My First Novel?: Fanfiction as a Practice Run (Part I – The Idea)

by Naomi L. | February 26, 2014 | Blog, Creative Writing | 2 comments

There’s a topic that’s been sitting in my to-write list for a while, mostly because I’ve been debating with myself whether I should write about it at all. It’s not exactly an easy subject for me to bring up, on or off my blog. However, after thinking it over, I finally decided that the experience was enlightening enough to be worth sharing in my Creative Writing segment.

So over the coming weeks, I’ll be telling the story behind a novel-length fanfiction I wrote and my experience through the whole process of writing, publishing and receiving feedback. Why tell this story at all? Because even though this was just fanfiction, I believe the learning experience I had with it was very similar to that of writing a real novel, and thus I feel it deserves to be shared. Enjoy!

Part I: The Idea

First off, I’d like to point out that it took quite a bit of effort just to work up the courage to write these posts. Though I’ve openly admitted to writing fanfiction in the past, it’s a little more embarrassing to admit that I’ve written it recently (i.e. in my twenties). Having said that, I’d also like to state for the record that I’m very proud of the story itself. I just wasn’t sure I was ready to associate my fanfiction pen name with my “professional” one. So please, don’t judge me for sharing this story here; I’m really pouring my heart out. Thank you.

OK, so I should probably start by telling a little bit about my background as a fanfiction writer. I’ve mentioned in the past that I used to write stories based on video games, and while there were quite a few in the mix, there was one fandom in particular that had me absolutely hooked. Which fandom, exactly? Sonic the Hedgehog. I’ll give you a second to laugh. All done? Great.

So now you may be wondering what drew me to the Sonic fandom in the first place. Well, aside from the fact that I’ve loved the games since I was four, the series provides a plethora of characters and a very adaptable canon, making it perfect material for fanfiction. Fans can really let their imaginations run wild coming up with possible stories for the Sonic characters. And that’s exactly what I did. Several times.

Chaos and Control: A Romeo & Juliet Story

The story I’m going to tell you about is a Sonic fanfiction titled Chaos and Control. It’s a love story based on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, starring my original characters – the canon characters’ children – and set in an alternate universe to the other stories I’ve written. Here’s the full synopsis:

For years, Green Hill has been ground to a feud between two rival factions: Chaos, led by Shadow the Hedgehog; and Control, led by Sonic the Hedgehog. So when Sonic’s son and Shadow’s daughter meet and fall in love, it could mean hope or disaster for everyone involved in the war. Can Miles and Maria defy fate and overcome all obstacles to be together, or are they doomed to face the same tragic end as their Shakespearean counterparts?

So far, so good, right? Don’t worry, it gets better.

The original characters featured in the story actually made their debut in another fanfiction I wrote five years ago titled Generation Beta, and the fact that it was very well received by my readers inspired me to keep writing stories about them. One day, while going through yet another of my many romantic phases, I realized I’d become inspired to write a “forbidden love” story for my favorites, and thus a “novel” came to be. Why a novel? Because when all the writing and editing was finally done, it came out to a total of 14 chapters and just under 150,000 words. Wow.

So why in the world did I dedicate myself to a project from which I could never profit? I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t given a lot of thought to that question, but the only answer I could come up with is that it was a story I had to tell. It may not make sense to most readers, but fellow writers will surely understand what it means to have stories in your heart that must be set free. That’s how I felt when I decided to write this story, and that’s why I put as much effort as I did into bringing it to life. But that’s a tale for another time.

This concludes the introduction to my fanfiction posts. Next week, I’ll begin telling the story of the writing process behind Chaos and Control. Of course, this much I can say now: it was quite a journey! Thanks for reading!

Note: If you’re interested, you’re more than welcome to read my story and even leave some reviews. I promise you don’t need to know too much about the Sonic universe to appreciate it. Reviews are positive, but contain spoilers! Thank you!