From Slash to Cash by Josephine Myles

Making the move from writing slash fanfiction to published m/m romance

Yesterday my good friend Lou Harper, who I met when we were both writing Torchwood fanfiction, shared her account of how she was drawn into the world of slash. Today I’m giving my thoughts on the move from slash fanfic to publishing original m/m romance, sharing a few of the things I’ve learnt along the way.

The more you write, the better you get

Okay, that’s assuming you take an active interest in improving your writing. Fanfiction writing can serve as a substitute for that “awful first novel” most published writers have lurking in the back of a drawer somewhere. With luck, most writers moving on from fanfiction will have honed their craft to a publishable level. I see it as a form of apprenticeship for writers.

Whose leg is that, anyway?

Of course, there are certain things that are widely accepted in fanfic but which don’t tend to go down so well with m/m romance publishers. Present tense narratives, for instance—I had to wean myself off writing in the present tense as it isn’t liked by many readers in the genre. Publishers will be very hot on pronoun confusion too—always a challenge for anyone writing scenes of a physical nature involving two (or more) characters of the same gender.

Beware the publisher’s list of things they don’t want to see

There are dedicated readers out there for every type of fanfiction story. It’s a common convention to give a warning for any aspects that might squick readers, such as twincest, dubious consent, rape, watersports, bloodplay, etc. Many writers recognise these warnings can act as enticements for certain readers with a particular kink. It’s much harder to find publishers willing to take a risk on material like this, though. They are out there, but you’ll need to shop around carefully for a publisher who caters to this niche readership. Alternatively, you might just have to accept that your tale about the watersports enthusiast having a kinky relationship with his twin brother’s corpse is something the world is not yet ready for.

You still need a beta reader...

Beta readers are still essential – and to my mind, the more the merrier. They help you spot not only technical mistakes, but alert you to confusing sentences and suggest things they’d really like to see included. Not that you have to go along with their every wish, of course, but it’s good training in learning how to hook in readers by giving them what they want.

Some writers manage to bribe their fanfic betas to read their original work, perhaps with enticements of chocolate/money/porn. I managed to get my fanfic beta Lou Harper to accompany me over to my original fic—not sure quite how, as she really wasn’t keen at first. You might find you have to seek out new beta readers, though, as some fanfic readers won’t be remotely interested in your original work, no matter how much they love you as a person. Alternatively, up the bribery levels and hope for the best.

Can you file off your serial numbers?

Some fanfiction stories will never survive having the “serial numbers erased” to be turned into “original” m/m romances. My own, for instance, as I wrote stories very closely connected to events in the show and they just couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. The ones that translate best seem to be the ones where the writers have gone seriously Alternate Universe (AU) , or committed Real Person Slash (RPS) . Opinions differ as to the morality and legality of selling fanfiction as original work, especially if it contains significant connections to the show that inspired it. However, if all a writer has done is used the physical appearance of the actors in her own setting and story, I don’t see that this is much different to the way other writers might use celebrities as inspiration for their characters.

Just bear in mind, if you’ve written about a 900 year old alien adventurer who travels through time and space in a little blue box that’s bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, even the most fanfic-friendly m/m publishers will probably say “No way!”

Get your facts straight!

Fanfiction is not a good place to learn about the realities of gay sex. There’s a whole lot of fantasy and wishful thinking involved in many of the sex scenes, which can end up being perpetuated as “fact” in story after story. I swear, some fanfiction writers have never heard of the term “refractory period”! Also beware of the “healing cock” of fanfiction which heals all ills and traumas with an application of magic joy juice...

Some fanfic readers might call you up on errors, but most will be forgiving as they didn’t pay for the story. Not so, the paying audience for m/m. For God’s sake, do your research if you want to write realistic, publishable stories. And not just for the sexy bits either—although that is the most enjoyable research!

Flaming Wankfests of Doom

All fanfic writers will eventually come into contact with the flame wars and wankfests that seem to infect certain areas of fandom. Some people take joy in provoking anger in others, and you just can’t win an argument with them NO MATTER HOW MANY CAPITAL LETTERS YOU USE!!!!!!

It’s sad to say the Flaming Wankfests of Doom still occasionally happen in m/m blogland and forums. Experienced professional writers know to avoid getting involved at all costs, as it could damage your career. I’m trying to follow their example, as not all exposure is positive exposure...

Writing can be fun!

This is one of the most important lessons I’ve taken from fanfiction. I didn’t write for many years after taking creative writing modules at university, as I had convinced myself that it wasn’t worth me writing anything unless it was Booker Prize winning material – ah, the arrogance of youth!

It took writing fanfiction to unleash my smutty muse and teach me the real joy of telling sexy stories about men loving men. Okay, erotic m/m romances might not ever be in the running for literary prizes, but at least there are readers out there hungry for these stories. In my humble opinion, that’s far more important than getting a nod from the establishment.

Thank you fanfiction. You’ve taught me a huge amount.

Bio:

English through and through, Josephine Myles is addicted to tea and busy cultivating a reputation for eccentricity. She writes gay erotica and romance, but finds the erotica keeps cuddling up to the romance and the romance keeps corrupting the erotica. Jo blames her rebellious muse but he never listens to her anyway, no matter how much she threatens him with a big stick. She’s beginning to suspect he enjoys it.

For more about her published work, saucy free reads and regular blog posts, please visit josephinemyles.com