How Writing Fan Fiction Can Supercharge Your Process

What do you think when you hear the term “fan fiction”? My original reaction wasn’t exactly positive: without much exposure to it, I assumed it was entirely derivative, low quality, and mostly smut. I also assumed that it focused on off-the-wall romantic pairings.

But guess what? For a writer, fan fiction can be a surprisingly useful tool.

When you write a fan fiction story, the pressure is low, the mental and emotional load is low, and you’re (often) in a fairly safe space, where you can release material to fans hungry for content. Your readers will often be quite supportive, and some may even offer constructive feedback.

So why is this useful?

The first time I read a fan fiction story, I’d just finished an entry in a series and desperately wanted to stay engaged. From a fan fiction site, I picked a story somewhat at random from a very large selection. It placed two well-known characters from a well-known fandom into roles that clearly reflected the author’s interests. The story was quite well-written and wasn’t just a vehicle for explicit content. Still, I found it a bit too odd for my tastes, as it took