How To Go From Fanfic Writer to Pro Writer

[@AlexaDonne]

+TIMESTAMPS+ 01:49 Things fanfic writers are good at Pitfalls of writing fanfic/things to overcome: 03:00 Learning worldbuilding & starting in the right place 04:12 Story structure & pacing (ie: the meandering "plot") 06:17 Containing melodrama 07:44 Writing novels without validation 10:03 Coming up with original ideas How to transition: 11:22 Quitting fanfic? 12:54 Finding new CPs 13:38 How to write a novel? 15:47 Expect your pacing to be a mess at first 17:00 You have to learn to edit 18:10 Break bad fanfic writing habits 19:28 Do you have to erase your fanfic? 26:20 Fanfic as a writing style & finding your audience

[@destruction42k]

Do you have any advice to start writeing as a hobby? Would you say it's possible to ingrain professional tendencies in amature writing and would you say it's worth putting a huge amounts of effort into your first story or will it be terrible regardless of that effort? Is thare a mindset that's good to get into for a new writer?

[@alle_m]

@@destruction42k kkkkkkkk kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

[@AbbeeRambles]

I love this so much because other authortubers like Jenna Moreci hate on fanfiction really hard. I just appreciate that you're encouraging to fanfic writers rather than discouraging.

[@TamChronin]

I used to watch Jenna, but trailed off when she kept insisting that "If you're not outlining you're doing it wrong." Glad I found Alexa instead.

[@nootnewt3]

Meh I found Jenna annoying after a while. I outline but I’m glad to hear other perspectives. Also most authortubers come off as a little preachy imo. I pretty much only watch Alexa these days.

[@RashmikaLikesBooks]

That's so true. Anyway her "humour" isn't funny and half her videos now are about Skillshare before they even get to the writing advice. You're not missing out on much. Fanfic is probably serving you well, and you shouldn't be discouraged simply for writing it. That's so elitist.

[@Pa-gy5vh]

I find she's just too money-greedy these days.

[@bellebr9844]

She was fun earlier on but a lot of her trope talk videos became about representation that’s really random and I found it annoying. Plus as I got older I realized her humor is at the level of fart level humor with her acting out dumb people questions instead of real questions and saying vagina at random times. I’d say she’s good for marketing books but a lot of people don’t like the savior’s champion and a LOT of people hated eve the awakening. I stopped subscribing/listening to advice from her because it’s like taking movie advice from Micheal Bay and her voice kind of got annoying. Her outlining advice was really good though 🤷‍♀️

[@tehyat8956]

Fanfiction is what kickstarted my love of writing, so I’m super grateful for the love and support that fanfic writers receive!

[@carole5648]

same! once I got that first "kudos" i was hooked.

[@RenPowers]

Thank you so much for this fanfic series, Alexa. Something that drew me to your channel in the first place is how you lack the snobbishness around this issue that so many other craft youtubers tend to spout. As a dual fanfiction and original fiction writer I find it so lovely to hear fic getting the credit it deserves as the genre it really is, with its own conventions laid out so well. By inviting fic writers to the grown-up table rather than relegating them to the kiddie table you are doing so much to facilitate the destigmatization of fandom you were talking about. On behalf of all of us still living half in and half out of the fandom closet, I can't tell you how awesome having someone in the other camp publicly doing that bridge-building is.

[@AxleBoost]

Agreed! Like you, Serenity, I am a dual fanfic and original writer. I am actually in the rare category of people who didn't even know that there was a huge stigma in the writing community (for some) around those who create fanfiction until more recent times. I always just saw those who wrote fanfic as equal in value and range of skill as non-fanfic writers. To me, writing is writing, and it has always been so. If someone has a harder time writing in a world they created vs a world someone else created, then that's their issue. I can't relate - my imagination is so wild and vast, so I have never dealt with that kind of problem. Even if I had, I would not see it as a reason for me or anyone else to stop writing what I love: fanfiction.

[@RenPowers]

@@AxleBoost I couldn't agree more. Fanfiction, to my mind, is a genre, and genres have conventions that people either like or don't like. No one would say that sci-fi is inherently better or worse than, say, Mystery, and yet they might say that fanfiction is inherently inferior to both of them. It's comparing apples and oranges, really. I suppose I'm preaching to the choir here though...

[@TheWordN3rd]

I used to be super hush hush about the fact that I wrote fanfic, but about the 2010s I started to be more open about it. The thing that really changed things for me was realizing that the reason my third novel was so much better than it's predecessor was partly due to the 100,000 words of fanfic that stood between them. Even if it's "only fanfic" you are still cultivating skills that are necessary to write good stories. Of course, I did also rebrand so that I don't have to worry about people stumbling on that old work (some of it was very cringe), but I'm not shy about it anymore. I love it as a way to practice dialogue and character and description.

[@ashenwhite3048]

To me, original ideas come up the same as fanfic ideas. Fanfic is generally a question of "what if" phrased as an alternate universe. Using HP as an example, there is like what if Harry was a Slytherin? What if Voldemort didn't exist? (lots of others, HP isn't my fandom). So, with me, original ideas are the same thing, but using real life as the "canon" and going from there. What if there was a colony on Mars? What if revolutionaries took over the USA? (bad examples, but these can function as "stems" to branch from) This won't work for a lot of people because my genre is typically romance in a speculative fiction setting. Also I'm not published and have no authority on this topic. I just write little stuff for fun. This is just how I made the jump.

