With fanfiction, the writer of a movie, TV series, or book has already done the character building.
As the fanfic writer, you get to throw your favorite characters into different “what if” situations.
Plenty of Doctor Who fanfiction writers, for example, write stories bringing the 10th Doctor and Rose Tyler closer together.
Just how close they get depends on the writer. But a solid ship (i.e., pairing) can generate a slew of spicy fanfic ideas.
Fanfiction is a great way to build a devoted readership and develop your writing skills.
All you need now is a list of intriguing fanfiction story ideas.
(Side note: If you want the peace of mind that you’re publishing with good grammar and punctuation, then check out the free Grammarly proofreading tool.)
25 Fanfiction Writing Prompts
Whatever shows or books hold a special place in your heart, you’ll enjoy the following collection of thoughtfully-crafted fanfiction prompts. Jot down some fun ideas of your own as you work your way down the list.
Time Travel Fanfiction
So many things could go wrong when your favorite fandom characters go back in time to change things. What could they do to either endanger the human race or make things turn out better than before — but at a price?
1. Two characters you love are sent to the past and work undercover as flower shop owners to change the outcome at a famous wedding.
2. A nemesis time-travels to change a superhero’s origin story, changing the course of that hero’s life — and their own.
3. An interesting character with a bit part finally gets a chance to show what they’re made of when an old enemy incapacitates the bigger players to steal a recipe.
4. A favorite character goes back in time to stop the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and changes the course of the country’s history.
5. One of your characters is so desperate to change things for someone they care about, they time-travel and save a life — only to erase another.
Alternate Universe (AU) Fanfiction
How can an alternate universe complicate things for a favorite character or couple? Play with any of the following scenarios or let your mind stretch beyond them to explore other possibilities.
6. Some of your favorite superheroes sacrificed themselves in the end. The line-up of survivors looks very different in an alternate universe, and you know why.
7. What would happen if, instead of your least favorite ship happening, one of the characters traveled to an alternate universe and came back with a better match?
8. A superhero visits an alternate universe where their high school crush developed special abilities and became their nemesis — but might not be unreachable.
9. Two characters that ended up together visit an alternate universe where they seem happier with different (and unexpected) partners.
10. In an alternate universe, your favorite villain finds their alter-ego leads a very different life — one that has nothing to do with heroes or illegal activity.
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Romance Fanfiction
You know you’re just aching to get two characters together, and in fanfiction, you can make it happen. Keep your audience in mind when things get serious.
11. Take a romantic couple that makes zero sense or feels forced (e.g., Joey and Rachel) and shake it up, replacing it with one — or even two — that do.
12. A favorite couple is kidnapped and drugged by someone who clearly doesn’t know what they’re in for. The drug erases inhibitions, and the results are hilarious.
13. A favorite character meets a celebrity or a character from another fandom and discovers they have great chemistry. Someone gets jealous.
14. A favorite character is tricked into drinking something that causes them to fall head over heels for their nemesis, who does not appreciate the attention.
15. A villain learns something about the hero they love to hate and starts thinking about them differently. When they have a vivid dream, they take a risk.
Fluffy or “Waffy” (warm and fuzzy”) Fanfiction
This well-established subgenre is all about the feels. Take a break from the high-stakes action to create a special moment for two of your favorite characters. Think of it as a brief oasis where your favorite couples can just enjoy being together.
These tend to be short.
16. Think Kylo Ren and Rey stopping at an intergalactic spa and checking their lightsabers for an hour or two of seaweed, mud, and taking turns with a talking stick.
17. Han Solo and Leia are having a rough time with baby Kylo, so when Luke offers to babysit so they can reconnect, they take him up on it.
18. A favorite character has decided to retire from their stressful job and become a retreat master, making candles and living off the grid. S/he encounters opposition.
19. A favorite character stops at a bodega and buys a winning lottery ticket, which they decide to cash and spend in a way that expresses their values.
20. A puppy follows a favorite character home and turns out to be an alien admirer in disguise, who wins your character over and reveals something they need to know.
Self-Insert Fanfiction
Plug yourself into any fandom with one of these self-insert fanfic ideas. Or let these inspire story ideas of your own.
21. You get to take part in your favorite ship finally happening. They might even name their first child after you. Or maybe they’ll just help you get out of their world alive.
22. You are the interfandom “Queer Bait Buster,” going from one series to another and challenging heteronormative and ridiculous ships wherever you find them.
23. You’re trapped in an elevator with your favorite character for a few hours, and you take the opportunity to help them deal with an awkward personal issue.
24. You stumble upon a spacecraft and meet a favorite character who, for some reason, knows all about you and your current problems. They offer helpful advice.
25. You’re serving court documents on a character who doesn’t respond well but who then apologizes to you and offers you something. You offer to help them instead.
