Mention, “fiction writing”, and immediately people think of names like McCaffrey, Jordan, King and Zahn. They see images of fantasy landscapes, futuristic worlds and stories that – while describing worlds and creatures that are alien and unique – they touch on things, feelings and emotions that are very much human.

Now, mention ‘crossover fiction writing’, and see what response you get.

Crossover writing is something unique in the literary world; something akin in skill and execution like shaping a clay pot on a wheel. If done just right, with everything prepared well in advance, and if the person shaping it has their eye on the details, the result can be a thing of sheer beauty. Or, if done wrong, it comes out looking misshapen, ugly, and totally unappealing.

In the basic terms, crossover writing occurs when an author creates a story where either one or several characters from one fictional "world" or "universe" are placed into another "world" or "universe" to interact with the characters therein.

Crossing two different fiction worlds or universes is nothing really new, if you think about it. Television writers have been doing ‘crossovers’ for many years. For example, when the character Gomer Pyle from "The Andy Griffith Show" was put into his own show called "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.", they had at least one episode where Andy Taylor paid Private Pyle a visit on base. Of course, crossovers can happen within a single show by itself. The British science fiction show, "Dr. Who", is infamous for it's "multiple Doctors" episodes. One of the more famous of these is "The Five Doctors"; in which five of the Doctor’s former incarnations (all actors who at one time portrayed the Doctor at one time during the many seasons the show was on the air in Britain) got together to stop a menace that was seeking immortality.

Recently, fans of several modern TV shows and movies have witnessed an explosion of crossovers within the scripts of many popular shows: such as "Buffy, The Vampire Slayer", "Highlander, The Series", and even fans of animated cartoons like "Batman: The Animated Series", "Spiderman", and "X-Men" have seen the results of the often asked, all-important question; "What if Character X was introduced to Character Y, in Universe Z?"

Usually though, the general occurrence of crossover writing usually happens in “fan-fiction” (stories written by fans for entertainment, etc.) It's only been recently that written professionals have started looking at crossovers as a viable format to sell to the public in science fiction, outside of the sole professional market that uses crossovers, comic books.

With such books as "Aliens vs. Predator" and "Planet X"; a "Star Trek meets The X-Men" (which, in my opinion, the writer of that book should really read this article!), it has been proven that crossovers aren't just for fan-fiction any more. But, a thin line only separates the difference between a good crossover and a bad crossover - even for a professional book. Just as there are several ways to write a straight piece of fiction (and just as many ways to botch it up), the same applies to writing a crossover fiction. And, while I am not the "end-all" expert on writing, I can tell you that there is a formula and method to writing a successful one.

II.) - The Rules for Crossovers: "How To Mix Different Worlds"

If you want to try writing a crossover yourself, take the Boy Scout credo to heart before anything else: Be Prepared.

For starters, as you should be painfully aware by now, I mention that the majority of crossovers fall into the fan-fiction category. Writing fan-fiction in general is technically illegal. Just because a story is labeled fan-fiction doesn't mean you're 100% protected. You can get into major trouble with a touchy creator of a particular universe or character if they think you're infringing on their creative license (I state the current "no-fanfic" policy of Spider Robinson as an example.).

Professionals in the field of fantasy and science fiction will agree with me that if you plan to write a professional manuscript for publication, one needs to secure the rights from each respective owner (sic. Licensee) of the characters/worlds you plan to mix.

However, for the sake of this article let’s go with the notion that you plan to write a story for pure enjoyment, thus a fanfic.

Author’s Note: If you are just writing the story for fun and enjoyment, and state so with a disclaimer (usually at the beginning of such a tale). Most authors or creators are understanding and won’t put you into a legal snafu, usually . . . Of course, if you do fan-fics only, you run risk of just getting stuck writing them for the rest of your career. My main point about fan-fics has always been: do them in fun, do them to practice, but move on when you're ready to do professional work.

Here's the general rules that you must follow if you want at least a 50-50 chance of making a good story come off right.

A.) The best writers are the biggest fans of a show.

This is truth: read any crossover story posted to the Internet today, and it's plain to see which writers are the real fans of the shows they write about. The best writing – outside of the pro ranks, of course – comes from the true fans. A devoted fan would know how to make a character from any given show think, sound and act believable in print (short of the original creator, naturally). So, this is usually a good place to start looking for sources to begin with in developing your crossover.

