Reboot. Reimagining. Made for modern audiences. These are all code words movie and tv creators like to use. But we know what they really mean, don’t we?
Authorized fan fiction.
Taking old movies and shows and creating new, entirely different versions of them with new actors and plots that are palatable for “modern audiences.” This tendency has had some pretty horrific outcomes, but every once in a while, they do it right.
Back in 2013, for instance, we were given the show Hannibal, based loosely on the characters in Thomas Harris’ series of novels.
I am only just now watching the series on Hulu, and I love it. This is despite how wildly the plot of the show diverges from the events in the books that I have read and loved.
This is the result of fan fiction done right and I think writing it is a fantastic exercise to strengthen your skills. Let me explain.
Fan Fiction As Plotting Exercise
Creating a story based on an existing IP means you are constrained by a world someone else has created. The rules are in place, the characters already have a backstory. You are not working with a blank slate.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t write a wholly original story. Nor does it mean you have to engage in the shameless “world-breaking” plot twists some writers have perpetrated.
Having those boundaries on your writing, if viewed with appropriate respect, can actually make your writing stronger.
Having respect for the source material is what makes the difference when you’re composing fiction based in someone else’s world, and the finished product makes it obvious whether that respect was present.
Let’s look at how the three seasons of Hannibal handled their plot in terms of the four Hannibal books:
Season 1’s events precede Red Dragon, the first book in the series. The characters perform actions that don’t interfere with the books.
Season 2 reimagines an event and some characters from Silence of the Lambs (book 2).
Season 3 entirely reimagines the events of Red Dragon (book 1).
But that’s okay, because the writers were respectful of the characters and the world Thomas Harris created, which is our world, except slightly more horrible.
The show’s differences are all done in service to the plot and making our characters grow in ways that align with their journey in the books. And divergences don’t break anything.
For instance, Will Graham in the books is eccentric because of his uncanny ability to recreate murder scenes in his mind. But in the show, he is on the autism spectrum and is suffering from bacterial encephalitis, which dials up his connection to murder scenes to dangerous levels. This difference works WITH the existing books and movies, then just… reimagines when and how things happened. The spirit is the same. The characters retain their identity.
Especially Hannibal Lecter. We all know Anthony Hopkins’ rendition of the cannibalistic psychopath, but even that iconic performance is different than the character was in the book. And now Mads Mikkelson gives another version of him. One that is, admittedly, my favorite.
Respect is the Necessary Ingredient
The show is dark, so I limit it to one or two episodes at a time. I don’t recommend binging. But it’s GOOD.
Contrast that with Prime’s The Rings of Power, the writers of which very obviously had NO respect for the source material or its author. This show was often called fan fiction, but not at all in a complimentary way. Despite having much more expansive source material than Hannibal’s writers had, the writers of Rings of Power vandalized Tolkien’s world instead of honoring it.
The characters in no way resembled those from the book. Worse, the events in Rings of Power did not just deviate from the books and lore—they BROKE the worldbuilding as a whole.
Which is why the name of that show is muttered with scorn across all fantasy fandoms. As it should be.
But that doesn’t mean fan fiction as a whole is bad, not even the online-only variety.
There are some who heap scorn on Wattpadd authors and others who write fan fiction.
I am not one of those, and frankly, you shouldn’t be either. Fan fiction is an amazing way to work on your writing skills. The world and characters already exist. They’re right there. All you have to do is put them in interesting situations and let the reader discover a new side of them.
Just make sure you pick a world you like, and let your imagination do the rest.
If you feel your writing has grown stale, give it a shot.
You might be surprised at where it takes you.
The Editor Recommends
You can (and should) read the Hannibal series on Amazon:
I was obsessed with reading good fan fiction when I was younger. I agree, it is about respecting the characters and the world. I gave the Rings of Power a chance, but even without knowing the entire lore of Tolkien's world, it was pretty clear the plot holes it created and the damage it was doing. It was awful and I regret ever watching even one episode. Ugh.
I'm not sure I'd want to write fan fiction, but it's nice to understand what it is! Thank you.