Writing a Warriors Fanfiction: The Complete Guide

Developing the Idea

In this guide, we're assuming you already have a basic idea of what you want your story to be. Now it's time to work out a few details to see if this idea could work.

*If you don't have an idea, doing some research on the Warriors world and how their society works may help you find a topic to write about. For example, it is generally against the Warrior Code to have kits as a leader. So what happens when a female leader falls in love? That's a fanfiction idea.

The most important step to developing the idea is asking yourself if this is even a good idea. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Does it make sense?
Go back to the drawing board if the answer is "no". Think about how you vaguely want the idea to play out. Is it coherent? The best way to figure this out is by telling this idea to others. If it doesn't make sense to them, it probably only makes sense to you.

2. Is it interesting?
If it isn't, try making a few adjustments to your idea. Would you want to read about this topic, or do you personally just want to write about it? Again, pitching the idea to others is the best indicator of whether or not your story is interesting.

3. Is it too cliché?
This is a pretty grey area, so you should think about this one carefully. It's important to know that clichés are NOT inherently bad, but if you do nothing new with them, then it's bad. It's all about the execution, not the idea at its core. Still, there are a few common storylines/plot points in Warriors stories that you should probably avoid, unless you know for sure you can give them a nice twist. These clichés include (but are not limited to):

Prophecy about main character doing great things > Main char goes from being a kit to an apprentice > Figures out prophecy > Rises through the ranks as they secretly battle with their rival > Final showdown > Main char becomes leader
Forbidden relationshipsCharacter's family all dyingTrio with the courageous, righteous main character, the dumb and clumsy but bouncy best friend, and the reserved, intelligent one who becomes a medicine catSnarky but talented apprentice who everyone hates fights with main character during training and main char utterly destroys said apprentice (or vice versa to affirm how great/sucky the main char is)Character gets mentored by Dark Forest spiritLove triangle (please, please don't do this one. It's old.)The important thing to know is these do have the potential to be new and fresh, but you have to put in the extra effort to make it that way. Maybe if you have a forbidden relationship, don't follow the same path that every relationship does. Maybe do something new and have them run away together. After all, that's never happened before in the series, and the impact on their loved ones and Clan could be tremendous. There's a lot to work with. The trick is to find common plot points or elements and change them.

It should also be noted that when it comes to character clichés, they are actually quite useful as a base design (but we'll have more on that later).

You've now gotten through the three essential questions! Because you really had to think about where you want your idea to go and you made the appropriate changes, chances are you've worked out a few details, effectively developing the basic idea. Now it's time to get into the nitty gritty!