By contrast, I am no big fan of shows like South Park, J.A.G. or As the World Turns. Thus, I’d be foolish to think I could write a decent story featuring those characters and their universes. However, since I’m a huge fan of animation shows (i.e. Swat Kats, Gargoyles, Transformers, etc.) I can do a very good job in bringing them to the written page. In fact, you can see that for yourselves if you ever read my previous crossover stories on the web.

By not being a fan, you’re going to hamstring your ‘believability’ factor when your story is viewed for the first time. If you’re determined to use a show you don’t like, then you’re set up for the next rule…

B.) Research the universes & characters you are going to use.

Even as a fan, you may not know everything about the universes that you’re going to write about. As every good writer knows, research is the key to having a well-grounded believable story.

One of the biggest mistakes a writer can make is to just plunge ahead and write about something without first researching the subject - or subjects in the case of Crossovers - and learning everything they can about the "canon" universe their story will be based on. For example, you can write that Ripley from “Aliens” never had a daughter, or that J. Jonah Jameson is Spiderman's greatest supporter, but you’d be off the mark as far as keeping things ‘canon’. After all, you just wouldn't expect Goliath from "Gargoyles" to suddenly start belting out "My Achy Breaky Heart", would you?

Unless you want to try alternate universe writing, but let's stick to the subject at hand.

Every character in a show, movie, book or play has a set way they "operate"; how they speak, act, move, reason, and think. A writer must make sure that "canon" characters do not deviate too far from these settings, or else they run a big risk of becoming a pale shadow of the original.

On the matter of speaking, characters also have a "meter" of speech. Just as Captain Kirk had a distinct way of talking, so do Spiderman, Batman, Goliath, Brooklyn, Ripley, Robocop or any one character you chose. If you want to maintain a believable portrayal in your writing, and if the source is available (i.e. a movie or video, or an audio tape), listen to how a character speaks, moves, etc., and you should make an easier transition of that character to the written page. After all, even though this is fan-writing, one of the underlying elements is to bring it as close to the original as possible.

Your main task is to go to whatever sources are available to you – TV, audio, video, Internet, etc. – and do your homework. Find out all about the main characters and their personalities. Learn the technology level (not too in depth, but enough to know a phase disruptor from a toaster), and what unbreakable rules lie therein.

If you’re lucky, in some cases, show and movie creators sometimes leave “bibles”; manuscripts that often detail facts and descriptions of the characters and universes they inhabit. One good example is He-Man and The Masters of The Universe; they have an online version of the show’s original bible for anyone to view. (check the links listing at the end for details).

The more you research, for fans and non-fans especially, the better prepared you’ll be for writing your story.

C.) Set the style of your story.

As important as research is, another key is setting the style of your story. It’s one thing to start off in a comedy vein, and then switch gears into an action-packed epic, but that sort of ‘gear-switching’ usually turns readers off. Usually go with your strongest suit. If you do romance very well, try a romance story. If action is your forte, then zing those thrill-filled scenes at your readers! There are a lot of serious drama-oriented crossovers out there, especially since a lot of the shows popular today have a moody, dramatic theme in them.

On the other foot, you can consider using a different style if you feel comfortable with doing it. The point here is to be creative. Even a musical theme is ripe for the using (how is that for originality?). Even try crossing genres in addition to trying styles: cross Gargoyles with Wild West Cowboys of Moo Mesa for a western, or Swat Kats with Black Sheep Squadron for a war epic.

Don't just rely on TV shows and Movies for your crossovers; books can also give you rich universes to play with. A prime example was a "Gargoyles/Chronicles of Narnia" crossover written some time ago; it blended the two universes together very well, and was done in the best C. S. Lewis style of writing.

While mostly science fiction and fantasy prose will be the best fits in crossovers, you could try classics like "Tarzan", "Sherlock Holmes", or "Huck Finn" in a crossover. The possibilities are endless! The possibilities are endless.

D.) Choose one "world" as your Host and the other as your Visitor

It's better to make this choice early on, so that you will have a stage to play on. Some writers have tried "switch backs" - a story that flips back and forth between the two "worlds" (such as between Manhattan and the station Deep Space-9 in a Star Trek/Gargoyles premise, for example), but that can get confusing at times if you're not careful with your settings and POVs. Usually it's best to have the characters act out on one universe, since it's easier to keep track that way.

