How to Write Fanfiction

Ever Expanding Universe

An Ever Expanding Universe...
by CharliEmALO

So, you've got a story in mind. That's so exciting! You're all ready to write it and share your genius with the world. But...there's some detail (or many details!) that aren't covered within your fandom.

Uh oh.

I'm not talking about adding in original characters. I mean full-on universe expansion. Boldly going where no author has gone before.

Maybe you're like me, and normally you would primarily stick to canon. How do you write this story that's burning a hole in your metaphorical pocket, while still making it feel authentic and believable within your chosen universe?

The short answer is: research.

It's ok, don't freak out!

First of all, researching for a story is far more fun than researching, say, for history class.

Now, even if you liked history class (I could never keep all the dates straight in my head), you'll still be aware that "research" is a very nebulous concept. Don't worry, I'm here to break it down into more concrete steps. I hope.

I'm going to start by listing them out, then I'll go ahead and talk about my own experiences at each stage. Make sense? Great!

Basic Steps to Researching

#1: In a nutshell, what is your story about?
#2: What does your fandom already tell you (if anything)?
#3: What do you still need to figure out?
#4: Panic! (Hopefully you can skip this step)
#5: What resources are available to you? (Identify the most important ones & focus on them)
#6: What other questions do you still need to answer?
#7: Make LOTS of notes! (Obviously do this all along, not just at the end)

Here is my experience following the above steps

(Note: My story isn't done yet. Not even close. Honestly, I've not even started writing the chapters featuring any of the work I'm about to talk about. It's a problem).

#1: In a nutshell, what is your story about?

Harry Potter - Next-Generation.
The children spend a year abroad on a school exchange. They attend Uagadou School of Magic in Uganda, Africa.

#2: What does your fandom already tell you (if anything)?

Most fandoms these days have their own Wiki Page. Start there!

I looked up everything JK Rowling had ever mentioned about Africa. I found out that the school is located in the "Mountains of the Moon" in Uganda. The Ministry Of Magic is in Burkina Faso. There's an All-Africa Quidditch Cup, and the magical communities throughout the continent have their own Quidditch team.

It's not much, but at least I have some locations!

#3: What do you still need to figure out?

Location details
Climate
Mythology
Culture
Fashion
Transport
Languages
Probably a lot of other things still need finding out. That's ok, I have a place to start and I'll figure out the rest as it comes along.

#4: Panic!

Up until now, I've written about people and places I know. I pride myself on my trivia knowledge, and my ability to include tiny canon details, even as I write about non-canon ships and storylines (Dramione is my OTP). The Harry Potter books are set in the UK. That's where I live. I have written one (1) story set in the USA, but I've lived there too. I write about them as adults, and I'm creeping up on the big 3-0 myself. I don't have children of my own, but I work with kids full-time. I'm not exactly stretching myself a huge amount.