So You Want To Write Fanfiction

Story Ideas

The best thing about fanfictions are all the story ideas that authors come up with. There are thousands of unique stories that have been derived from original and creative ideas and it is so much fun for the readers to dive into such an amazing storyline.

But, of course, there are those fanfictions that as soon as one story becomes popular, the idea circulates down to many other authors and then there are hundreds of stories with the same basic idea. This is my personal opinion, but stories that have these titles, "Adopted by (famous band)" or "Kidnapped by (famous band)", or even just with that basic idea, are so overdone and it seems like there really isn't any original thought. Authors do put their own spin on these ideas to try and create something different, but because there are so many stories with these basic ideas, readers feel like they're just reading the same things over and over again.

That's why it's important to dive into your creative side and think of original ideas. And if you don't know where to start, here are a few tips.

1. Make a fanfiction about your life or about a time in your life.

Nothing's more original than something you've lived through, so imagine your life with your favorite celebrities. Are they your classmates who finally got up the courage to ask you to that dance? Are they your cousin who came with you and your family on a vacation to Hawaii? Do they work with you at a job you just got hired at? Are they your protective older brother who stood up for you when you were getting bullied?

Many authors use their life stories as a base for their fanfictions. After they figure out a time period, they add in their favorite celebrities as a substitute for an actual person or a new character in their life.

You can even write about your ideal life with your favorite celebrity. For example, my fanfiction "Drama" is about what I wish my life was like (without the drama, obviously). Of course, Niall was never in my acting dreams since One Direction didn't come into my life until a few years ago, but I basically wrote about my ideal life as an actress in Hollywood and then I added Niall into it to make it a fanfiction.

2. Use your favorite genres as a foundation.

Are you into horror? Do you love action movies with superheroes? Do you like reading about romance? How about comedies?

You've read many books and seen tons of movies in your favorite genre, so you know what it takes to create a well-written storyline in that genre. If it's horror, you know how to make a scene suspenseful and scary. If it's action, you know what motivates most superheroes into saving the world, plus you can create a superpower for your main character. If it's comedy, you know the jokes and the silly actions that make audiences laugh. And romance? Well, most fanfictions already are partially romantic because let's face it. We all love good fanfictions where the main character finally gets the celebrity (or vice versa).

For me, fantasy is my favorite genre and I aim to create all my fanfictions in the fantasy genre (except "Drama"). I love imagining a different world where things out of the ordinary happen because I love going into a world that isn't reality. It's a chance for me to really let my creative side emerge because with fantasy, there are no limitations!

3. Create a subplot from an already existing movie, TV show, or book.

We all have our favorite movies, TV shows, and books, so why not imagine our favorite celebrities in that world? You can take the storyline and write the celebrity as the main character or you can create a prequel or a sequel with the celebrities as the characters. For instance, I've seen a few fanfictions where the celebrities are written into the Harry Potter world and it makes for a very interesting story, especially to those who are fans of both Harry Potter and the celebrities.

Be careful not to copy others' works. These movies, TV shows, and books have already been written by teams of hardworking authors and writers, so do not copy exactly what they wrote (for TV shows and movies, that includes exactly what was said). I am not giving you permission to steal another's work, so please be careful about what you write.

4. Write crossovers with different celebrities.

Do you have two favorite bands? Even three? Maybe four? Do you have a few favorite actors who you would love to imagine with your favorite singer or band?

Crossovers are a way to bring all your favorite celebrities into one fanfiction and it honestly does make for a really creative idea. Most of the time, these celebrities probably have not met before and definitely didn't have a crazy time together, so you get to use your imagination to create a wild story with these celebrities!

I should warn you though that crossovers are tough to gain an audience for because a lot of the time, fans of one band may not be fans of the other. One of the most well-known cases is One Direction and 5SOS. Many One Direction fans are certainly not fans of 5SOS and vice versa, so if you'd like to create a fanfiction with both bands, it may not become as popular as you think. But you can certainly give it a try! It could be a very fun experience for you!

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Obviously these aren't all the ways that you can begin writing an original story, but these are the methods I've seen the most and hopefully this has helped you in figuring out a creative idea for your fanfiction!