AO3: The Curse and the Creative Success of Fanfiction

For those unfamiliar with AO3—also known as Archive of Our Own—it is “a fan-created, fan-run, nonprofit, noncommercial archive for transformative fanworks, like fanfiction, fanart, fan videos, and podfic,” as described on its website. In my opinion, it’s the best platform for reading and writing fanfiction.

If you’re already familiar with AO3, you may have heard about the infamous "AO3 Author Curse." This supposed phenomenon is so well-known that even Urban Dictionary defines it as:

“An occurence in which a fanfiction author (typically writing on archiveofourown.org) gets into an extremely sticky situation, but said author's first priority is their fanfic. This event commonly leads into an authors note apologising for a hiatus that is obsurdly reasonable.”

I’ve always found this superstition amusing and fascinating. However, after publishing my first work on AO3 last year, I started to wonder if there might be some truth to it. While my experience wasn’t as extreme as the stories I’ll share below, I didn’t feel like my luck returned until I deleted that unfinished project.

Here’s a Twitter thread showcasing some hilariously relatable author notes that highlight the so-called "curse":

It’s funny to see all these coincidences happening to the AO3 authors, but it just proves how strong these people are. How committed they are to writing the story. Now is it worth risking your life to publish a fanfic?

Definitely yes.

This is not coming from a reader that loves finding complete works in the platform. There is real proof on how to get rich by writing fanfiction.

Thousands of books being published nowadays are born from the art of fanfiction. The most famous ones end up turning into tv shows or movies like The Idea of You starring Anne Hathaway and the After series inspired by Harry Styles. Most come from the app Wattpad like The Kissing Booth. So it is worth trying to publish your story.

However, there are huge hits out there that you probably love and are unaware that is based on a fanfiction. Even if it doesn’t come from a platform specified for it. Here are some of them:

• Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
  Originally a Twilight fanfiction, Christian and Anna were once Edward and Bella. The story began on fanfiction.net but was later removed for being too explicit. James then created her own website and landed a book deal.

• The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
  While speculative, many believe this series was inspired by Harry Potter fanfiction. Some fans suggest it originated as a Ginny Weasley/Draco Malfoy story. Although, it makes sense, the author denies this, claiming she wrote the series independently.

• The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
  Soon to be a movie, this book started as an alternate universe (AU) fanfiction about Kylo Ren and Rey from Star Wars. The resemblance is easy to spot—the cover even looks like the characters!

• Wicked by Gregory Maguire
  A masterful example of how fanfiction can creatively expand upon original works, Wicked reimagines the world of The Wizard of Oz.

• The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer
  While not traditional fanfiction, Meyer’s story was inspired by a vivid dream involving members of the band My Chemical Romance, who served as muses for her characters.

• The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri

  Sorry in advance to any literature lovers, but many readers of the classic have talk about the fact that there are many proper resources of fanfiction in this work. I don’t think I have enough time and space to explain every single reason, but I recommend @millennialdandy 's video .

When I was aware of this last case, I couldn’t help but wonder on many other cases in literature that I thought could enter the category of fanfiction.

After a long talk with my *personal friend* ChatGPT, we got to a simple conclusion:

The concept of fanfiction has been deeply rooted in literature and culture for centuries, though under different names (adaptation, pastiche, reinterpretation). Many of the great works we know began as a form of homage, expansion, or reimagining of existing stories, demonstrating the power of prior material to inspire creativity. Fanfiction is everywhere, even where we least expect it!

-ChatGPT

I decided to write this after giving up my fanfic. And let’s be honest, despite the curse joke, I’ve found my luck not even a week later after removing my story. I was able to find my path in life again for the new year. I got into my Masters and a full time job.

So no, being a fanfic writer is not an easy task at all. They prove to the world every single time of their force and creativity.

To any aspiring writers out there: don’t let the challenges discourage you. The world of fanfiction is full of opportunities. And who knows? Your story could be the next big thing.