Why Fan Fiction?

Up until 2011, like many other writers, I scoffed the idea of fan fiction. The characters were not original, the setting was already made up by the author, so really all a fanfic writer had to do was come up with a plot. And sometimes not even that much. "PWP" (plot-what-plot, or alternatively "porn without plot") is popular for a reason.

Not that I didn't sometimes dabble in writing Star Trek episodes. It can get addicting, certainly! But it seemed like every story I opened on Fanfiction.net was riddled with grammar errors and meandering plots. I think the infamous "My Immortal" Harry Potter fanfic epitomized the stereotype of bad (really bad) writing. So bad, I only managed three chapters before I felt physically ill.

Then a crazy plot dropped into my head, a novel-size story on Quantum Leap, my favorite show as a kid and what got me fascinated in history. So I set up an account and began uploading chapters. I discovered something unique in this experiment. Readers leave comments, and although 90% or them are simple "I liked this so please update soon," there are little gems out there, readers who want quality, will praise you if you deliver, and most important to me, readers who will gladly critique you. Sometimes harshly!

This equals instant gratification.

Coming Up With Lion's Pride

This summer, I got addicted to the manga Fairy Tail and of course began writing on that. It was a crazy idea, hooking up the two characters who I thought made the most adorable pair, the Spirit Mage Lucy and her Spirit of the Leo Constellation, a playboy named Loke. Lion's Pride was going to be one of those notorious PWP stories, except... I got rave reviews. On my first day of publishing, 77 people read the story, and many left reviews. By the end of the week, over 300 people had read this and wanted more.

Who was I to refuse!

So a second chapter went up. This time, 100 people read it on the first day. I was spurred on. My imagination, which had been plagued with writer's block, suddenly opened by the cheers of adoring readers who claimed this story of mine, one I put so little effort into, was one of those "diamonds in the rough" that are the treasure of Fanfiction.net.

My ego was rising with the helium of compliments, and with it my love for writing took flight once more.

That was in August. By the end of that month, I had six chapters up and about 250 regular readers with more drifting in every day. Through September, I regularly updated a chapter every four days, which was probably insane of me, except I was really falling in love with the story. My Muse could not be stopped. My day was filled with writing, editing, responding to reviews and private messages. One reader from France offered to translate my story. I'm still in shock that I can read my story in French! Corbleu! I chatted with a few readers who I now count as friends. For me, writing had never been so much fun.

October saw some problems. I sprained my wrist and could not type well. Still, I pushed onward, cutting down to a chapter a week. Then I needed emergency surgery. I had a buffer, so I kept updating even while bed-bound. I did not want to stop. I felt a duty to my readers. I had the whole story outlined. I wrote out the ending, since that is always the hardest for me.

On the side, I was still writing one-shots. The fans from Lion's Pride would read those as well. I had "followers," scary as that sounds. People began to notice my name in other places. "Rhov" was becoming something of a celebrity in my small circle of fanfic folks. My husband joked that I spent at least an hour a day replying to "fan mail."

I felt an obligation to keep my readers entertained.

This is not a feeling you get when you write a stand-alone novel. Maybe for epic series, but normally... "obligation to entertain" is not something solitary writers feel. Since I'm also a musician, I comprehend this emotion, and I'm amazed to feel it in writing as well. What sort of writer would also feel this drive and loyalty?

Mangaka! Or as most people would know it, Japanese comic artists. The same talented people I'm emulating.

I just published my 20th chapter tonight. It's November, Nanowrimo time, so I have stopped writing Lion's Pride. I have two more chapters in my buffer to wrap up Part One, and then I plan on taking a hiatus until December. I feel... sad. I know I need to stop obsessing, but I feel worried that if I stop now, the steam will fade away. I won't feel the same rush.

Then I look at how many people are just discovering this story. Every day, I pick up at least 5 new readers. Even if I need to take time off for Nanowrimo, that means 150 new readers will be there to welcome me back.

So Why Fan Fiction?

Some of you might ask, why did I so suddenly venture into the tripe-filled cesspool of fan fiction? After all, it is a community overrun by teens who want to live out their Mary Sue dreams of being in an anime or falling for a movie star. Who wouldn't love to be swept into an adventure with Harry Potter, or have a vampire all to yourself? But why am I "sinking" to such a level?

I recently read a forum where a writer asked such a question. How is it that writers who obviously have talent would "demean" themselves by "wasting" such inspiration on something for which they could never get paid?

Why would I waste three months writing Lion's Pride, a story where I must put a disclaimer that I do not own the rights to the manga, a story I cannot make money on, a story that--according to that particular forum writer--is a medium best occupied by teens still trying to grow in their feathers, not a full-fledged adult who has published and gets paid to write material?

Simple answer: Instant gratification!

Think about it. You slave over your beloved novel, which may take a year to finish. You then spend months if not years being rejected by agent after agent, editor after editor. If you are deemed lucky enough to get your foot in the door, then you get your story shredded in editing and rewriting, until you think you are a horrible writer. Finally, it gets published, and instead of an instant New York Times bestseller, you realize that selling a few hundred in the first week is the best you can do. Friends who said they would buy your book don't. Family might buy one copy and pass it around. Then you get reviews. The negative ones hit you hard, because these are there for the whole world to see. Your family questions why you would write such a thing. You slink back to your keyboard hoping that maybe the sequel will do better.

That is traditional publishing.

Here is Fan Fiction.

You write the first chapter. You do not even have to have the whole plot laid out. You stick it out there like sending your first 10 pages to an agent. Instead of months of rejections, within minutes you get reviews. Some praise you. Some correct you. You can instantly edit your story to help improve based on those comments. For each chapter, you garner more readers and more reviews. Every step of the way, you're boosted. True, some of these readers might not recognize tripe if it was shoved down their throats, but others are quite discerning. You feel loved. When you finish the story, the writing process is over. You aren't plagued with the fear of months of upcoming rejections. It's already published! Your payment was during the writing phase, all those comments. You feel accomplished and enthusiastic to write more.

Fan fiction for me is a place where I can experiment. I can write on subjects that are too risqué. I can get feedback besides "We are not looking for this sort of story at this time." I can discover my strengths rather than get bombarded with my shortcomings. Fanfics make me love writing again.

Writing a story with characters from another story happens all the time. Shakespeare did it in many of his plays. Every fairy tale remake and comic-book-turned-movie could be considered "fan fiction" in a way. Except fanfic writers don't care about money. We do this for fun and for ourselves.

Saying that writers who write fan fiction is a waste of talent is like saying a doctor running a free clinic is a waste of talent. Money and profit do not even enter a fanfic writer's head. We wish to entertain and improve ourselves. Just because I've published a few things does not mean I am the pinnacle of writing success. Hell no! I want to improve. I want others to read my stuff.

Heck, if I ever publish my novel, I would be giddy to sneak onto Fanfiction.net and write some slash between my characters. It's fun to free one's imagination.

That's why I write fan fiction.

If you want to read the story of stuff I do, you can read Lion's Pride, but do be careful. It's rated "M" for a reason.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7254845/1/Lions_Pride

Oh and... review my story! ^_^