E.) Come up with a plausible way for the "crossing over" to occur.

This is somewhat limited, due to the fact that many stories are very, very different and so set apart from each other. But, if a writer puts their mind to it, they can come up with a plausible cause for a character/cast to make the bridge from one universe to another.

For example, "Gargoyles" is somewhat unique in this aspect, since it has a couple of tailor-made devices for crossover stories. For starters, the skiff and the Mists of Avalon that gave Elisa, Angela, Goliath, and Bronx so much trouble can deposit them in several locations around the world, which can allow them to meet many other universes. The second is the fact that several of the characters from the show - Oberon, Titania, Puck, etc. - can use magic to do the bridging of one universe to the Gargoyles-universe.

But, an element of originality is a partial requisite for your own "bridge". While it is okay for you to use a method already explored in someone else's story, using the same method over a period of several stories of your own will become boring after a fashion. Always try finding a new twist on things.

F.) Only undertake radical changes in either universe with caution

It's been said before, but writers exercise near "god-like" powers when they create a story. You can do literally anything to the characters or the universe. This situation is more often a double-edged affair where crossover stories are concerned. I've often seen in a lot of crossovers that a writer is given into the temptation to make a radical change that will alter that universe, where they wanted to and a little twist to the story.

While a little twist is good, making such an earth-shattering change as one of these:

Tying a character from one universe to another (either by romantic involvement, stranding, etc.)
Killing a major cannon character from one universe or another
Revealing a personal fact about one of said cannon characters that is a mind blower (i.e. - Goliath is gay, etc.)

Any other number if things along these lines might not be the best way to do your story. Again, some people have done this, and pulled it off with minimum damage, but I only recommend the best of writer's ever do this.

For example; one could do a Gargoyles/TMNT story, and have Raphael fall in love with Elisa Maza, and then have him decide to stay in the Gargoyles universe, while the other Turtles return to their world. This changes the basic make-up of future stories to follow. After all, what can the writer say how Donatello, Leonardo, and Michelangelo will adapt without Raphael? And what will Elisa say to her parents when she comes home with a talking mutant turtle as a love interest? (Note this is all speculation, and not canon!)

A side affect of this sort of change is that the writer will either gain loyal readership (people just love to ask the question 'What happens next?') or, the writer of such a story will earn the wrath of both fandoms, who will gladly hang them by their ears for butchering the 'cannon' characters in such a manner.

While some people have undertaken great changes in the universes they have intermixed - and yes, have made them work - be cautioned before attempting the same yourself. Ask yourself this question: Am I just doing this change to add "shock" value to my story? Or, am I really doing this to add a twist to my story?

F.) Understand how ‘technologies’ work & How characters will react to them

I’ll touch on this fact more so, since it pains me to see a story where someone completely ignores this simple yet necessary rule!

Example: a character from Universe-A "beams" in via a transporter, in full view of a character from Universe-Z. Character Z doesn't react in the way they should, but talks to Character A as if this was a normal occurrence.

This illustrates what I stressed briefly back at the beginning in Rule B. Simply put, if you cross two universes where one has a markedly higher technology level than the other, you should make certain the one set reacts accordingly to its use and appearance. After all, Fred Flintstone wouldn't know how to use a Star Trek tricorder, much less recognize one, so you can't expect him to pick one up and use it on Julian Bashir.

And on that note, don't fall into the trap that "Oh, I can have the others know how it works.” That smacks of Deus Ex Machina. I site the scene from "Star Trek 4", where Scotty had trouble operating the Macintosh computer, then, when told to use the keyboard, he made it dance like the computers on the Enterprise. Yes, that was funny, but I seriously doubt they had training classes in Mac OS in the 24th Century!

Of course, you can make the technology differences work for you. In a comedy crossover, If one character from one universe is a super-genius with machines, and how they work, they can try to repair a vehicle that the other characters in the "host" universe drive, with either comic or tragic results. (Gee, sorry Commander Riker! I guess Cooter just thought your shuttle needed an overhaul, since it runs slower than the General Lee.)

