Fan-fics: Are they wrong?

[SummerRayne]

Questions that maybe you can or cannot answer in reply:

Would you feel flattered or angry if someone twisted the plots and character's personalities in ways you did or did not want them to?

Are fan-fic authors "fake writers" who are just not creative or good enough to write their own best-selling original ideas? Maybe their scared of rejection of their own ideas?

Do original fan-fics even exist anymore? Do original story ideas? Do original authors?

Why do you write fan-fics? Why do you read them?

Are fan-fics without the writers consent wrong?

Do fan-fics stop writers from coming up with their own original characters and story lines? And if they don't, do you find authors basing their story lines more and more on their fav animes, shows, and books instead coming up with their own ideas?

OK, ready, set, STATE YOUR OPINION!!!!

[RikuDrak]

Personally, I don't read fanfics. It seems to me that most of the time the characters are way OOC. Mostly because people have this strange need to pair up characters, especially ones that were never hinted at anywhere in the series/story/etc. I realize it's harder to get into the head of an already existing character than to make your own, but I also think there is no need to try. Really.

90% of fanfic authors, it seems to me (and this also goes for fanart artists, though those are a smaller majority than fanfiction authors because it seems the standards for fanart are higher than fanfiction), are solely in it for the attention. Or if they had at some point cared about their stories and writings, the horde of pre-teens and early teens writing their "omg sexy but why is there a plot?" "UPDAYTE PLZ" etc. have gotten to them, and they no longer worry about good writing. It because some silly game about typing as fast as you can to churn up as much as you can so that you get more idiot comments about being a good writer when you suck.

I'm finding it difficult to get a hold on a good story. But I guess I set my expectations too high. Anyone that is serious about writing probably won't be posting things on AFF.

It's just too bad that all of the people I've seen that agree with the bad standard of writing have no fics themselves.

[madlodger]

Why are you interested in fanfic writers?

[SummerRayne]

I absolutely agree with you Riku. I only use the original section of aff, myself, but while there are fewer and fewer good online writers, I noticed there are some really good critiques on this site. Alot of you guys seem SO smart and your insights into stories can be truly beautiful. While I am a person that loves goodreviews, "omg sexy but why is there a plot?" and "UPDAYTE PLZ" does not fall into the category 'good'.

I also agree with your idea that alot of the writing is way out of character, but i can also respect the fact that writing can and SHOULD be a fun experience. So, if you want to put yourself in a story or make all the guy characters fall in love with each other that's completely up to you.

There are really good writers here that put up orignial and non-original stories on aff, you just have to dig deep for them. There's also ALOT of diamonds in the rough that just need to be polished. I can remember reading one story that made me sick. The grammar and spelling was so bad you would never be able to get passed the first sentence. >.<

Even though I've been called a good writer, I have no fics. I did alot when I was younger, but as I grow older I find the need to express myself through my own means.

And to madlodger who asked "Why are you interested in fanfic writers?"

Well, this IS adultFANFICTION.net forums so of course I'm interested in fan-fic writers and their writing and what motivates them to do it. No one would be a member, at least I would think, if they weren't a little bit interested and curious. So, that's why I asked the question. To get in the minds of other writers/readers like myself. :-D

Edited December 23, 2007 by SummerRayne

[RikuDrak]

What is OOC? I write my beloved characters as I see them, as I imagine them. Yes, I am OOC very often, but who is not? We'll never know what the original author or game designer had in his mind when (s)he created them.

Exactly why I feel it should be left alone then. You can't get into the creator's mind, so create something on your own. Just adding to my previously stated opinion.

Anyways, I'm going to have to say that I think people have grown to lose touch with what writing is. Or was. And that disappoints me.

[SummerRayne]

Good for you aldatariel. Writing is like a marriage to me, fan-fic, or not, I have to stick with it for better or for worse.

Your passion about the topic reminds me of my favorite quote said by another writer:

"Real writers write through all kinds of interruptions and distractions. Sometimes they write because of them. Real writers write in all kinds of inauspicious circumstances, in sickness and in health-sort of like being marred. They write because they have no choice. For them, writing until they reach the moment when the story comes together turns out to be its own reward-even if no one else ever reads a word they've written."

                 -J.A Jance in the magazine, "The Writer"

I'm still a bit puzzeled on what you said about HAVING to write fan-fiction:

"I write fanfic because I have to and can't stop it, nothing less, nothing more."

I can understand that about writing in general, but what would pocess a person to HAVE to write fan-fiction. Did an anime, book, manga, or movie really inspire you and touch you in a way that gives you the need to tell your own personal story with these characters?

