Practice the Art of Fan Fiction, Grasshopper...

You've probably heard the term before (fan fiction), but never quite understood the concept, maybe thought it was just something geeks do.  While I hope to clarify the first (and I can't deny the second, since I'm pretty obviously a geek), it can be a many layered beast albeit a useful tool for creativity.

First off, it's always been a good place to let your freak flag fly.  If you've ever been a big fan of anything, you've probably caught onto some gaping plot holes, wanted to continue impatiently where something left off, or just wanted certain relationships to just HAPPEN already.  Creating fictional pieces from established lore both makes it easier to have a ready made cast of characters, history and scenes, but it has the added challenge of either following canon or creating your own head-canon to achieve your intent.  Fan fiction can simply use characters in a completely different setting or you can dabble in crossovers where one fandom is integrated with another.  The point of it is to make whatever you want of it.  Fans usually introduce their fics with labels like NSFW (Not Safe for Work), following/not following the lore, male pregnancy, evil unicorns-- if you haven't seen it, it you should probably write it because fanfic is the ultimate playground for imagination.

I happened upon the suggestion to write fanfic as yet another way to get my voice out there with all this newfound bravery I've stumbled upon.  Years ago I started a fanfic story for a rather infamously incomplete romance arc in the game Dragon Age: Inquisition.  This is the third in a HUGE series of games with the kind of lore that is damn near impossible to follow completely.  This has made it so that many fans tended to gravitate towards lore and ally combinations that made the game a little different for everyone-- everyone becomes a sort of expert or explorer of their own interests.  Just like our shared world has more groups and races and languages and cultures than most of us can memorize (even if we do get the gist of it), Dragon Age is rife with vague history and dangerous power struggles.  I had been well into my fifth book when I noticed that Dragon Age was eerily similar to my books in many ways.  I had used Old Gods for one, and had a character with a similar name (mine is Solis to DA's Solas) and my story also makes it a point to show that common knowledge can be misleading.  I felt like I had found my spirit animal...

In any case, the fanfic that I started years ago was edited, added to, and web published for free.  I still add to it.  It is set after the events of the latest game so I had a lot of wiggle room for possible scenarios.  Which instead, also made me curious about the spotty history of an ancient race in the game.  On a weekend binge, I threw out 10K words on the new one.

Like my dear friend Joe says, monsters on the brain.  Writing is a glorious can of worms if it turns out to be your thing, a marvelous way to practice, to give people more opportunities to see your writing style, and also a great way to be a total pervert.  All wins in my book.  I like to reiterate that I don't always focus on the sex parts.  In fact they're very small parts in comparison, if they're present.  I'm a natural writer that likes to crawl into my characters' heads and imposing my chastity on the natural inclinations of characters always feels like I'm making them two-dimensional.  The thing is as passionate as you are about any creative endeavor, everyone puts various amounts of "one's self" into it.  It's usually always a whole hearted effort, but this doesn't mean everything is tattooed with your agenda and experiences.  In fact, it's possible to be completely detached from it personally and drive it on research, to leave comfort zones and challenge yourself to leave your skin.  Believe it or not, 95% of the work I do, I'm steering clear of putting myself into stories at all.  You might get my humor, my voice, my prose, but I don't operate on inclusion.  I don't need to have a representative of myself in any entertainment.  The point has always been to observe and play the passive role of narrator.

So yes, if writing is your quest, this is yet another terrific place to explore and practice.  I'd like to check out writing competitions next.  Purely curiosity, as I'm not the competitive type.  There are monetary prizes involved in these (although sometimes you have to pay a nominal fee just to enter) as well as awards, accolades and possible contracts for published work in very visible magazines or compilations.  I'm always looking for new ways to share that stash of writing that I finally found the courage to share.  Never pass up an opportunity to hoard your passions for future endeavors.  Just don't hold onto them too tightly.  If you're a creative, don't ignore when the time is ripe!