G.) Try to tie all of your plot ‘threads’ up by the end of the story

While writing on-going series is good, crossovers add double trouble as continuing stories because you have to deal with two different universes - each with their own styles - and trying to keep the story going isn't easy. After a while, it's possible to end up with a muddled, hodgepodge splinter of the two original universes, one that will not be easily recognizable by either fan-set. The best crossovers, in my opinion, are ones that last for just one story (be it a single or a short multi-part story).

By the end of the story, the characters from the "visiting" universe should have found a way back home, leaving the "host" universe in relative peace... unless you plan a sequel sometime down the road.

III.) Tips for the Beginner: "What's the Best Way to Start?"

So, now that you know some of the rules to Crossover Writing, and you still want to give it a try? Okay, you're just about ready to begin, but there are some other things to keep in mind aside from the rules above. As for anyone starting out to write a crossover story, you should remember:

A.) Never attempt to write an epic off the bat, but write a good story.

Before you start working on that 100-page adventure, try sharpening your skills by writing shorter stories first: at least 1000 to 4,000 words, or 5 to 10 pages in length to start. One young fellow I know, who lives on Prince Edward Island near Newfoundland, writes novella and novel-length fan-fiction, but his case is the exception. Generally, one does not run a marathon when they take up running as a sport, right?

Also remember to write stories, not just a string of scenes. Stories have a definite beginning, middle, and ending. One of the main snags that beginners starting to write run into is that they string a series of sentences, paragraphs, or scenes together, but with no defined plot or direction at all. Always work out how your story begins, proceeds, and ends before you start with that first sentence.

B.) Know how to write skillfully

It's one thing to have the enthusiasm to write something, but without the basic knowledge on how to write, anything you produce will come out like a stonecutter that doesn't know how to handle a hammer and chisel. You'll end up with one big mess! All of the stuff you hated to learn in English class is going to be necessary when you write. One of the key things to do is to drag out those old Composition books and go back over the basics. Consider it a refresher for your benefit.

Also, consider getting a copy of a very valuable handbook, "The Elements of Style" (by William Strunk Jr. & E. B. White - ISBN 0-205-30902-X). It will help you to overcome some very common mistakes made by beginners, and serve to sharpen and tighten your writing focus and form. This is something I recommend for anyone considering writing, be it just as a hobby or a professional career.

C.) Get someone to be a proofreader/editor, and make sure it's not a close friend

The trick here is to get an unbiased critique of your work. A close friend will try to always tell you that you did good so as not to hurt your feelings. Someone that doesn't know you that well will give you an honest opinion on whether the story flies or sinks. Double-effectiveness if this person is a writer or an editor too, but watch out! Most professionals will usually charge a fee for such services, unless they're being awfully nice and offer to do it for free or for a reduced price.

D.) Practice, Practice, Practice!

Don't write one draft and leave it at that. Go over it and make changes or additions. Or, start on a new story. As such as when a Dancer gets better with practice, the same applies to a writer as well. The more you write, the more comfortable you will get at your craft, and that will show your professionalism and talent as time goes on.

IV.) In Closing . . .

As I stated at the beginning, crossover stories are either things of beauty or objects of pure drek. Quite possibly, crossover writing is the most difficult type of story to write out of any in the world of literature.

It amounts to a double headache for even experienced writers: keeping track of two universes, multiple characters, situations, actions and reactions. But, when all of the pieces fall into place, a crossover stands hand and fist over just a straight-single universe story. It doesn't take a lot of thought to come up with a premise for one, but the true test comes from the writer's drive and talent, and yes, and their love of the two "worlds" to bring them into a seamless combination.

To those that scoff at crossovers, I hope this little insight to the mechanics of making a Crossover story gives you a better appreciation of them. To those that relish crossovers, I hop this inspires you to try writing one. I feel at least every writer should try to write at least one crossover story in their career, just to sink their teeth (so to speak) into the process just to see why they can be so fulfilling.

True crossover writers are among a special breed among writers. We take one so much, to produce a story that stands out from all the rest in creativity and talent. As a writer of crossovers, I get the greatest satisfaction knowing that I have managed to entertain someone with the result of my labors.

Plus, I am just lucky I have made a few clay pots in my time. - Stephen R. Sobotka, Jr.

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Bridging Universes: How To Write Crossover Fiction

Copyright © 1999 by Stephen Sobotka Revised 2001

I.) - Introduction: "What if...?"