[@AxleBoost]

I agree with you.

[@sorcerersapprentice]

I tend to do that sometimes too.

[@anarchsnark]

In my writer group, I can also tell who is/was a fanfic writer, but in a good way. They had more practice and it shows :)

[@Vickynger]

the first book that i read on craft and that ACTUALLY HELPED ME was called "how not to write a novel." the reason i liked it so much, was bc it was funny. when i read it i had a lot of fun, it wasnt dry or anything. they also make up a ton of different examples that show you basically what bad writing is and its soooo entertaining. still love it, eventho im well past the beginner stages.

[@elisa4620]

Seems like something I would enjoy reading. Thanks for the recommendation :)

[@shadesofazalea]

One of the most important things for me about fanfiction was the confidence it gave me. I always used to flake when it came to writing a full length novel, because I'd never really written anything over 2000 words or so. But seeing the massive wordcount on my ongoing fanfiction and realising that *I did that* was kind of a wake up call. It inspired me to take the ideas I was going to write as fanfic, and turn it into an original work.

[@capricioushelen]

one of the hardest things i found about quitting fanfic (ish, i'm still writing fic for fun on the side) was figuring out my genre. as a kid, i wrote fantasy, so i assumed as an adult that i'd want to go back to it - and yet i had no ideas, no motivation and i couldn't understand why i was finding the transition so difficult. i would sit there like 'but i just wanna write about my otps falling in love :( ' and then one day i was like 'you fool, there is an entire GENRE for that.' i was resisting the fact that i was a romance author at heart because of some weird internalised stigma but as soon as i realised that's what i liked writing and what i HAVE been writing for years, my love for original fiction came rushing back! so for anyone out there who is finding it hard to make the switch, maybe look at the things you liked to write in fic and figure out how to apply that to original writing! just because pre-fanfic you might've liked writing about dragons and vampires doesn't mean adult you feels the same. alternatively, maybe post-fanfic you ALSO likes writing about dragons and vampires as long as there's kissing involved ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@roseuslotus92]

Thank you so much.

[@mello.1483]

I really needed this advice, I really hope your work goes noticed! I’ll probably get into romance myself 🙏🏾❤️

[@mello.1483]

I really needed this advice, I really hope your work goes noticed! I’ll probably get into romance myself 🙏🏾❤️

[@Teopengy96]

To add to the “instant gratification” point, while what you say is totally true, the bright side is that you also don’t feel that pressure to post frequently. Nobody’s nagging you about it and you don’t have to answer to anybody, you can write at your own pace :)

[@allyji96]

I used to be in many fandoms (although I only ever written in kpop, anime and HP fandom), I read some pretty amazing fanfictions of a girl who basically wrote novels (more like novelas), fully original and only inserted the characters of those fandoms. It was amazing and I hope she is a published author now and she didn't quit, and I will have to try to find her.

[@TamChronin]

I also started out as a fanfic writer in certain anime circles, and was a contemporary of Cassie Claire. (I put out a couple of HP fics that never gained traction, but that never bugged me since it wasn't my primary fandom.) I think the BIGGEST thing you've missed about transitioning from fanfic to professional writing is growing the thick skin you're going to need. One of the biggest benefits, and areas of growth for me, was learning to recognize the difference between trolling and concrit I just didn't like, and using that concrit anyway. And also, learning that concrit can be subjective. You don't have to take every bit of painful advice just because it's given, because someone else, or a lot of other someones else, might not agree with an opinion about what would make your story "better". Thank you so much for all of these. I'm pulling myself up by my bootstraps by going indie publishing instead of trad, but I still enjoy and learn more from your videos than other indie writers I enjoy watching on YT. Your writing style and advice style meshes with my personality. I appreciate you. Keep it up!

[@elisa4620]

Is concrit a dilinutive for constructive criticism? English isn't my first language 😅

[@KalafinaBTS]

@@elisa4620 Yep! Concrit means constructive criticism, hope it helps!

[@julianiemeyer1010]

Never gonna give up my fandoms. I actually use my fanfics to bust through writers block, so whenever I have issues on my OF, I switch gears to my fandoms and write a bit on a scene I can bring up in my head before going back to my stuff. It means I post horrifically slowly (post when a scene is done) for a fic author, but I get my gratification scratch on my writing capability and ask my readers to relay what they are reading into my writing as I usually use the fic chapters to test out methods of dropping hints and clues. (I write original detective fiction) Effectively, my fanfics are experimental writing and I put what works into practice in my OF. I am also very up front about all this to my readers, few of them have issues with it.

[@Nayukuo]

I think when talking about how the climate in fandom has changed, a biiiiig one isthese days is that explicit fic is very, very heavily considered poorly, not to mention "problematic" ships. There is a very real chance you could be dragged and canceled if the book community considers what you've written in fandom to be problematic, which has benefits but is also terrifying, bcs the concept of what's "problematic" changes so quickly, you never quite know if you've mistepped until it happens.

