Fanfiction.net is perhaps the greatest compilation of fan fiction available for free on the Internet. As defined by Wikipedia, fan fiction is a "term used to describe stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator".
On Fanfiction.net there are hundreds of thousands of these fan fictions in hundreds of categories. Accessing these stories, however, can be easier said than done.
The Traditional Way
Using the 'Browse Fanfiction' section, located directly under the advertisement at the top of the page, is the easiest way to find stories of interest. There is a handful of main categories listed here, including Anime/Manga, Books, and TV Shows. Proceed by selecting the desired medium with the cursor.
On the next page there is a myriad of titles, known on the website as 'regular categories'. Continue by selecting the title of interest. Next to each title is a number in parenthesis; this value represents the number of fan fictions that can be found in that particular category.
Here one can find a list of fan fictions that are in order by publishing date; the most recent stories are listed first. The search for that perfect fan fiction, however, can be further refined. In the top right corner of the screen there are several settings that can be altered. Click on the individual filter to change a setting and then press 'Go'.
The genre setting limits the search to fan fictions of a certain overarching theme. The potential genres include angst, drama, and romance. Use the language setting to reveal a new set of stories, written in a different tongue. The length setting sorts fan fictions by how many words they have.
The rating filter can be very useful in determining the content of the fan fiction. The default setting shows stories rated from K (Suitable for Most Ages) to T (Contains Content Not Suitable for Children; 13+). Other ratings include M (Contains Content Suitable for Mature Teens and Older; 16+) and K+ (Some Content May Not Be Suitable for Young Children; 9+). This rating system is devised by Fictionratings.com.
Popular regular categories include an additional setting: the character search. Choose a 'Character A' and 'Character B' to locate stories that involve both of those characters.
Fan Fiction Crossovers
This unique type of fan fiction combines characters, settings, or situations from two different regular categories. If interesting in crossovers, return to the Fanfiction.net main page and look under the 'Browse Crossovers' section located directly underneath the 'Browse Fanfiction' section. With one of the desired regular categories in mind, choose the main category and title.
Here there is a list of titles that are involved in crossovers with the regular category that has already been selected. Find the second regular title of interest, and click with the cursor. The stories can be refined using the same settings as in the 'Browse Fanfiction' section.
Search for Fan Fiction
Locate the 'Search' button on the gray toolbar on the top of the page; it is the button on the right. Use this method for a more incomplete listing of fan fictions. Type in any desirable phrase in the keywords section and press 'Search'. Unless the settings for Category are set, the search can yield any story on the website.
And all of this can be done without even making an account!
