CREDIT: CANDIS BROSS
Writing fanfiction is a great way to continue your favourite series and who knows where it could lead?

Fanfiction is defined as fiction written by a fan of a particular book, movie or other fictional universe and using the characters in an original story. Some common misconceptions are that everyone writing this type of work has no life, and no plans of becoming a professional author.

However, the best-selling novel and box office hit Fifty Shades of Grey began as a fanfiction on a site dedicated to stories based around characters from the Twilight saga. Fifty Shades author E.L. James has said that Twilight author Stephenie Meyer inspired her to sit down and write her own stories, and was approached by publishers when the online serial she was writing became popular.

Cassandra Claire, author of the bestselling series The Mortal Instruments, started out writing Lord of The Rings fanfics.

Writing fanfics is something that anyone who loves any series can do, whether it be from Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter, Supernatural or more.

The purpose behind writing such fiction may be that a reader felt that the end of a story lacked closure, or they want to explore other avenues such as a romance between characters that didn’t take place in the original story.

Readers may also not be ready for their favourite character’s story to be over, or might enjoy the dynamics of the fictional universe, and so they create new characters to inhabit it. Some people are also interested in what would happen if characters from different universes met, and create crossovers.

Some readers also want to depict characters in sexual situations. This type of story is referred to as a lemon.

Other terms associated with fanfiction are fandom, which refers to a group of fans that are interested in a specific story or character, canon, which refers to the original source material and fanon is information that appears so often in fanfics that it may be considered or become a part of the canon.

AU means the story takes place in an alternate universe, and AR an alternate reality. In an alternate universe the physics or geography may be different, whereas in an alternate reality certain events and details may be changed.

Another common term, and one that may frustrate readers is a Mary Sue. This is a character that is created and favoured by the author often in order to fulfill a fantasy of rescuing the main character from impossible situations.

Here are some tips to follow while writing a fanfic.

Avoid changing a character’s personality without good reason. Do a little research in order to enhance the story’s landscape for the reader, and be sure to include disclaimers or warnings for any material that could make readers uncomfortable. Be open to constructive criticism from fellow authors wherever you post your work.