[@registeredjademark]

Thank you very much for sharing this, I definitely needed to watch it. My fanfic roots show. And then I looked at my bookshelf in horror and realized a ton of my favorite books are by former fanfic writers, and so the usual “read to be a good writer” wisdom was causing me to dig into these bad habits… One thing I’m snagged on is how to give up action tags. I ADORE action tags, I seek out books with them specifically, and I am not confident in writing engaging work without them because I am not engaged by works without them… Anyone else in this boat? How did you break the habit? :(

[@JB-ui6tm]

Though I do not write fanfics anymore, I do still post regularly on an original fiction archive and I am TOTALLY guilty of writing for validation. I am not even going to lie. It's something I've been struggling with for a long time. Getting reviews for each update of my stories motivate me to continue my stories. However, I've been writing my witchy WIP for two years now and I am SO proud that I've fought against the urge to post it on the fiction archive for feedback even though I still struggle to motivate myself to finish the darn thing. However, I am in the last stretch and I never thought I'd make it this far.

[@ruthiecoltrane6640]

This is so refreshing, a professional on KZbin giving honest advice that doesn't push their own reality. Am now going to binge watch your videos....even though im not a writer 😁

[@CreatingCo]

So I've only just recently started to admit I read fanfic and may or may not have written a few (some of which will NEVER see the light of day) and I was like "yesss preach!" when you were talking about how shameful it used to be. Now, I'll admit it in certain circles but never in others. It's so interesting how times have changed

[@AlexaDonne]

YEP and like... it's still not something I can say to all Harry Potter fans. There is a "mainstream" vs. "hardcore fandom" divide in this fandom in particular, where there are LARGE subsets of "fans" who look at you like a freak if you admit you write/wrote fanfic, specifically slash. Fandom to them is really loving a thing and maybe cosplaying a bit at the theme parks, doing some trivia. Me, screaming: I USED TO PUT STICKY NOTES IN EVERY BOOK AND DO LONG ANALYTICAL POSTS ABOUT EVERY BOOK PREDICTING WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AND THEN I RAN FIC FESTS AND WROTE TONS AND TONS OF FANFIC AND PLANNED FAN CONS AND WENT TO FAN CONS BUT OK. I find the downside of being "super nerdy" being mainstream is that, well, it's mainstream. It's "cool" to "love things a lot" but like fandom is, uh, way beyond that. Writing fic is a particular labor of love, and slash? People get cagey in a lot of circles, still.

[@Trisha5958]

I started off in middle school writing friend fiction lol then right after graduating high school i got into fanfic. My stories tend to be alternate universe so I feel the ideas were original enough. But now I'm working on novels (which i guess are still au fanfics technically lol) and I found myself deleting my old stories off the internet. That was like 5 years ago but now I really want to start sharing my fanfics again.

[@CreatingCo]

@@AlexaDonne 100% agree. I used to get upset when people thought they were on my HP level. 🤣🤣🤣 Like do you dedicate your life to reading and/or writing fanfic for these characters? No? Then don't talk to me. lmao. Now I'm a bit more reasonable but I've also been disillusioned a bit with Hp in general but it was my LIFE for years lol.

[@zyn5107]

I can't finish anything that isn't fan fic or an original script. It's driving me crazy. It took me more than twenty years to be able to write full fan fic AU novellas. My original stuff is nothing like the fan fic. Every time, my novel attempts die horribly. After watching your video on self-inserts, I realized that the longer I work on a novel, the more it drifts toward self-insert but not the characters; it's the themes and ideology of the culture and setting. I don't know how to fix it.

[@dear_totheheart]

I always deeply admire your content, as it discusses actual literary issues and ways to improve in practical and non-condescending ways. Your writing channel is one the most detailed and helpful ones out there, wish I had found you much earlier! Also, I like your approach to fanfiction, not fully belittling it but realizing how we need to move beyond some aspects that are holding us back. I found joy in fanfiction, observed trends/techniques to avoid, used fanfiction as a means to improve my own skills, and also learned so much from seeing poor quality work just as much from professional books. Thank you for this series and advice on how to reconcile our passion with professionalism

[@bethanylaurell8081]

I'm not published, so I could be wildly off-base, but I've found the original novel ideas I get most excited to write are the ones that sprung out of my fandoms. My WIP, for example, was inspired by a sidequest in one of my favorite video games. I've greatly expanded and fleshed it out, of course, but the original nugget of inspiration came from playing through that side mission and thinking "what if?" Just something to keep in mind when considering making the jump from fandom to professional--inspiration can come from anywhere!

[@esthermarieandujar]

I love this video! I come from kpop fanfiction so I think it operates slightly different but there’s some overlap too. I love and admire every author who understand & love (or at least respect) fanfiction.

[@RebeccaLaurent-n4k]

Thank you for making this! I still feel like the stigma around anime fanfiction is alive and strong. Especially, as you said, any slash fics. I've always felt like I needed to hide it and cover it up from almost everyone. I hate that people are so judgmental about something they know nothing about. I'm trying to transition now after literal years of ff writing into original fiction, so all of your tips are very helpful to me. I am so grateful that you are willing to put yourself out there a 'defender' of ff and ff authors. Not enough people do.

[@brittneymurphy5008]

Great video! I'm struggling with transitioning for many of the reasons you mentioned. The big one is not having validation. I don't have anyone to read my original work and I miss all the love and feedback I get on my fanfic. But it's definitely also that my fandom (and specifically my ship) is very much my hyperfixation and it's hard to ignore.

[@paulapatarroyoovalle8261]

Did anybody read the fanfic called "australia" ? About Ron and Hermione's journey to find her parents. Its amazing by the way, you should read it.

