Millions of words are written and read every day by many people from all walks of life, whether that's a 30-thousand-word slow burn, hurt-comfort fic, or a cutesy 200-something-word blurb of your favorite character failing to make a croissant. Yet, people shy away from admitting they like fanfics, they hide their usernames, they fear that the "real" literary world won't take them seriously.
It's filed away as immature, sloppy, or even "not writing at all" because it uses characters or worlds from published works. But that's a shortsighted and outdated notion of what literature is. Reality is, fanfiction is not just a mere weekend hobby for the net-savvy teenager—it's a rich, valid, and an evolving art form. It is worthy of being called literature in its own right, not despite the fact that it's transformative, derivative, or "unofficial," but because of those very things.
One of the first things critics love to throw at fanfiction is the idea that it's unoriginal. After all, how can it be considered creative writing when you have characters and settings already in place? This is a misconception of what creativity is all about. Creativity does not mean to create something out of nothing—it is how you use what you have.
The most respected literature in the world is constructed upon retellings, reinterpretations, and reimaginings. Just imagine how many books there are that are based on myth, folklore, or even other novels that are older. We do not call those invalid because they are not 100% new. Fanfiction works the same way. A good fic takes something old and makes it new; perhaps by altering the perspective, changing the setting, or inverting the relationships and roles of the characters. Creative involvement of that nature requires talent-and in many cases, a profound knowledge of storytelling.
Daily Struggle meme of a man choosing between fanfiction or his reputation (Source: Imgflip)
And, by the way, we must not be hypocritical enough to suppose that originality is a necessarily quality. Plenty of "original" novels are formulaic, predictable, and less emotionally resonant than the best fanfiction out there. The difference is that fanfiction doesn't need a publishing deal or a marketing budget to find an audience—it just needs a story that connects with people. That connection, that emotional payoff, is something fanfiction gets very right. Authors are writing for the love of stories. Readers read for the love of literature. And that kind of passion results in some of the most interesting, raw, authentic, and emotionally connective writing online.
There's also something deeply democratic about fanfiction. The gatekeepers of traditional publishing have always been there, in the form of editors, agents, executives who determine what can be said and by whom. Fanfiction skips all that. Everyone is able to write. Everyone is able to share. No requirements other than a keyboard and an internet connection are necessary.
And to many, many people, particularly marginalized voices (i.e. women, LGBTQ+, people of color), fanfiction has been massive in providing an outlet. It has provided individuals with a platform to discuss issues that the mainstream media fails to capture or misrepresent. Queer love stories, trauma recovery arcs, mental health journeys, liberating sexual exploration, characters finding agency in worlds that didn't originally give them any—all of these get explored in fanfiction in ways that conventional fiction often shies away from.
And sure, not all fanfiction is well-written. But here is the thing, not all traditionally published novels are either. The difference is that in fanfiction bubbles, there's often a strong feedback loop between the writer and the reader. People comment, give encouragement, and even some criticize about the grammar errors or plot inconsistencies. There are even spaces where beta readers (essentially writers who polish stories) will assist a writer to fine tune their works at no cost. It has got a learning-through-doing type of culture, learning to write every day and write with zeal. That is not mere practice, that is literary development with a community.
Screenshot of a Tumblr post showing a fanfiction with over 1 million word count (Source: Tumblr)