Writing Your First Fanfiction: A Beginner's Guide
Every writer remembers their first fanfiction — the idea that wouldn't leave you alone until you finally opened a blank document and started typing. If you're standing at that same blank page right now, unsure where to begin, this one's for you.
Start smaller than you think you should
Your first fic does not need to be a ten-chapter epic. In fact, it probably shouldn't be. A single, self-contained one-shot lets you finish something and feel that win, instead of getting lost halfway through chapter four of a story you outlined too ambitiously. You can always write a sequel — or a sprawling multi-chapter saga — once you've got one finished piece behind you.
Write the scene you can't stop thinking about
You don't have to start at "Chapter One." If there's a specific scene living rent-free in your head — the reunion, the confession, the fight, the quiet moment after — write that first. You can always add the scaffolding around it later. Momentum comes from writing the part you're excited about, not from forcing yourself through a beginning you haven't figured out yet.
Borrow the world, tell your own story
Fanfiction gives you something original fiction doesn't: a cast, a setting, and a set of rules the reader already understands. Lean into that. You don't need to re-explain who everyone is — you get to skip straight to what happens when you nudge the story in a new direction. That's the whole appeal, so use it.
Give it a rating and tags, and mean them
Before you publish, take a moment with the rating and content tags. They're not red tape — they're how the right readers find your story and the wrong readers avoid it. Under-tagging a fic to get more eyes on it almost always backfires; accurate tags build trust with readers, and trust is what brings them back for your next fic.
Publish before it feels ready
It will never feel ready. Every writer, including us, still winces rereading their own first chapter years later. Publish anyway. A story sitting in a drafts folder helps no one, least of all you — feedback, kudos, and comments are how you actually improve, and none of that happens until the story is live.
You're already part of the community
The moment you hit publish, you're not a reader anymore — you're a fellow author. Comment on other people's work, leave kudos generously, and don't be afraid to ask questions in the community. Everyone here started with a single, nervously-published first chapter too.
Whenever you're ready, head to the story editor and start typing. We can't wait to read it.
← Back to the blog