Training Wheels

Someone asked me why I would take the time to write a novel-length fanfiction instead of my own story. The truth is, I never planned to; I just got inspired. I loved the show that inspired it. I am one of those fans who would join discussions and try to find hidden details (I do this with novels too). My friend, who was an even bigger fan of the show than I was, suggested we visit a place where they had filmed an episode (it is a popular tourist attraction too) and I agreed. This place was beautiful, full of history and totally... creepy! Yep, turned out it was also rumored to be haunted. Goosebumps formed on my arm as I imagined the characters here and then the idea for my story floated into my mind.

In many ways writing the fanfiction was easy. It was like learning to ride a bike with training wheels. All the foundation of the work had been laid out for me. I already had the world created for me, I knew the characters, I knew their backstory. All I needed to do was write the adventure of the week.

When I decided the story might have merit, I went back through and took out all of the aspects of the show. I took out the series foundation, their characters and all their ideas. With all that missing, I took the basic plot idea and started over. While I had the whole story worked out I had a lot of creating to do to repair the missing parts. That was hard. I had to create my own foundation, vision and rules for my world. It took time but was totally satisfying in a way working off of someone else ideas could never be. Of course a lot of it has changed (ages, names, back story, personality traits and location) now after so many revisions. My finished product has nothing in common with the fanfiction I wrote. And yet, some of the images I first envisioned while at the haunted place are there. Those visions and ideas are radically changed but there are echos of the original ones that inspired me. Once I knew creating the whole story (characters, backstories etc) was so much fun, I realized how much I truly love writing. Creating is the fun part!