The overriding reason that authors wrote fan fiction, we found, was for the love of it. They unanimously believed that it had helped them to become better writers, an evolution we could see for ourselves. They were very clear that support from other members of the community was critical. As one anonymous author told us:

When I was 13, I had a major crush on a certain fictional character. My fics were full of phrases such as “gorgeous cerulean orbs,” “manly hunks of muscle,” and the like. Reviewers were kind enough to be positive about my amateurish fangirl postings—mostly because they also liked this character—but also pointed out my uses of clichés and overwriting. As a result, I learned to be sensitive to these types of bad writing. Today, I’ve published original fiction, and no one has ever called me out on a florid writing style. I think if a teacher had simply red-penciled my childish scribbles, I might have been so discouraged as to never write again.

Although privacy concerns prevent us from directly quoting from the stories written by the authors we interviewed, a well-known example illustrates how bad fan fiction can be. My Immortal, called by some “the worst fan fiction ever written” (it may or may not be a parody), is a Harry Potter fanfic posted in 2006 on Fanfiction.net:

Hi my name is Ebony Dark’ness Dementia Raven Way and I have long ebony black hair (that’s how I got my name) with purple streaks and red tips that reaches my mid-back and icy blue eyes like limpid tears … I’m a vampire but my teeth are straight and white. I have pale white skin. I’m also a witch.

Many of the authors we interviewed admitted they started off as poor writers but said they’d improved enough to consider writing professionally.

Fan fiction was what got me into writing in the first place … now I’m a freshman in a college that approved an application that had been sent in with clippings of my online work. I’m planning on majoring in creative writing—fiction specifically—and more than anything else, fan fiction and the fan fiction community has informed my writing style and ability, and my reviewing/editing abilities. Workshopping with a larger community, which might be an alien experience for many entering my department, is almost a daily routine for me by now.

We found that not only were fan fiction authors writing original fiction; they also learned life lessons, becoming more tolerant and willing to help others. Some said they’d become more open-minded, and had received emotional support that helped them navigate adolescent traumas and find identity. Here’s what three of them said:

When I started writing fan fiction at age 13, I was a queer, autistic middle schooler who had not yet realized that she was either of these things. I had difficulty with many of the social situations that came naturally to others my age, and I became isolated from my peers at school. Fan fiction communities were a vital social outlet for me.

I spent over a year heavily invested in writing and reading fan fiction, and I accomplished some things I’m still quite proud of. That definitely had an impact on who I am. I’m more willing and able to help other writers with their work, I’m less judgmental about fan fiction and a number of other things, and I’ve certainly learnt a lot about grammar!

It’s been a massive confidence boost that helped me get through university without quitting and still helps me today if I’m feeling down.

“I think if a teacher had simply red-penciled my childish scribbles, I might have been so discouraged as to never write again.”

Our research goal was to learn more about fanfic authors’ mentoring relationships. We expected to find traditional mentorship pairs, with an older or more experienced author serving as a beta reader for a younger or less experienced one.

What we found was different. Millions of authors and readers communicate via multiple channels—including Skype, official beta reader groups, fan fiction user groups, and other messaging and social-media platforms, as well as story reviews. Individual pieces of feedback are often too small to constitute mentoring on their own, but in the aggregate, particularly when reviewers build on and reference each other’s comments, the result is a new form of network-enabled mentoring that we call “distributed mentoring.” It enables authors to piece together an overall view of their writing that is supportive as well as constructive. Many authors feel encouraged as well as educated by their reviewers. As one young person told us:

I’ll just add to the mentoring point—it’s sort of come full cycle for me. When the girl PM’d [private messaged] me asking for advice, I did realise that I used to be her. Back in the day I wrote so badly that people flaming and trolling me would’ve been perfectly viable. Luckily I had people to push me up and advise me to turn me into the author I am today, so I found it really important to do exactly the same for her.

One key attribute of distributed mentoring is its abundance. Authors who have written both traditionally published work and fan fiction have noted that they may get more feedback in a week on their fanfics than they receive in years on their original fiction. It is a difference not only of degree, but also of kind. By itself, a single comment on a story, such as “Loved it,” is relatively meaningless. However, if a writer receives dozens or hundreds of similar comments, it’s valuable guidance.

A cure for isolation

We believe distributed mentoring could be used to help improve formal writing education in schools. The most recent report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress indicated that 73% of US students in grades 8 and 12 lack proficiency in writing. Research has shown that writing skills can improve significantly during adolescence, and the popularity of writing fan fiction in that age group shows what an opportunity there is to use it as a learning tool.

Students with similar interests from school districts across the country could be connected with one another to get and give anonymous or pseudonymous feedback on their writing. Teachers could moderate the channels to ensure that feedback was constructive, as well as helping students learn from it.

If this work grew burdensome for teachers, hierarchical moderation could help. In other words, members could report negative or abusive comments, and volunteer moderators from among the students could decide which ones to delete, with teachers weighing in only when necessary. This technique is used in many large online communities, and many adolescents are familiar with it.

This vast and vibrant resource for kids who have something to say is especially meaningful to me when I contrast it with the isolation I encountered growing up. Fan fiction is a private universe that has become a welcoming community, particularly for those from marginalized groups. In it, young people are mentoring each other to become skillful writers and thoughtful readers—and they are doing it entirely on their own time and their own terms. Adults would do well to listen to and learn from them.

Cecilia Aragon is director of the Human Centered Data Science Lab at the University of Washington and the author, with Katie Davis, of Writers in the Secret Garden, published by MIT Press in August 2019.