For myself, Sailor Moon is and anime that got me from an extremely dark period in my life in my early teams. That little anime girl taught me that different can mean beautiful and awkward can equal success.

So, is it more just for fun for you or does the writing just move you so that you have to get it out? Yes, being original would be "a bit more work", but isn't it worth it? Or is fan-fiction also worth the effort and work you put in?

[SummerRayne]

I would just like to add that I'm not trying to diss or dismiss fan-fiction and it's writer's in anyway.

But Riku, to me, has such a compelling argument against it that the creator in me must agree with some of it.

...I'm going to have to say that I think people have grown to lose touch with what writing is. Or was. And that disappoints me.

But I don't think that this is because of fanfiction...

I guess I would have to think about the topic more.

[SummerRayne]

I really see were your coming from Aldatariel. Thanks for the insights.

[Acal]

Fanfiction is great, it allows people to express their ideas. I have two Stargate Atlantis stories, which i have characters from a friends story and using the cannon characters as well. But nobody seems to be really active at all in the Television section.

I have 3 long ones in the Originals, but of course theres never really such a thing as a truely original idea. The plotlines of such maybe completly original but theres many themes in even original stories that have been adapted or copied from somebody else's ideas.

But if I was to write something completly original based on nothing then it would be annoying to see people who don't have very good talent trashing the ideas.

I do though see fanfiction as creative inspiration because sometimes all it takes is a little bit of fanfiction writing before the writer is able to come up with something more original thats only got a few themes based on something else. If your basing an original fiction on something you've seen the best thing to do is just to change the base idea

[SummerRayne]

If your basing an original fiction on something you've seen the best thing to do is just to change the base idea

I think that's called plagerism. lol If your basing "original fiction" on somthing "you've seen" then it's not original. "Chang[ing] the base idea" of something can be hard for most beginner writers and could resort in them just paraphasing someone else's ideas, which is also plagerism. I wouldn't give this advice to any aspiring writer.

Now, if you meant "If your basing an original [FAN-]fiction on something you've seen..." then I understand the sentence. If you didn't mean that then you just described plagerism.

Edited December 24, 2007 by SummerRayne

[Sky_Pirate_Tat]

The only "fake writers" are plagerists. Yes, most fanfiction sucks but once you pick out the weeds there are VERY good writers. My favorite fanfics are those that take the original story and establish an idea or storyline so well that it feels like it could be canon.

I write fanfics because it's fun and challenging. It can be hard to write someone else's characters IN character. It's fun for me because I like writing whether it's original on fanfic. I don't read a lot these days (because of work)but when I do it's mostly fic because I have friends who write it who want me to read it and I enjoy their writing. I do wish I could find an original story that I could just sink into though. I miss that feeling.

Do fan-fics stop writers from coming up with their own original characters and story lines? And if they don't, do you find authors basing their story lines more and more on their fav animes, shows, and books instead coming up with their own ideas?

It really depends on the person. Some can juggle fics and original writing and some write more of one or the other. For me it's a phase. One year I'll be really into writing fanfic and the next I'll be gunning to write original stories.

I do think that more authors are basing their storylines more on their favorite shows- most especially the anime fans have this problem. I don't think I need to explain it. . . just look around at all the characters with random Japanese names who go to a school in Japan and. . . well I could go on.

[Acal]

I think that's called plagerism. lol If your basing "original fiction" on somthing "you've seen" then it's not original. "Chang[ing] the base idea" of something can be hard for most beginner writers and could resort in them just paraphasing someone else's ideas, which is also plagerism. I wouldn't give this advice to any aspiring writer.

Now, if you meant "If your basing an original [FAN-]fiction on something you've seen..." then I understand the sentence. If you didn't mean that then you just described plagerism.

That's what i mean, I've gotten ideas from other fanfiction and novels i've read and changed them so they aren't recognisable as somebody else's idea because so many others have used a variant of the same base them.

Its only plagerism if you copy somebodies idea and put nothing into it to change the base theme.

[SummerRayne]

Plagiarism according to dictionary.com:

the unauthorized use or close imitation of the language and thoughts of another author and the representation of them as one's own original work...Plagiarism occurs when a writer duplicates another writer's language or ideas

Plagiarism does not have to be a word for word thing. So maybe, I just need an example of you taking someone else's "base theme" and making it your own. Maybe you're trying to describe simply being inspired by one person work and writing something completely different, but just changing a few things is still considered plagiarizing.