[@chimeiamv]

I don't even write fanfic, but I have probably close to over over a million words written of literate/paragraph style RP which is kind of like writing fanfic but with two people. I've looked back at the stuff I wrote even 2 and 3 years ago and cringe at it. Even though I'm nowhere near a pro writer, it is a dream of mine and seeing my progress throughout time really shows how much I've improved, even if I don't feel like I did anything special to learn it.

[@nocturnus009]

Gratitude for getting this video published. Thank you for taking time to collect your thoughts focus your perspective so you could refer back to this AND ONLY THIS video every time you get questions that prompted this video. Just imagine the internal reflections this video will ignite & external realizations that will move the art forward. Over the weekend I had the realization that, when done well, The current iteration of the internet & social media has both the Prism & Magnifying Glass in that we can spread open the beam of light into its full spectrum examining the internal components of what makes up that might [in this case the art of our writing]. We can also project our light [still talking about the art of writing] to illuminate the way we experience the world & how we express our perspectives in our story worlds. I am at a disadvantage in that I did not ever feel moved to write fan fiction. Back in a 2014 visit to the Newseum I noticed a set of Rory's Story Cubes in the giftshop. For me [the way I am wired] the prospect of rolling the dice & telling a story just connected. It furthered some ideas that I had from reading Scott McClouds sequential art trilogy, Understanding, Making & Reinventing Comics, that where dormant. Ideas that I convinced where outside my abilities. Hopefully the discussion induced from this video will push everyone long enough that the 49 minute follow up video will be what I imagine. The masonry has been laid, now we just need to make the are on the foundation that has been set.

[@CharlotteWV01]

Fanfic has been a 'guilty' pleasure for years but I have always wanted to try it. Think I might after this vid! Good point about writers being self-aware, too. This was such a great video, thank you!

[@aaronwang5204]

Thanks for the timely video, I was just having a Twitter discussion yesterday on the differences between Fanfic and original novels. I posted your video in the tweets. It makes everything much clearer!

[@liathedoll]

One reason why I love watching your videos is bc you are bluntly honest and come from fanfic/fandom. (btw hi, i'm in ravenclaw) I often struggled with finishing my fics bc I didn't get the feedback I wanted. BTW, do you have any specific subreddits or some other places where I could find people in writing community to talk with?

[@liathedoll]

Also, I used to love CC but now whenever I think her writing it makes me want to vomit. That woman has some serious obsession with.... incest.

[@sarcosmic6982]

I mean, there's /r/fanfiction, but that may or may not suit your needs. there's definitely gotta be more professionally-oriented subs, though.

[@liathedoll]

Sarcosmic Yeah not fanfic ones 😅 I love fanfics and everything but I wanna find people who is writing original stories and wishes or has been published.

[@annejia5382]

i think alexa's ravenclaw also 🤔

[@fallinginfiction]

I find this discussion to be very interesting, because although I primarily don’t write fanfic, and opt for creating my own original fiction, I have written a few fanfics in the past. I also understand what being part of the online writing world is like, though I wouldn’t consider myself an expert. About 4-5 years ago, I joined the world of Wattpad, where I would post stories I had written, along with two Harry Potter fanfics. I wasn’t insanely popular on the site, but I enjoyed the community of Wattpad, and have read some great stories during my time there. Now, though, I have since outgrown that world, along with posting my work for others to read, and ended up deleting my account, and erasing the work I’d posted on there altogether. My time on Wattpad was fun while it lasted, though, but it’s simply just not my thing anymore. I personally don’t regret my decision to put that part of my writing past behind me. (Note: Wattpad wasn’t where I got my start with writing- I had already been writing for a few years, before joining the site. Although, around the time I decided to put my Wattpad past behind me, I didn’t really tell my small audience of readers that I was doing this, but I think they’ve probably figured out by now that I quit the site, since I stopped posting on it 2 to 3 years ago).

[@ferrin6326]

Ahhh, Wattpad. Most of the site is a curse, but there are some hidden gems.

[@Coseepo]

Could you do a video on finding writing communities? You mention critique partners in this video, but I've never been able to find them for fanfic, let alone original. I used to go on storywrite back in the day and LOVED the set up there (it was just a community of mini competitions where you could win points that didn't really count for anything and just get feedback on everything), but it's deserted now. I have no idea where people post original fiction.

[@SensibleSoulHealing]

I wish I'd watched your fanatic to professional writing videos sooner. Light bulb moment💡

[@annmurry8589]

I struggled with the last problem for years in the LotR/ME/JRRT fandom. It helped alot to research under that world. It also helped to step away from LotR and into other fandoms.

[@SkeletonQueen3268]

I keep coming back to this video because I’m having such a hard time. I need to go *backwards*. I started writing original fiction of a sort, found tumblr, went fanfic INSANE, and now? I have such a hard time escaping fandom concepts and ideas and getting back into my own characters, because I’ve lived so long in these others. It’s really killing me.

[@Respectable_Username]

I'm curious, and not sure if this has been addressed in another of your videos: Thoughts on turning one's own existing fanfiction into a published novel, assuming the original fanfic doesn't contain any copywriteable or trademarked elements from the original work it is a fanfic of. Are there any general rules on how far removed you have to make it before passing it on? For context, I'm writing an AU fic at the moment (so completely unrelated setting and genre) which I'm intending to be novel length by the end. I was thinking, if I'm still proud enough of it at the end, I'd love to edit into a form that _could_ be published (with character names changed leaving only their dynamics behind from the original work). But I don't know how much of a no-no that'd be.

