are rarely original content consumers.
Celebrate your roots: Fanfiction isn’t a phase; it’s a foundation.
So, if you’re standing at the edge of original fiction, wondering if you’re ready to jump, just know you’ve already been flying. Fanfiction gave you wings. Now it’s time to soar. Hold on tight, and step off the cliff, opening those writing wings wide, and let the air catch you. And know, you don’t have to leave fanfiction behind. Many writers dabble in fanfiction along with their original work, so keep writing what you love. Never lose the joy you found in writing with fanfiction.