Plagiarizing refers to something as small as an idea not just the words you use. So, like I said maybe just need an example of you changing the base theme of someone's work. I was never really good at theme when I was in high school. lol

[Keith Inc.]

Would you feel flattered or angry if someone twisted the plots and character's personalities in ways you did or did not want them to?

When i was a kid, we'd watch a movie, then go home and play in the back yard. First we'd act out the movie, then we'd get bored. We'd make changes. We'd play in the movie's world. Or something similar. Or something odd. Our Luke Skywalker fought Klingons. The Battlestar Galactica found Earth...and was escorted in by the Enterprise. The immortal Wonder Woman saved the world with James Bond.

Fanfic is playing in someone else's world, same way. The better ones show an understanding of the characters and the setting, making a product largely indistinguishable from the source.

Or.

The FF writer can cross boundaries the original can't. Studio realities and legalities keep Dr. Who from taking the Smurfs to do detail work in Willy Wonka's factory. But an FF author can, in my case for example, rewrite Gulliver's Travels to put Blackadder in the title role. Or place Basil Fawlty as the EMH on Voyager.

And again, it's play.

Are fan-fic authors "fake writers" who are just not creative or good enough to write their own best-selling original ideas? Maybe their scared of rejection of their own ideas?

I'm sure some are. I'd like to think that i'm good enough, a lot of my reviews seem to think i captured the original characters. Some don't. The Sherlock Holmes fans aren't fond of my characterizations. Ah, well.

But as a sweeping generalization, i'd have to reject your ideas, there.

Do original fan-fics even exist anymore? Do original story ideas? Do original authors?

You need to define your terms.

Why do you write fan-fics?

To explore a world i find compelling, that only shows up once a week if i don't. In some cases, in the fetish stuff, using a fanfic setting allows me to more quickly convey setting, characters, situations to the reader. But that's because i'm writing specifically FOR a fetish group, and what they care about isn't usually the characters as much as the actions.

Are fan-fics without the writers consent wrong?

No. Not until you get to the point of making any actual money with it. Again, I don't find a great difference between fans dressing up for a convention, or kids running around the backyard waving light sabres at each other, or people writing about how certain characters might act if they weren't limited by the conventions of the FCC. We see what fires our soul and we want to make it part of ours.

Do fan-fics stop writers from coming up with their own original characters and story lines?

No. At least, not in my case. So there's an exception to your sweeping generalization there, so your generalization is wrong.

[Keith Inc.]

Plagiarizing refers to something as small as an idea not just the words you use. So, like I said maybe just need an example of you changing the base theme of someone's work.

Well, there are a number of stories out there that are obvious rip-offs of Shakespeare: Lion King was Hamlet, Ten Things I Hate About You was Taming of Shrew, West Side Story was Romeo and Juliet.

But is every romance with family complications going to be a rip-off, a plagiarism of Romeo and Juliet? Not necessarily. There are only a handful of basic themes out there. 7 to 30, depending on your exact Google term.

Plagiarism is more than just twisting a theme, there have to be recognizable plot elements in common.

[Araneola]

To start with the second question, I have to counter with the question "Are all creative and good writers best-selling authors?" Original is a funny term when you consider literature as a whole. You don't need to be a nerdy English major (*guilty*) to see how originality works in writing, you only need to get through high school. Look at Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet? a theme of star-crossed lovers? feuding families? Not original, not even back in his day. It points back to Ovid, and who even knows where that leads to?

The point, however, is not to make Shakespeare out to be a plagiarizing copy cat. The man was a genius, not for his plot or for his stock characters or his themes. He is considered a genius because of what he can do with those things. It's the language. And THAT (for me, perhaps not for Riku there) points to what RikuDrak was talking about "what writing is". That is what "originality" is. It's the genius behind tools you're working with.

Which leads me to say that, yes, some fanfiction writers are GOOD and CREATIVE. I've made my own characters, I've written my short stories and I've labored over long unfinished passages. But I can make them do whatever I want. I am their "creator". If I want a cute little bunny-slipper wearing kid to be a devil, presto-chango it can happen. There are no guidelines for me in this mode. Granted, it has to work with where I want my story to go, where I want to take it, but the possibilities are really quite endless for me. The problems I encounter as the creator, however, are exactly the same ones I encounter as a fanfiction writer.

How do you keep those little characters in character? How does bunny-slipper kid become a monstrous little demon? Where are the lines, and how far is too far to push those boundaries?

