The Fanfic Writers' Craft

In this bonus episode of The Fanfic Writer’s Craft , Jo (@pebblysand) and Blayne (@btelling) take a deep dive into Jo’s long fic castles. Recorded back in September 2024, just weeks after castles wrapped, this is an extended, sprawling, and wonderfully self-indulgent conversation about the fic’s origins, inspirations, and the process of writing 400k words of postwar Harry/Ginny angst, politics, an...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Blayne (@btelling) are joined by their very first guest of 2025—TikTok creator and fandom commentator Tiana (@tinawithana)!  If you’ve spent any time in fan spaces on TikTok, chances are you’ve come across Tiana’s funny, sharp, and often brilliantly blunt takes on all things fandom and fanfiction. From tagging etiquette to reader engagement, she has published...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Blayne (@btelling) settle in for a more casual, catch-up style episode where we ramble about a few different fanfiction-related topics. We answer two great Tumblr questions from listeners - first up, from an anon who asked us for advice about writing crossover fics. We share our takes on why crossovers are so tricky to write, how to make them work, and whether...

This February, Jo (@pebblysand) and Blayne (@btelling) celebrate Valentine's Day/Month with a dive deep into writing arguments and fight scenes! Because what’s more romantic than a well-crafted battle of words (or wands)? In this episode, we discuss the purpose of fights in fiction, the importance of tension leading up to them, and how to make them feel organic in our narratives. We explore differ...

In this episode, we kick off 2025 with an exciting new chapter for The Fanfic Writer’s Craft ! This marks our first episode with my new co-host, Blayne (@btelling, aka Nargles15 on AO3), who you may remember from her fantastic guest episode in Season 2 on writing dystopian hellscapes. We chat about what’s ahead for the podcast, our evolving format, and introduce a brand-new segment: fanfiction new...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) & Lani (@copper-dust) reflect on their 2024 fanfiction journeys and podcast highlights. They discuss notable shifts in fandom dynamics, including the growing conversation around engagement and the impact of binge-reading culture on commenting. They share their favourite reads and writers of the year, personal writing milestones, and thoughts on scenes or lines...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) discuss the art of evoking emotion in fanfiction, focusing on how to craft narratives that resonate deeply with readers. They explore the importance of allowing readers to connect with characters through their positive traits, rather than relying solely on trauma, with Lani emphasizing the "show, don’t tell" approach to avoid emotional mani...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) discuss the significance of writing about money, business, and economics in fanfiction. They explore how these themes can add depth and realism to stories by reflecting the financial decisions and social class differences between characters. Lani touches on how class dynamics and poverty are central to her stories, while Jo discusses how ec...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) discuss motifs and symbolism in writing. Lani goes through the different motifs she either intentionally or unintentionally uses in her own work, and they both caution against the use of clichéd symbols, like relying on weather to reflect a character’s emotions. They also address misconceptions about symbolism and Lani insists that not ever...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) delve into the use of time in narrative, focusing on techniques such as flashbacks, foreshadowing, and non-linear storytelling. Lani discusses her approach to incorporating time in her fanfiction, emphasizing the importance of moments of emotional intensity. They explore the use of non-linear narrative structures, discussing how they can en...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) come back to the topic of outlining, which they briefly touched upon in our first season. Outlining is defined as the process of creating a structured plan before drafting a story, and is seen as crucial for both original fiction and fan fiction writers. They discuss their individual approaches to outlining, including the various tools they...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) discuss their fanfiction hot takes and nit picks. Jo talks about engaging with comments, improving AO3, caring about statistics, and the misinformation that exists online about the monetisation of fanfiction. Lani expresses her desire for more creative additions to fanfiction, such as multimedia elements, and urges accuracy in portraying ce...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) embark on an exploration of the intricate relationship between fanfic writers and their audience. They talk about navigating strategies for audience growth, emphasizing niche awareness, participation in fests, and the leveraging of social media. They delve into the importance of engagement, sharing tips on responding to comments and maintai...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) engage in a year-end roundup exercise, reflecting on their fanfiction writing, favourite reads, and their podcasting wins of 2023. They discuss their word counts for the year and talk about the lines or scenes they enjoyed writing. They highlight some great comments and reviews they’ve received, and answer a listener’s question about what s...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) catches up with Baby Doll (a.k.a @maycandrawtingz) who has written a number of reader-insert fanfics in multiple anime fandoms. In this interview we talk about Baby Doll’s work, but also particularly about her use of Wattpad as the primary platform on which she used to post her work. Unfortunately, last summer, Baby Doll saw one of her very popular fics be deleted...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) delve into the intricacies of worldbuilding in fanfiction. They begin by discussing their individual perspectives on worldbuilding, and how their definitions of the word have changed overtime. They talk about the importance of detail in the worlds that they create, and touch on the common mistakes they often see writers make in that realm....

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) discuss the importance and process of choosing titles for fanfiction works. They  talk about how titles often precede the fanfiction itself and debate the challenge of ensuring readers understand the full meaning of a title. They express our appreciation for certain title "trends" like using song lyrics and unconventional formatting and add...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) return from their summer break to discuss the world of long fics. They define what a "long fic" is to them, and explore the advantages of writing longer stories, including building a dedicated fanbase. They also offer insights on chapter length, update frequency, and the possibility of revising past chapters. Lastly, they tackle challenges...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) discuss the topic of building a writing style. They explore the question of whether fanfictions writers should strive to imitate established styles - like that of the author of the source work - or embrace their own unique style. They also touch on the relationship between their writing styles and their natural speaking voices, and Jo expla...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) discuss the connection between music and fanfiction. They explore how music and writing are linked as means of artistic expression that can evoke emotions, tell stories, and inspire individuals. Lani shares that music plays a significant role in her life and influences her writing, with different stories having different relationships to mu...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and her guest, @word-wytch, talk about reader-insert fanfiction. If you don’t already know, reader-insert fanfiction is a type of fanfiction which allows readers to become characters in the story and often explore romantic scenarios with their favourite characters. They talk about the growing popularity of reader-insert fanfictions and about the different levels o...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) talk about romance in fanfiction. They explore what defines romance as a genre and how it differs from platonic love and sexuality. They also discuss the concept of the OTPs and whether a story can be romantic without being about romantic love. Lani shares some of her favourite romantic quotes from original fiction, and they dive into which...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) talk about research in fanfiction. They discuss the importance of it, but also their drastically different approaches to it. Lani reveals how she researches every fic that she writes, while Jo explains how she mostly integrates things she already knows from other sources into her stories. They touch on the different methods of conducting re...

In this episode, Lani (@copper-dust) interviews author @johaerys-writes from the Song of Achilles fandom. They talk about what it means to write fanfiction based on an ancient classic, especially one which occupies such a culturally dominant role in Johaerys’ home country, Greece. They also discuss writing for a fandom that is ostensibly in the public domain, writing a very foreign culture context...

In this episode, Jo (@pebblysand) and Lani (@copper-dust) talk about writing about politics or social issues in fanfiction. They chat about the ins and outs of building a fictional political system, the challenges in making sense of canon, and the ethics of tackling more controversial topics. They also touch on art being a medium for social justice and political dissent, and discuss whether we thi...