[@sorcerersapprentice]

I've been in fandom and writing fanfic (although, I do it a lot less now that I started working on my original stuff a lot more) since I was in my late teens around 2010. Now I'm in my mid 20s and an inspiring author. I'm pretty grateful for that, considering I don't think I would've taken up creative writing otherwise. Hell, I don't even have an English or Creative Writing major. A strength in my writing that I think came from my fanfic background is that I have a knack for character and character interaction. I have an easy time crafting characters who feel like real people and react convincingly under certain circumstances. I think that's because during my more hardcore fanfiction days, a lot of my flash fiction for shipping weeks and gift exchanges were just characters bouncing off of each other and sometimes even making cartoons act more realistically (I come from an anime background, case you couldn't tell by my icon). My downside is that some of my dialogue and prose come off as janky, but it's something I'm still working on. I don't think I'll ever give up on fandoms or animes as a whole. I'll always be a complete dork at heart.

[@KaterynaM_UA]

watched it till the end. Oh yeah, that's a struggle I'm facing right now. The biggest problem for me is finishing things. I get all the awesome ideas and stuff but they mean nothing if can't start and finish it. And I struggle with finishing even in fanfiction so the real deal is even more scary. About the writers I can only think about Nora Sakavic, not sure if she wrote actual fanfiction at any point but her books read as one in both best and worst ways. Still I love them with my whole heart and they have a really big active fandom for the books that weren't even available on demand before the audience bullied the author to make them so. =D

[@andiyates2834]

I love this video so much and can relate to everything you’ve said, having gone through them myself.

[@1peantbutter]

I started writing in fourth grade by writing short stories, in sixth grade I wrote a lot of poetry, and between sixth and seventh i found Wattpad fiction that I got super into and wrote for a bit, and in highschool I found out about fandom and wrote fanfiction for years. I had gotten positive feedback as a kid for my writing but not until I wrote fanfiction did I actually feel like people wanted to read what I had to write. Now that I'm stepping back into original work I've found it quite easily, luckily, to think of things not related to my fandoms. I've been an avid reader of professional authors my whole life as well so maybe that helped. sorry this paragraph is a mess I'm very tired.

[@vk7168]

First one! Omg, thank you so much for this video. ❤

[@dylantd9189]

I love Harry Potter and Harry Potter fanfic. I love writing fanfiction, but I've been trying to write actual original novels as I've gotten older, but I relate to the idea of having instant gratification chapter by chapter. Also I loved Cassandra Clares Draco Trilogy. My all time favourite fanfiction

[@MsCurufinwe]

I used to be on FF.net for years (lotr, mainly), and what I would do was read fics that had few to none reviews/favorites and give them feedback. Years were spent battling the angsty teen's base model one-trait Mary Sues; Snarky Sue, Victim Sue, and Power Sue, to name a few. Witnessed the butchering of established characters, only recognizable by name. Every night I cleansed original material rehash and regurgitate from my body, but not my soul. Any mention of SI triggers a crippling flashback. Yet, these are people who live out their fantasies through harmless means, and their bravery for putting themselves out there is commendable. Everything I mentioned above, I've been seeing more and more of in mainstream media. What happened there? It seems like bare minimum story-telling effort is now acceptable. People look down on FF, but then praise its thinly-veiled equivalence in Hollywood. Total hypocrisy.

[@lovetolovefairytales]

Oh, I didn't realize you were a Harry Potter fanfiction writer! I wasn't into Potter back in my heavy fanfic days, but I did a lot of Narnia stories.

[@ClefairyFairySnowflake]

Thank you for this video! And I look forward to your fanfiction series coming up! Have a great day!

[@bluon259]

I write fanfic, but it’s mainly for myself. I’ve tried posting it all several times, even did the whole once a week update thing... but after the comments started coming, and the likes, I just stopped. Validation hurts me idk, now I’ll just keep this private lol

[@evinkrowe1334]

I've been waiting specifically for this video since i found you but def since your new years q&a since you skipped my question on keeping your fandom and its finally hereeeee /o/ you covered so much and it was great advice. honestly the biggest pit fall for me so far is just learning about publishing is so overwhelming which is why i started following you, you break it down so well. it makes me sad to think i have to give up fandom for books, i want both, this isn't fair. why can't i have my cake and eat it too? maybe i'll make a random name and post fanfics under that name and no one has to know that i'm still writing them

[@AlexaDonne]

You can keep both if you want! There are authors I know who still write fic for fun, like Lindsay Ribar or RJ Anderson. I just personally couldn't balance both--I'm kind of an all or nothing type of person!

[@evinkrowe1334]

@@AlexaDonne fandom has been apart of my life since early teens i don't think i could ever 100% give it up, but as long as its a hobby and doesn't effect my writing, i think i'll try to keep it :3

[@Thebigbluemeany]

This is exactly what I needed right now! Thanks - all so useful:-)

[@MsCurufinwe]

Forthright (an Inuyasha FF.net writer) is a good example of your original idea point. She's such a good writer, I read her stuff to feel inferior. Her pacing, portrayal of characters, descriptors, planning, balancing (never a dull moment, but it's never too much), prose, voice, I thought I came across literal perfection. However, Forthwrite released her original works, and it was just a rehash of one of her Fanfics. Worse, is that the characters need to play the same roles, but without being the same characters so something felt missing. I just read the first book in a series of three, so maybe it got better. I think the main mistake may have been not expanding her betas beyond FF? Don't get me wrong, she's still heart-breakingly good. It's just she hasn't realized her potential for original works, yet.