You can have great talent as an original writer, but unless you can fully master your own characters, your readers will end up frustrated and confused about their turns of emotion and "character". I see fanfiction as fantastic practice. Let's take anime for example:

You're a fan (you should be, I mean... you are writing FANfiction here... ) You know the characters. You know what they do in certain situations, you can recognize how they react to certain things. Those are your boundaries. The freedom with writing comes with putting them in different situations where you're not told how they react. It's all about playing within your field. But it's also about fun. I read and write fanfiction to relax a bit. Yes! I would like to read about some of my favorite characters rather than watch them on the television!

I agree with the disdainful attitude towards what unfortunately has become the bulk of fanfiction. As a reader, I'm not looking for the internet spelling and grammatical errors. I love plot. I love long chapters. The more substance the better. It is hard to keep characters in character, and I don't read the impossible, implausible ones. I'm on adultfanfiction, but I'm not looking for a one night stand or a one-shot most days! I'm here because most of the writing truly is better, and the writers care a lot more about their work.

Now to address the rest of your questions in not such a long fashion... I think original fan-fics are actually just fiction. I wouldn't consider some one using original characters and the like a fan-fic author. Perhaps they are a fan of reading? of writing? of life in general? To be honest, this question confused me (still does a little bit). I never realized people were calling fiction writers fanfiction writers... Seems, uh, a little bit odd, yes?

To summarize the last few questions (in case you got lost, I have a tendency to ramble, and this isn't being beta'd or proof-read ) I write and read fanfic because it's fun. It satisfies my need to engage with my favorite characters, even if it's not the "original" show (or book sometimes). Reruns get boring, and not all authors write sequels. It is a little bit of an addiction. The original work isn't good unless you get attached in some way to the characters! But it's fun, it's relaxing, and I enjoy it. Stress-relief, if you will. It's my practice. Keeps me in shape for the real thing, for when I sit back down again and start writing about my own "original" little people. I take the lessons I learn from fanfiction with me.

And who knows? Maybe bunny-slipper kid won't become a demon after all?

I hope this helped, and wasn't too long winded for you

[Acal]

Plagiarism according to dictionary.com:

Plagiarism does not have to be a word for word thing. So maybe, I just need an example of you taking someone else's "base theme" and making it your own. Maybe you're trying to describe simply being inspired by one person work and writing something completely different, but just changing a few things is still considered plagiarizing.

Plagiarizing refers to something as small as an idea not just the words you use. So, like I said maybe just need an example of you changing the base theme of someone's work. I was never really good at theme when I was in high school. lol

Well i'm writing stories on vampires and werewolves, its not actually going to really be plagarism if the concepts are adapted and not recognizable as the inital theme. There are plenty of novels that have a theme in common but its not a rip-off because the author has put their own unique thing in and only have a few elements that are around the same thing.

I know for example its plagarism in the confines of taking somebodies plot and not changing much at all, but if you take somebodies plot and make your own original ideas around it and remove the plot that inspired the ideas thats hardly plagarism is it?

[SummerRayne]

Ok sorry I didn't mean to make this topic about plagiarism. It's about fan-fiction.

[RikuDrak]

But Riku, to me, has such a compelling argument against it that the creator in me must agree with some of it.

...I'm going to have to say that I think people have grown to lose touch with what writing is. Or was. And that disappoints me.

But I don't think that this is because of fanfiction...

Neither do I, I believe it plagues even original fiction. I can't sit here and list of a group of causes or origins because there are too many and it's not like I'm an authority on it, but I feel that plenty of people forgot that writing, specifically published writing (whether it be on the internet or for money with an actual publishing company) is meant to be a ground between the writer and audience. A way for an author to convey their imaginations/passions/etc. for others in an entertaining way. This means you have to remember things such as plots, ups and downs, small detailed situations that give you a better idea of the characters, plenty of characterization and character growth in order for the readers to feel an attrction to them. Things such as dairies, loose pieces of paper you show to your friends when the visit, etc. are the types of things that are just playing around, getting feelings out and sharing with someone you trust. I feel these days those personal things are mistakenly being published and guised as the writing I described before, which can only make young unknowing generations have the wrong idea. Which progresses every generation.

Not saying that those personal playings are wrong or stupid, I know just as well as anyone else that they are needed a lot of the time. I'm just saying that the distinction is obviously vague for many people. I learned in even high school what it takes to write anything from a poem to a short story to a novel, and probably 95% of the things I've seen on the internet do not fit those qualifications.

