For NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) are you allowed to write a story using copyrighted characters?
I’ve written fanfiction, but I don’t think that would be allowed for this contest. Just to make sure, does anyone know if you’re allowed to submit an /original/ story of your own using characters that aren’t yours?
- Fr S
December 23rd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I guess you could, but not as part of the official contest. It’s not for fan fiction; it’s for brand new novels with new characters and plots.
EDIT: It appears I’ve been proven wrong. Good luck in any case!
December 25th, 2008 at 12:54 am
This is my first time doing NaNoWriMo, nice to see another participant here. But to answer your question, here is what I found.
From the official NaNoWriMo rules:
“We define a novel as ‘a lengthy work of fiction.’ Beyond that, we let you decide whether what you’re writing falls under the heading of ‘novel.’ In short: If you believe you’re writing a novel, we believe you’re writing a novel too.”
So there is nothing specifically saying no fanfiction, but it is a grey area. To be honest, I think it’s up to you. You could submit it, no one’s going to check, and if you consider it a novel then it is technically within the rules. However, it might be fun for you to stretch out and write something totally new. You might find it frees up your creativity in ways you couldn’t imagine!
Best of luck!