Original Characters in Fan Fiction

Introduction

Picture this: You have a fantastic idea for a story. You know your fandom inside out. You're excited about trying to capture the voice of the canon characters. The blank screen or page awaits. Your fingers, trembling with anticipation, are poised to begin - but you aren't ready. Not yet. That plot you're thinking of? The one where Sherlock Holmes' younger half-sister solves the murder and marries Inspector Lestrade? Yeah, there's one problem with that. Sherlock Holmes never had a half-sister- you're going to have to make her up yourself, as an original character, an OC. And a badly written OC can get you into trouble, quickly (1) .

So, how do you write a compelling original character in fanfiction? The same way you write any other compelling character, of course. The only real difference is that you've got to pay a lot of attention to how your character fits into someone else's world. It isn't difficult to do, but if you mess it up, your readers will notice, even if it's only a subconscious twinge. So, how do you ensure you've paid enough attention to the story world when creating your characters? Let's take it one step at a time . . .

1) Don't get me wrong; there are great OCs out there. Shakespeare wrote more than a few; the story in the Gesta Danorum that Shakespeare retold as Hamlet doesn't have a Horatio, let alone a Rosencantz or a Guildenstern. Virgil wrote OCs on an epic scale - In the Aeneid, he gave Aeneas a whole host of friends, enemies, and family members - even household gods - who never existed in the Illiad. Unfortunately, you and I aren't Shakespeare or Virgil.