[@AnimalLover101195]

your eyeshadow is so pretty!

[@sunnydew5608]

I never heard of fanfic before... I thought characters were copyrighted and it was illegal to take someone else's character and write a story about them. Anyway... shows you how much I know. I wrote a book. A historical romance. Finished it on January 1st. What a way to start the year, right? I wrote it for myself, and it ended up being over 80k words. It's my first, and I so don't plan on trying to sell it, because I'm sure it's not good enough, but I find myself sometimes wanting someone to read it just so I know what I did wrong... And then I'm glad no one has ever read it because then no one can tell me what's wrong with it... But then I long to know what's wrong with it so maybe I can rewrite it and make it better.... And then I'm glad no one had read it, because what if they tell me it's terrible? And around and around in circles I go. I had NO plans on writing another, and then three weeks ago... I had an overpowering urge to write a book for one of my other characters... Grrr... So I started it, and I'm at about 30k words right now. Hoping this one can also make to over 80k, but not seeing it happening. Also not planning on putting this one out there... Also hoping that this doesn't become a norm for me... I don't have time to drive myself insane trying to figure out that word that won't come but is there, on the edge of my brain, just waiting for the wrong moment to make itself known. I just found your channel. I was watching another channel and wanted another author's take on writing. Thanks for the videos. I appreciate your take on the different subjects. Have a good night.

[@sunnydew5608]

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep that in mind. :-)

[@sorcerersapprentice]

Under legal terms, it's safe long as you don't make money off of it. That's why fanfiction is free and the writers make no money off of it. If you want to break into fan fiction, go onto AO3 and post it there. That's the site that most modern fic writers use exclusively.

[@musicbyella3769]

I have a driving lesson in a minute noooo but can’t wait to watch this when I’m back!

[@sarcomeresarecool]

This is a great dive into various aspects of fic vs original. If one is attempting to write middle grade, and doesn't want to destroy their fanfic even if they don't plan to directly jump off from it, would you recommend orphaning any ao3 works that would be maybe inappropriate for a potential ten-year-old reader to stumble across? I ask because that's kind of what I'm aiming at, and my first fic I ever posted is quite dark and not really something I'd want a kid to find through me from my (potential) middle grade novel but I also don't want to fully delete it.

[@AlexaDonne]

Yeah you can just leave that stuff behind! That's what I did. I put all my stuff on AO3 and then just... walked away lol. Once you leave a long enough cooling period, you're good. I didn't want to delete my fic forever, though, because they still brought joy to some people.

[@TheOnceAndFutureKing]

There's a fanfiction writer on Fanfiction.net called KnightMysterio who I feel produces some of the best fanfiction ever, which gives me the same joy as when I'm reading some of my favorite professional novels. Another great recommendation is Wesker888.

[@Br0k3nH3art5]

The Once And Future King what fandom do they write for?

[@TheOnceAndFutureKing]

@@Br0k3nH3art5 Varieties. Wesker888 has written for Fullmetal Alchemist, Kingdom Hearts, Harry Potter, Freedom Fighters, Resident Evil, Heroes, Lost, Halo, and Evangelion. KnightMysterio has written for Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Sly Cooper, Mario, Transformers, Final Fantasy X, Harry Potter, Dragonball Z, Super Smash Brothers, Ranma 1/2, Mega Man, Warriors Orochi, Punch Out, Metal Gear, Disney, Hell Girl, Samurai Jack, Sonic the Hedgehog, Team Fortress 2, Warcraft, Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Portal, My Little Pony, Gargoyles, C.O.P.S., G.I. Joe, Anime X-Overs, Five Night at Freddy's, X-Overs, Marvel, Persona Series, Captain N, Ghostbusters, and Game X-Overs.

[@Br0k3nH3art5]

The Once And Future King Wow, thank you so much! They’ve written so much

[@leetee83]

I loved this video. My question is when do you know it's time to make the transition?

[@AlexaDonne]

It's totally a personal decision! Usually it's the overwhelming desire to write a novel and try and make it as a professional writer... that's what it was for me. Plus, honestly, I was already waning slightly, re: fandom--this was back when Deathly Hallows finally came out, and LJ was sold to the Russians, so it ended up being a natural transition point for me!

[@leetee83]

@@AlexaDonne Thanks for responding. I honestly feel like I am there but not quite. I have completely stopped reading fanfics, in preference for novels, like one every other day, but I like having a WIP to work on for fun. And yes I love the instant feedback. So I am going to have to find a beta reader for my original work to bounce my ideas off of. Maybe then I can transition altogether.

[@ciofki]

What do you feel about structured micro stories? Specifically 100word stories?

[@KaterynaM_UA]

Gotta say that I don't like that navel gazing even in fanfic. It's bearable if you read it in progress but reading it in one go can get really tedious. If I see a fic longer than 80k it's almost always in need of significant cuts from text efficiency point. Not always, but mostly. And yeah we don't read fanfiction for the literature but I think it's best to strive for better in any form of creative work.

