Rambles among Stardust

I got to admit, I find this question just as baffling as it is fascinating. I could point to dozens of recently published works that could be described as fanfic-y. I could point out a couple that used to be fanfic and were marketed as such (controversially, but that is besides the point).

However, your question is if something can feel too fanfiction-ish, and I'd say no. The romance genre is filled with what could be called coffeeshop AUs. Traveling through AUs is Waking up on a TV show or traveling through AUs are just interesting Sci-Fi ideas. You can turn any idea that feels like a fanfic to you into an original series that feels fresh and fun to a new audience. Naomi Novak's first series was just that!

Ultimately, what makes something feel like fanfiction versus original fiction is how you write the story. Fanfiction operates on the assumption that you know and love these characters even if you are writing an AU. Stories that feel like fanfiction to me are ones that don't put enough effort into making my care about the characters or their wants, because when you are writing a fanfiction everyone knows what that is already (no matter how AU it is).

I'm going to try it.

First, let me preface this with something very important: you can treat all of this advice as SECOND-DRAFT ADVICE. It is so much easier to rewrite this kind of stuff once you have words on the page. Telling yourself the first draft is totally appropriate and acceptable.

What we’re talking about here are FILTER WORDS (and to some degree verbs of being). Yes, “thought” words are included. But so are “heard, saw, looked, tasted, smelled” etc.—most words having to do with the senses.

This isn’t black and white advice; sometimes you’ll use these words and that’s okay. They’re not WRONG. They’re just weaker. And they’re weaker because they create distance between the reader and the experience of the character.*

If you want your reader to feel like they’re experiencing the story right alongside the character, you want to cut down on filter words.

*This is particularly important with first person and close third POVs. The reader always knows whose eyes they’re seeing through and thoughts they’re privy to. So you don’t need to tell them “I saw X.” Or “I heard X.” Or “I thought Y.” You can just jump into the action/observation as it’s happening.

This is also where you want to pay attention to verbs of being.

1. This reply is two words and they managed to misspell both of then

Whumper's feeling sadistic and about to try targeting someone? Whumpee is suddenly on the verge of tears, the most tempting target in range. Whumper is frustrated, wants someone to put down? Whumpee displays uncharacteristic defiance, clearly needing to be taught a lesson. Whumper feels unloved and is at risk of making it someone else's problem? Whumpee is there, maybe apologising for not loving them enough, or maybe telling them no one loves them to provoke anger at whumpee instead, or maybe even offering their body.

Always, whumpee is there, redirecting, manipulating, doing damage control.

"They're.... hurt."