Fanfic Plot Generator
One of the best resources for fanfiction writers is a Tumblr account. Not only can you connect with other members of a fandom, but you can also read other examples of fanfiction and share your own. You can do the same on Wattpad.
You can also find a treasury of prompts and story ideas on Pinterest. And while you’re exploring the options here, there, and elsewhere, get acquainted with the lingo.
Each post you read serves as a kind of fanfic prompt generator. Each captivating idea bears the beginnings of new ones. You could spend hours (it’s not hard) collecting seeds of exciting new fanfic stories.
If you’re looking for an actual prompt generator, though, consider the following options:
- The Fanfic Maker
- Plot Generator: Short Story Generator or
- Other Plot Generator Options
- OTP Prompt Generator
How will you use these fanfiction writing prompts?
Now that you’re armed with an assortment of fanfic writing prompts and helpful links, what fanfiction story ideas have begun to take shape in your head?
Before you share your work, do your due diligence to find out whether the original creators are okay with your writing and sharing fanfiction — which they might be, as long as you don’t profit from it.
Some authors enjoy the exposure. And while you can’t make money off fanfiction without a signed agreement with the original creator, you can certainly make a name for yourself.
FAQs
What should I write my fanfiction about? ›
- Write about celebrities, movies, or characters you love — but make sure your subject has a mass appeal. ...
- Don't spend too much time coming up with Most Original Story Ever. ...
- Prove you're a true fan by incorporating Easter eggs. ...
- That said, write a universal story.
They found that 78% of fanfiction.net authors who joined in 2010 identified as female. Further, around 80% of users who report their age are between 13 and 17.
Is writing fanfic good practice? ›Put short, fanfiction gives you the tools you need to create enjoyable stories even when you're new to the process. It builds confidence and gives you a safe, low risk platform to practice and hone your own writing skills. Fanfiction takes a lot of the difficulty out of brainstorming as well.
What should you not do in fanfiction? ›- Characterization. There is a truth in fan fiction – it's written by fans. ...
- The Mary Sue. Fan fiction writers often create original characters that interact with the characters of the universe they are writing about. ...
- Point of view. ...
- Not using beta readers. ...
- Not having a plot.
If you do want to go by word count instead, generally speaking when this question comes up on the blog the consensus is somewhere in the 3-5K range with some people preferring shorter and some people preferring longer.
How do you write a unique story? ›- Use your life as inspiration. Your life is unique, as are your specific experiences. ...
- Plan your character development. ...
- Outline your main plot points. ...
- Change the context. ...
- Cross genres.
- Generate ideas. ...
- Start with a simple, compelling premise. ...
- Have a clear central conflict. ...
- Choose your structure. ...
- Trace out general story arcs. ...
- Build subplots. ...
- Think about cause and effect. ...
- Write a detailed outline.
Age. Overwhelmingly, fan fiction writers appear to be in their early- to mid-20s. Demographics have been assessed as being 56.7% university students and other young adults, while 21.3% register as being 30 years and older. 0.2% specify that they are of retirement age; teenagers make up the remaining 19.8%.
Do boys read fanfics? ›Yes they do. I've come across many guys who not only read, but write it as well. It's not all that uncommon. Although, I do think it more likely for gals to read fanfiction and oneshots.
Are authors allowed to read fanfiction? ›Most authors are fine with fanfiction of their work, as long as they are not sold commercially. Some authors are even flattered by the thought of having fanfics written about their works. However, due to legal reasons, original authors might not be able to read or acknowledge fanfictions.
Can I make money writing fanfiction? ›
Fan fiction writers can only get 35% of royalties for longer works (over 10,000 words) and 20% for short stories. Amazon's price for short stories usually go for $0.99, novellas for $1.99, and novels for $3.99. At those prices, that's about $0.20 per short story, $0.70 per novella, and $1.40 per novel sold.
Does fanfiction improve English? ›They analyzed 61.5 billion words of fan-fiction stories and 6 billion words of reviews from fanfiction.net, tracking the “lexical diversity,” or complexity of vocabulary, of users over time. They discovered that for every 650 reviews writers received, their vocabulary improved as much as if they had aged one year.
Why is fanfiction so popular? ›Fanfiction appeals to fans because it affords us the ability to transiently reinterpret characters or explore different aspects of books, video games, and other works that we love. In this way, we re-invigorate and extend the life of the source material.
What is a Songfic? ›songfic (plural songfics) (countable, fandom slang) A fanfic that incorporates song lyrics and/or uses them as inspiration for its plot.
Was 50 shades a fanfiction? ›It originated as a fanfic for the young-adult teen romance novel series Twilight by American author Stephenie Meyer. That story was turned into a full-length novel titled Fifty Shades of Grey. It has produced a novel series with an original novel trilogy and two follow-up novels, as well as a film trilogy.
How do I stop writing fanfiction? ›- Start with one original character. Start small. ...