[@keiths2902]

Катя Мазурчак that’s actually an interesting point. I think the general word counts for fiction is somewhere in the 120,000+. I agree that a lot of fic can be cut down, but I think it’s more that the writers are not as experienced and maybe the story just doesn’t have enough to it to warrant what would be a full novel in published works.

[@KaterynaM_UA]

@@keiths2902 While the inexperience plays a role in it I think the major reason is self-indulgence of the writers and lack of edits after the fanfic is done. And both are valid, self-indulgence is why we write it (it's just goes a bit too far with some authors in my opinion) and there is little incentive to make major editing after it's done, the new fanfic awaits! That's why a lot of fafiction read like "diamond in the rough" both so good but with potential of being so much better.

[@mckenziestaley9063]

I never wrote fanfiction but I can understand why you had to stop writing and reading it. I used to read it a lot and it really made my writing suffer in certain areas. I still care for fanfiction, but it diffidently was not right for me.

[@17people64]

Does anyone here knows Dianora's famous fanfics? The X files and The West Wing were THE best specially NC17. ANYONE heard about her recently???

[@SkeletonQueen3268]

My biggest problem is that I didn’t write multi-chap fic, I leaned towards “Drabble fic” and “one-shots” so i have to force myself to write actual scenes and have continuity as opposed to everything I used to post has a stop and a start-new post, new thing. New page, new concept. It’s difficult for sure

[@mistyfaerain9622]

I chose a different pen name than what my fandom knows me by. I'm in the Once Upon a Time fandom and run Facebook groups. I'm laughing, I'm the "lowest of the low." I am a role player, but it is a skill. I do have one fan fiction published, and intend to publish more (along with my novels) but I am a role player all the way. I am known in my fandom for role playing, my groups, and I have similar physical characteristics of the "star" of the show so amaetur cosplaying (I can't wait to go all out one day). Even when I tag my "real" account and know y real name they still refer to me as the name on my main role play Facebook profile. Do you have any advice for someone so engulfed not only in a fandom as a writer, but a ROLE PLAYER? Lol I'm screwed, aren't I? 😝

[@AiorosSagittarius]

I think one can use fanfiction to polish one's writing style, if one refuses to follow those cliche fanfiction tropes. I do, at least.

[@marionleblanc8580]

Yeah, but if you divert too much from what the readership generally expects from a fic (let's be honest: fan service), you might have a lot a trouble connecting with an audience. That happened to me. I'm a fine writer but I'm a very poor fanfiction writer.

[@missmermade9331]

Okay, Alexa. I'm dying to know! What was your ship?

[@AlexaDonne]

Harry/Draco! Though I started out in Draco/Hermione.

[@missmermade9331]

@@AlexaDonne Thanks for telling! Those fandoms are really loving and strong

[@ladycalathieloropherion]

I never get that kind of feedback anyway not even in my fanfiction

[@asterross]

I edit a lot in my stories. Mostly because I find myself hating the way I wrote it, or found it not good enough. I use to take months building an entire fanfic story, because I wanted my story to be perfect. I still do that actually, but it's worse with an original concept.

[@CHERÍR.CHERÍR]

I have been spending the past few minutes having a breakdown cause of not knowing where to start off my fan fiction. like my story hasn't been updated in a few weeks and has 3k reads and I'm rewriting and also trying to publish chapters of it since I write on Wattpad I see people are expecting me to update it soon and it's just so hard and I need help, but I don't know how I don't even know how to start a plot. but I've also tried Google and Pinterest, but Google just gives me how to start fanfiction and do's or don'ts on what to do and Pinterest just gives me words to use in fanfiction in fiction and I just don't know

[@mackenziebrynnrap]

Oh yeah I definitely had a fun quirky fanfic name because I didn’t want to use my real name, even though I wasn’t really a ship writer and was much more plot focused, which I think was another consequence of growing up an episodic tv show kid. Got more into ships as I came out to myself, but even still I’m shit at writing romantic/Shippy scenes so lol 😂

[@amatsumikaboshi3000]

I am not say it's ever going to happen. But if I wanted to try and get my fanfiction turned into a cartoon or comic, how would I go about doing that? Does anyone know any companies that are more willing to take chances on fanfiction?

[@cathal9596]

I love your videos

[@carynschmidt5061]

So here's a question: does it count as writing fanfic if you never posted it, but wrote it for your own (and a select few very close others') enjoyment?

[@yourmom-pr8ht]

I made loads and loads of fanfiction most of the time just for my own self😂 its a journey to polish it for the traditional publishing game and the market here😁

[@lina5699]

when you suggested going cold turkey, i almost dropped my shawarama...

[@keiths2902]

I love fic and fellow fic writers! But as the years have passed, I find myself mostly... rolling my eyes or having to rage quit fics ^^;;;;;; the melodrama is... upsetting. I hate it because I used to LOVE reading fic. It’s free and sccessible and a great use of time. But now I can’t really manage to read ; n ; I should pick up real novels but I just take too long to open to new characters and worlds, ’vus when I do, I DO. So. It’s like a paralysis of choice tbh, and that’s even beforr your figure cost (I absolutely believe in paying for books, I refuse to download/torrent/etc.). Fanfic makes it so easy to find minorities in topics that mainstream publishing hasn’t yet really allowed us in. When I wanna read about queer, poc characters I don’t want to be limited to a high school setting about them struggling with identity. I want elves and magic and space : (

[@AirwrekaDoesntRead]

I have a question regarding publication. I've seen a few authors from fanfic sites (Fanfiction.net, AO3, WattPad) who publish their fanfics AS original works. Sure, they change the character names, but they publish it nonetheless. What are your thoughts on people who take this route? (I see it as a cop out, but hey, to each their own.)

