Thoughts on Writing Books and Fanfics

For those not aware, I have been working on a book this year. I finished it, got some completely honest honest reviews from my friends and family, and then proceeded to send it out to about 40 agents, none of whom have taken it on. (Yet.) That doesn't bother me though, as I have been doing a rewrite based on some suggestions and am hoping to have it all wrapped up by the end of the year for another round of submissions.

With this in mind, I have been thinking a lot recently about the amazing amount of fanfics that are being turned into bestsellers, blockbusters and (usually bad) TV series. “50 Shades of Gray” is the most famous, being originally a fanfic of “Twilight,” but since then apparently there has been a deluge of content that is expressly online fanfics converted into new franchises.

Now, while almost all of these seem to be romantic dramas featuring the band One Direction or Harry Styles, I can't help but wonder if I might be missing out on a gold mine with my old Rescue Ranger fanfics.

You see, dear reader, I was not always the deeply impressive mid level project manager you see before you today. Oh no: back in the day I was one of the revered gods of the Rescue Ranger message board community, standing tall among the whopping 23 members. I wrote a great many Rescue Ranger fanfics, several that were easily novella length. Could these old yarns be the secret keys to the magic money kingdom?

It's not like talking animals haven't been a staple of classic literature for decades. Watership Down (even though it sounds more like a WWII film starring George C. Scott), Redwall, Bunnicula, Ralph S Mouse, The Wind in the Willows, etc. Talking animals, especially talking mice with a parallel society that goes unnoticed by humans, has always been a favorite trope.

The tricky part is that a lot of the fanfics that get picked up seem to have traits that my tales do not. Namely, my stories were not about a shy, vulnerable young woman dealing with an overprotective boyfriend and dominating if well-meaning family while meeting a carefree new friend that drags the main character out of her shell where they can met the troubled badboy who is yet completely redeemable through the power of her love. Not saying that there aren’t plenty of Rescue Ranger fanfics with that exact set-up, just that mine are not in that category..

Then again, if I am being brutally honest, the number of Rescue Ranger fanfics that focus on the interpersonal drama and emotional turmoil of the characters far outweigh the stories that actual had the characters going on adventures and solving mysteries. The latter wasn’t even the second most popular theme, which clearly belonged to the tales of a Wolverine-like character with a tortured past who suddenly decided that joining a group of do-gooders that often stopped pet stores from getting trashed was a good career move.

Still, it might be worth it to revisit those old stories, cleanse them of any traces of copyright infringement, and then just self publish them online. I could easily unveil an entire series at once, which no doubt would wind up making the whole line look very professional.

And if I really want to secure a million-dollar movie deal, I can always add in a story where the female lead, a mouse mechanic, falls in love with Harry Styles. Boom. Instant bestseller.