- Move that character into an original setting. Another baby step. ...
- Consume other fiction. Meanwhile, in your recreational reading, take a break from the world of your fan fics. ...
- Dare to be different.
The longest fan fiction on the site is The Loud House: Revamped, a crossover fan fiction of The Loud House which is over 16,000,000 words long as of April 2022.
Does ao3 have a word limit? ›3000 word limit | Archive of Our Own.
How much do Wattpad writers get paid? ›Wattpad, the user-contributed fiction platform, will pay writers cash stipends of up to $25,000 — if they meet certain criteria — in return for making their stories exclusive to the platform. The company's Wattpad Creators Program plans to pay out a total of $2.6 million to writers in 2022.
What should I name my story? ›What should I name my story? You should name your story with a title that's relevant, marketable, eye-catching, and genre-related. Make sure a casual reader knows by the title whether your book is non-fiction, adult fantasy, short story, romance, memoir, middle grade, etc.
What should I write about? ›
- 1 Get inspired by a song. ...
- 2 Reinvent a childhood memory. ...
- 3 Write about a person you see every day but don't really know. ...
- 4 If your pet were a person . . . ...
- 6 Grab a writing prompt to-go.
A bad story is under-prepared or not rehearsed. It stands to reason. If you saw a play and the actors didn't know their lines or where to move, you'd leave, wouldn't you? A lousy story also doesn't anchor the content to a particular place.
What is the most overused trope? ›Average person takes the crown
There is something about an average person who suddenly discovers that there is something special about him / her. We all wish that this could happen to us, but this has been one of the most overused tropes.
The best story is a well-told tale about something the reader feels is relevant or significant. The best stories are more complete and more comprehensive. They contain more verified information from more sources with more viewpoints and expertise. They exhibit more enterprise, more reportorial effort.
What are the 4 types of plot? ›The plot used in fictions can be differentiated into four types: linear, episodic, parallel, and flashback. The most common plot employed in short stories is the linear plot.
What are the 3 basic types of plots? ›Three Types
William Foster Harris, in The Basic Patterns of Plot, suggests that the three plot types are the happy ending, the unhappy ending, and tragedy.
- Strategy 1: Begin with action or dialogue. ...
- Strategy 2: Ask a question. ...
- Strategy 3: Describe the setting. ...
- Strategy 4: Begin with background information. ...
- Strategy 5: Have the main character introduce himself or herself.
The top four fandoms on AO3 are Marvel, Supernatural, Sherlock, and Harry Potter – in that order; meanwhile, the corresponding data for FF.Net reveals that its writers gravitate towards Harry Potter, Naruto, Twilight, and Supernatural.
Is AO3 OK for kids? ›Since its inception, Archive of Our Own (AO3) has been a fanfiction site catering to all age groups. However, the site has no age rating system; instead of relying on users to mark their works as appropriate for different audiences.
What was the first fanfiction ever written? ›In 1952, the world's first book of fanfic about fans appeared. The Enchanted Duplicator by Walt Willis and Bob Shaw was a metafiction based on Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, but which described a world populated with sci-fi fans. It chronicles the adventures of hero Jophan in "the land of Mundane".
Is reading fanfiction a crime? ›
Fanfiction in its originality can be said to be a violation of copyright laws. Fanfiction makes use of settings and characters curled out from an original work of fiction work. It creates an unoriginal work. All these it does is classified as illegal according to copyright law.
How old should you be to read fanfiction? ›Wattpad, age 16+.
It feels fairly unmoderated and has lots of explicit content, but kids can really express their creativity and develop their reading and writing skills.
As per the Terms of Service, Wattpad is only available for people who are 13 years of age or older. If we learn someone under 13 is using Wattpad Services, we'll terminate their account. We also collect your date of birth to ensure that we serve you with the right content for your age.
What does JK Rowling think of fanfiction? ›Another notable author who supports fanfiction is J.K. Rowling, who has said that she is “very flattered by the fact there is such great interest in her "Harry Potter" series and that people take the time to write their own stories.” However, she is also on the side of the authors who are hesitant to support fanfiction ...
Is making fanfiction illegal? ›Fanfiction is defined as the use of characters and expressions from original creative work and the creation of derivative works, all illegal under applicable copyright laws (McCardle, 2003).
Do you get paid on ao3? ›Who profits from the Archive of Our Own? Do users have to pay? No one, including the OTW as an organization, makes money from the archive or its content; in fact, the opposite is true because the OTW pays to host the archive.
Does Webnovel pay fanfiction? ›Authors sign a royalty contract with Webnovel. Authors will share the revenue earned from subscriptions on the website, direct sales from other platforms, and other monetization of the copyright.
Where can I write short stories and get paid? ›- Duotrope.
- Poets & Writers.
- The Grinder.
- Readers Digest.
- One Story.
- Vestal Review.