[@dylanwickersham5610]

I know I'm not Alexa, but I see this come up a lot, so I'd like to weigh in if that's okay. The first two novels that come from fandom that always come to mind were smut remixes of a story or celebrity that were re-purposed as erotica. This seems like a successful formula for that genre, but it might hinder originality. One of the pitfalls discussed in the video was difficulty in breaking away from fandom. This might be even truer for authors who made a more direct transition from fanfic to original publishing. So while I don't necessarily see this as a cop out, I do think that it might be harder for these authors to craft their own story formulas. But I guess only time will tell. Sorry for the long reply. Have a great day!

[@AirwrekaDoesntRead]

@@dylanwickersham5610 Oh I enjoy conversation with anyone who wants to jump in. I think I know which stories you're thinking of as far as the "smut" goes, and I do completely agree. Breaking away from fandom is something that I think everyone will have trouble with, but to use the work that was intended for fandom is something that I view as more than just lacking the creativity or originality.

[@dylanwickersham5610]

@@AirwrekaDoesntRead That's fair. I think that's why fandom is such a nebulous area as far as writing goes. It can have a kind of dual effect I suppose. Most authors, even the ones who love fandom, will refuse to read fanfiction of their work to avoid inadvertently poaching ideas.I suppose it really comes down to the matter of transparency of inspiration, and whether or not profiting from restructuring of plot lines is justifiable. The "is any story really original?" debate rearing its head yet again. The chicken vs. the egg I guess.

[@AlexaDonne]

I am of many minds on the subject, and honestly it's a topic that deserves it's own video! I think it is complicated and case-by-case. Generally speaking and historically, I have found "filing off the serial numbers" to be tacky. Often it's poorly done. But I cannot deny that in many cases it's smart business--though I think most of the our famous cases of it are those in which the resulting book is... not super well written, if popular. However, I do think that if one is writing AUs--really taking their fic and characters super far outside the established world of the fandom, then you're basically writing original fiction... and if someone wants to file off the serial numbers in that case, I say more power to them. For some writers, that's the way that they stumble upon the confidence to write their own fic. I certainly realized at a certain point my AUs were SO AU that essentially I was using character tropes and coming up with my own worlds. It's around that time I made the transition, though I had no novel length work to "file the serial numbers off"--though I don't think I would have. I personally wouldn't want to forever be tied to something that started as fanfic.

[@Casutama]

it's just a different medium, right? I wouldn't even call fanfic "amateurish"; a good play doesn't necessarily make for a good book, or film script. Fanfic and novels simply have very different requirements that can both be good and high quality in their own right. Most novels wouldn't work super well as fanfic and vice versa

[@loganplonski922]

I'm currently not trying to transition into professional writing, but something that strikes me is that the kind of stories that I want to write might not even be marketable. The story I'm writing is about some kids who have supernatural adventures. So, the natural conclusion is that this could easily translate into middle grade fiction. But I know that my story is only being read by adults. It also deals with some serious topics like abuse and mental illness, as well as having transgender and neurodivergent protagonists. There are things that I'm not willing to compromise on, but I think that publishers might think that it's all "too much." Like I have to choose between writing about trans characters, neurodivergent characters, or fantasy adventures.

[@anastasiaarvanitidou4179]

Maybe it might work, if you set your worldbuilding right and explain thoroughly and properly why each character was choosen, what their backstory is, why they were involved in these adventures or if they have some kind of supenatural power, talent, skill or generally what they have or who they are connects them somehow with the incidents then i don't see the problem. If you introduce your topics in the right way i think it would be interesting to see how things are going to play out

[@catlinejade3672]

Thinking in pure market terms - if you want it to be read by adults you could age the characters? I think really that's the only thing that could become unappealing to me personally.

[@catlinejade3672]

It's funny. I never wrote fanfic. It wasn't a thing when I started writing - I didn't even have my own computer lol. So for me, all these problems occurred with "original" work - especially the melodrama part yiiiiikes

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Lolz... I'm still a working GM (Game Master) for TTRPG's... Talk about melodrama... I mean, a lot of it (around more experienced/adult Players) is vicarious joking, BUT there's a LOT of overtly effervescent emotional content when you get teens involved. One little drink spilled, and the answer is a barfight and burning down half the damn town! SO... yep, this is going to be an uphill kind of campaign arc. ;o)

[@motocrikey]

I had no idea there were publishers who sought out ex-fanfiction writers! What are they? :P

[@Michistudios]

You are an inspiration for me, but still Ifeel like I will never be able to make a living from writing. Im not a native english speaker so I write in my native language and I feel like that means that I will never be known or get money...

[@ili9062]

Omg i'm so early

[@st.beatles7283]

Literally just wrote and posted a funny fanfiction on instagram

[@experiFilm]

Tags: [Character Death] Me: WHAT EXCUSE ME

[@annmurry8589]

I dumped my fanfic blog account because the community turned sour enough to drive over 90% of the members out.

[@sannh]

I think slash fiction is okay just so long as 1) It's not romanticizing a problematic relationship. 2) The shippers don't insist that it is, or should be canon. I'm looking at you Reylos.