A Message to Our Authors

How many times have you liked the characters in a story or movie so much that you want to hear more stories about them? But there aren’t any more. So you start writing your own stories about them. Welcome to the world of fan fiction!

Fan fiction writing is often derided and despised as lazy and unimaginative. Critics often say beginning writers should create their own characters and plots.

But learning how to plot, to create strong characters and to ‘tell, not show’ isn’t easy. One of the best ways to develop these skills is to follow another creator’s template and see how it works – and how it doesn’t. An audience already exists for these characters, and they will be quick to tell you how well you’re doing.

Many professional writers started out as fan writers. As they mastered their craft, they wanted to work with their own characters and ideas, to tell stories that couldn’t or shouldn’t be told in another creator’s world. So they moved on to create their own characters and worlds so they could tell their own stories.

Who knows? Maybe some of the contributors to this volume will become the authors whose professional work we will enjoy in years to come. If they do, remember — they got their start writing fan fiction.

Very Best,

Paul Keery