When you hear the word “fanfiction,” what do you think of? Do you picture the orange gleam of Wattpad stories, the bullet-pointed lists of Tumblr imagines or a carefully filtered search on Archive of Our Own, otherwise known as AO3? Do you cringe in shock, or do you sneakily switch tabs away from your open Google Doc?
If any of these come to mind, then you know what the culture and connotation that surrounds online fanworks entails. As someone who engages in creative writing in both internet spaces and professional avenues, I believe that the stigma around fanfiction is something that often hinders creativity and stifles joy. When writers engage in fan writing, it can be a rewarding experience that not only provides them with a low-stakes environment to learn in, but also rekindles the whimsy that comes with writing for fun.
The term “fanfiction” was first coined in 1938, referring to literature written by novices, as opposed to that written by professional authors. The slash fiction genre, which only depicts same-sex couples, dates back to the late 1960s with the airing of the famous science fiction series “Star Trek.” Female writers would compile short stories, most often featuring the romantic pairing of James T. Kirk and Spock, and share them among friends and fellow fans.
Most fanfiction works now follow in the footsteps of slash fiction. As of August 2024, 75 of the top 100 pairings on AO3 were queer. In a study conducted by faculty at the University of Central Florida, 53.8% of AO3 authors identified as women.
The female and queer origins of fanworks are not lost on the public — in fact, it is one of the biggest reasons for the intense stigma that follows the form. Fanfiction allows underrepresented fans to embrace themselves in the media they enjoy. It is no secret that the emergence of slash fiction coincided with the rise in queerbaiting, a term used to designate when a queer couple is teased in media but is never followed through with. LGBTQ+ fans took this in stride, using their art as a way to make the ending they wanted.
Society tends to look at fanfiction as overindulgent and therefore inferior to more traditional published works. But is collaborative joy not the entire purpose of creative writing? Internet fanwork spaces like AO3, Wattpad and Tumblr are low-stakes environments for even the most inexperienced of writers to share their works and receive feedback. In these communities, there is no need to strive for the seemingly impossible goal of perfected writing that publishers often seek out.
“Fanfiction is an art form,” said Reva Havaligi, a member of The Writer’s Guild and sophomore studying management information systems. “Just because you’re playing in someone else’s sandbox doesn’t mean the castles you make aren’t legit anymore.”
Culture around fiction has shifted to a focus on trending and profitable works, especially with the rise of popular online book communities like BookTok. A return to the human desire to write for fun, regardless of whether it can be sold, is something that many fanfiction communities foster among fans. Writing fanfiction also gives the author a solid starting point — a pre-established world, existing characters and reliable dynamics. They can then choose to change as much or as little as they want, and this freedom is something not to be taken for granted.
“When fanfiction entered my life in middle school, I really started writing with more consistency,” Havaligi said. “These were characters that I loved, and I just wanted to see them having more adventures. Suddenly, I was turning out 50 stories about these two characters, and it is that kind of practice that really helps.”
When I first began writing fanfiction, it was simply a hobby of mine. I was a kid who loved the media I consumed and wanted more of it. As I discovered my passion for creative works, it evolved far beyond that. The works I created were not perfect nor worthy of publishing, but they taught me how to write, develop my tone and interact with critique by exposing my work to an online audience of like-minded readers.
Without fanfiction, I would not be the same writer I am today. I know many creatives who share this same sentiment, even as they go deeper into their professional fields. The lessons learned and taken from these communities will always impact one’s work, no matter the genre.
In an era driven by profit, fanworks remind us that writing is first and foremost about creating for joy. The next time you come across a Wattpad story, a Tumblr imagine or an AO3 slow burn, ask yourself: If this isn’t real writing, then what is?
