Writing PKMN Fanfiction; How To

There are many, many Pokémon fics out and about and because of this it may be difficult to be able to come up with creative ideas or twists to make yours stand out among the others. Here, I'm going to discuss some basic topics that can be used with a twist to make your fanfiction more interesting.

Now, this subject might be a no brainer but you'd be surprised at how often many fanfiction authors use the same type of Pokémon again and again. What you need to realize is that there are only so many times that a reader can read through a fanfic that has a rambunctious Pikachu or a timid little Oshawott before we get bored of seeing them.

So, what can you do to swap things up?

The answer is quite simple, just use different Pokémon. Take note of which Pokémon are most popular and try using different ones. Am I saying that you can't use popular Pokémon? No. I'm saying that you should try to mix and match things up.

A few examples of Pokémon most often seen would include Eevee and its evolutions, Pikachu, Kirlia, Gardevoir, and others like them.

A few examples of Pokémon that are rarely used would be Tropius, Magmar, Scizor, Whiscash, and Vullaby.

This is also a very good question and the most common way that is seen is that there are almost no conflicts between Pokémon and their trainer in many Pokémon fanfiction. This would be unrealistic. So what are some ways that can make a story more interesting?

For starters you could have a Pokémon not be interested in listening to the trainer and being all around rebellious. But you have to be careful with this, you can't just suddenly have the Pokémon trust the trainer implicitly after only a couple of chapters of this being the case. You need to gradually have trust form between the two and have the trainer show that she or he really cares about the Pokémon in question.

Another way is for Pokémon and trainer to be friends but argue and snit with each other all the time. Really, the possibilities are endless, here. Pay attention to Pokédex entries as well to get a feel for what Pokémon would be most likely to act with others. For instance a Pokémon like Deino, which is blind and tackles and bites everything around it, would not be an easy Pokémon to train and be around. You can't have it all amicable and affectionate in the traditional sense because that's not how they are.

Just remember, like all people have personalities and there are many of them so do Pokémon. Mix and match traits and see how things play out. Just don't make all of your Pokémon get along with the trainer who caught them right away as that is highly unrealistic. Would you want to listen to the orders of someone who battled you and then forcibly captured you and took you away from your home?

This tends to be a ball dropper for many. Legendaries in general on an OC's team are frowned upon. Even many of the canon characters only see the legendaries and never even attempt to catch them. The exceptions to this tend to be seen as villainous and trying to use the Pokémon's abilities for their own gain or cause.

So it's usually best to avoid all manner of having any sort of legendaries on your team.

Likewise shiny Pokémon can be iffy for many. Many are turned off of the story instantly if the character in question has one. If you absolutely feel your character needs to have one than try to limit yourself to one. A shiny appearing in-game is one in a thousand after all. It's the rarity that makes them so coveted.

A character needs flaws because it's important to one's growth. You learn from your mistakes and your flaws. They are what make conflict flow in the story, they are what help make things interesting. Now, you may be asking what kind of flaws are you talking about? I'm speaking of anything that would hold your character back.

Does s/he have a short temper that gets him/her into trouble? Maybe s/he rebels against authority a lot and has to be punished repeatedly for his/her actions. A deep, grating phobia over something like a certain type of Pokémon or an actual phobia can prove to be detrimental to what one attempts to do. Even having the habit of closing one off from everyone can be perceived as a flaw.

The problem next is how to go about establishing these flaws. You cannot just say "Character X is closed off" and then not show it. Instead of telling us, show us. Show us that s/he does not work well with others, withdraws from everyone and generally tries to stay by him/herself. That is how you show it and not tell us what you want. The same goes with everything you write for.

Be creative with your flaws but beware faux flaws. What are 'faux flaws'? They are perceived flaws that do not actually detriment the character in anyway or challenge him/her in what they attempt to do.

Common faux flaws include; an inability to cook, clumsiness, unable to do something artsy, etc.

As for why the character needs to grow throughout the story - well that's what happens in life! It shows us that there is thought behind your story, that you care about your own creations and want to tell a story to us about what happened to him/her. In order to do that your creations must be able to change and develop into more complex beings throughout the chapters you write.

All stories need a central conflict and many side conflicts to make it run and make it interesting. If there is no conflict than there is nothing for the readers to be interested in. We will not be able to see the characters struggle and overcome the obstacles placed in their way and grow because of it. We will not be able to relate to them without conflicts to see deeper and more sides to these characters.

So what kind of conflicts can you use? Well, let's break it down into a list of questions. Each one will focus on a different conflict a plot can have.

There are many more conflicts that can be added, as well, these are just the basics. Never stop thinking and planning things out. In fact, the idea is to make it rough on your characters so that they grow and learn to love and appreciate what they have and achieve by the end of the story.

What about it? Be creative! There are a number of things you can do for a Pokémon fic, you just have to have the ability to make interesting twists and changes to the plots to make them more original.

Here are some starting and very basic ideas that you can shape and mold into something that is your own.
REMEMBER, YOU CAN ALWAYS MIX AND MATCH PLOT ELEMENTS AS WELL.

That entirely depends on you. Most fanfiction writers prefer to write for characters that they have an affinity for - nothing wrong with some wish fulfillment so long as the fanfiction is well-written and interesting, after all.

If you want to challenge yourself I would recommend writing for characters who are lesser known - side characters. Perhaps you like Riley or Eusine or even Steven Stone but notice a lack of fanfiction on them. Don't let the lack of fanfiction on your preferred character deter you. Try your hand at it, see what you come up with and if you enjoy writing for that particular character.

Just because a character is popular does not mean that you have to write for them.

I would implore you to keep it no more than a love triangle and only if you are confident that you can make the conflicts realistic and the relationship progression intriguing. Too many times have I seen a writer botch a love triangle solely because they wanted their self-insert OC to be lavished with attention from both and not have to pay forward any effort into picking who she really wanted to be with in the end or thinking of the consequences (or even receiving any consequences).


That's really all I can say for now without getting even more long-winded. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask them below.