- The BBC.
- Flash Fiction Online.
- Write about celebrities, movies, or characters you love — but make sure your subject has a mass appeal. ...
- Don't spend too much time coming up with Most Original Story Ever. ...
- Prove you're a true fan by incorporating Easter eggs. ...
- That said, write a universal story.
Pretty much who you'd guess: According to FFN Research, the average user of FanFiction.Net in 2010 was a 15.8-year-old girl from the United States who didn't write fan fiction herself.
How do I get motivated to write fanfiction? ›
- Set yourself a goal to reach every day. ...
- Try writing sprints. ...
- Learn to write even when you don't have motivation/inspiration. ...
- Set yourself a literal schedule. ...
- Choose a place where you write. ...
- Tell someone about your plans to write every day (or however often).
Writing fanfiction can improve academic writing, mental health, and sexual education. Sure, not all fanfiction is New York Times bestseller content, but fanfiction can take an incredible amount of time and effort to create, improving their authors' writing abilities, and helping teach the English language.
What does BTS think about fanfiction? ›So, when I write fanfictions now, even if its same sex, it's as subtle as can be. Right i write ff's (some with k-pop idols some not) but i won't even do anything or write what they would write. almost all my ff's are not sexual. they disrespecting k-pop idols they are human also.
Is writing fanfiction good practice? ›So, whether you're a seasoned fan fiction writer or someone who is considering giving it a go, you might wonder: is writing fan fiction good practice for your writing? Yes, it is. Any writing is good practice, but fan fiction can be a great opportunity for you to flex your creative muscles for a range of reasons.
What is a good story plot? ›There are three elements to a good plot: challenge, conflict, and character. You can create them in any order; it's really up to you and how you work. What matters is that you have all three—and give all three of them equal attention when you're writing.
How do you start a good fanfiction? ›Rather than worry about writing the best fanfic you can, start with a storyline that interests you and build from there. If you like angsty stories, write angst. If you enjoy a certain pairing and wish they'd gotten together in the canon, write a story where they do.
What makes a bad story? ›A bad story is under-prepared or not rehearsed. It stands to reason. If you saw a play and the actors didn't know their lines or where to move, you'd leave, wouldn't you? A lousy story also doesn't anchor the content to a particular place.
What are the 7 story plot lines? ›...
The 7 story archetypes are:
- Overcoming the Monster.
- Rags to Riches.
- The Quest.
- Voyage and Return.
- Comedy.
- Tragedy.
- Rebirth.
- 1 — A Theme. Plot (#5) is what happens in a story, a theme is why it happens—which you need to know while you're writing the plot. ...
- 2 — Characters. I'm talking believable characters who feel knowable. ...
- 3 — Setting. ...
- 4 — Point of View. ...
- 5 — Plot. ...
- 6 — Conflict. ...
- 7 — Resolution.
OOC is an acronym that stand for out of character. It is often used in role-playing when a person wants to break character or in fanfiction when a writer is expressing concern that a character was not himself in a certain scene or instance of dialogue.
How do I grow my fanfiction? ›
Write good and enough that you become known between your fandom. Write in a big fandom with a big readership. Write a good summary. Participate in different online communities where you can make friends and a name that will make people look at your writing.
How do I get noticed on a03? ›- Promo other authors/read a lot of fanfic. ...
- Write long WIPs that update frequently. ...
- Learn from other fandoms. ...
- Be different! ...
- Link your social networking accounts at the bottom of your fic. ...
- Make a gifset/photoset for your fic or commission fanart. ...
- Be consistent across platforms. ...
- Talk to your readers.
- Remember that your OC is in a story, not in a contest.
- Give the canon characters room to breathe and be themselves.
- Don't demonize the canon characters.
- Make an effort to tell a new story.
- Don't rehash canon scenes or passages.
- In closing...
- How to Write Fanfiction | Introduction.
- Fanfiction Terminology.
- First Time Writing Fanfiction.
- Writing multiple stories at the same time.
- Posting methods.
- Authenticity.
- Themes.
- Planning.
The Subspace Emissary's Worlds Conquest is a Super Smash Brothers fanfiction that is over 4,100,000 words long and contained in a current 221 chapters. For the record that's more than 6.25 Les Miserables!
What is the most popular fanfiction? ›The longest fan fiction on the site is The Loud House: Revamped, a crossover fan fiction of The Loud House which is over 16,000,000 words long as of April 2022.
What is the best fanfiction ever written? ›- “What You Don't Know” – Airplane. ...
- “Three of Hearts” – MissHoneywell. ...
- “Housebroken” – MissHoneywell. ...
- “Crush” – ATetheredMind. ...
- “The Blessing and the Curse” – The Black Arrow. ...
- “Bound for Glory” – WTVOC. ...
- “The Feint” – ATetheredMind. ...
- “Inmate” – MissHoneywell.