I write fanfics because it's fun and challenging. It can be hard to write someone else's characters IN character. It's fun for me because I like writing whether it's original on fanfic. I don't read a lot these days (because of work)but when I do it's mostly fic because I have friends who write it who want me to read it and I enjoy their writing. I do wish I could find an original story that I could just sink into though. I miss that feeling.

I agree that it can be fun and challenging, it's just too bad that most of them are lacking. Though mentioning sharing with your friends goes back to the point I made above this, as well as what I mentioned earlier about people wanting attention (not implying you are doing it for that, so don't take it as such, just using your experience as an example of the situations that people who can get hopelessly addicted to that and end up making a lot of chapters with no substance).

The FF writer can cross boundaries the original can't. Studio realities and legalities keep Dr. Who from taking the Smurfs to do detail work in Willy Wonka's factory. But an FF author can, in my case for example, rewrite Gulliver's Travels to put Blackadder in the title role. Or place Basil Fawlty as the EMH on Voyager.

And again, it's play.

But, why would you even want to do that? Goes back to my first paragraph.

How do you keep those little characters in character? How does bunny-slipper kid become a monstrous little demon? Where are the lines, and how far is too far to push those boundaries?

This applies to both fanfiction and original. Or was that your intent and I just sort of missed it? >_< Quite possible.

I write and read fanfic because it's fun. It satisfies my need to engage with my favorite characters, even if it's not the "original" show (or book sometimes). Reruns get boring, and not all authors write sequels. It is a little bit of an addiction. The original work isn't good unless you get attached in some way to the characters! But it's fun, it's relaxing, and I enjoy it. Stress-relief, if you will. It's my practice. Keeps me in shape for the real thing, for when I sit back down again and start writing about my own "original" little people. I take the lessons I learn from fanfiction with me.

Also applies to my first paragraph.

I feel there is a point to why the minds behind our favourite shows, books, etc. stop where they do and that should be left as is. I can only say I've felt a need for "more" when I was younger, so I sort of associate it with that, I don't have that feeling anymore. If I do, it usually subsides and gets sifted down to the general basic idea that I adored, which will eventually combine with other things to lead up to inspiration for something original. Which brings me to the plagerism part, despite it not being the focus of this thread.

To go along with the comments about "true" originality etc.: I agree that it's hard to say something is *truly* original, because much like every other form of art, there is an inspiration. In my case, and I have assumed in most everyone's case that actually seriously goes about original work, it is a vast combination of inspirations. I don't think this in particular is plagerism, since it gets melted, molded, and churned up as something new in the creator's mind. This is what we can, at best in these days, refer to original work. Many themes will reoccur and probably many character types (stereotypes), but it's the details and work put into everything from portrayel to depth of society and character that makes things interesting, entertaining, and original to read.

For me, nothing like this can occur in fanfiction, although I do support the idea of using original characters and an original plot and story line in an already created universe as a tribute to the original authors. It is sad to say, however, that sometimes (mostly pertaining to cartoons/anime/movies that are not devoted to portraying a world, or the world the characters are in is not part of the novelty) the things we like do not have these and therefore it cannot be done.

Though even in series/stories/etc. where a world is fleshed out amazingly, there are plenty of people who just sort of skip out on it.

I can't find where right now, but someone mentioned something fanfiction and using the setting so that you don't have to worry about fleshing it out. That's, in my eyes, just plain silly. It's not only lazy (as I think, even if one is familiar with a setting, it's important to describe it in detail- especially from the POV of the character(s)) but also boring. In my opinion, of course. I bet there are plenty of people out there that scare at chunks of paragraphs containing details, but then why should they be interested in reading? Movies are for that.

[Ginevra]

I'll toss my hat in the ring for a few moments:

There is nothing inherently wrong with fan fiction. I like to think of it as the modern day off-shoot of the old oral tradition, where stories were passed by word of mouth. Each person who delivers it adds a bit of their own style and interpretation to it. And everyone deserves the opportunity to try their hand at it. Some will excel at it, many will not. Many of us learn best by doing, I know I do.

Writing fan fiction is only plagiarism when the author attempts to present the canon it draws from as his property or having been in some way authorized by the creator. That's what disclaimers are for, my friends. And yes, the analogy of fan fiction being equivalent to the "lets pretend" of childhood is quite appropriate. Much like the playing of interactive role playing games.

Why do I read fan fiction? I read it because the writers of the official versions can't possibly satisfy my insatiable need for more. More content, darker plot lines, behind the scenes, what ifs...Time, money, and the FCC simply won't allow them to fully explore what they have created. And while I can write it myself, that takes all the mystery and "aha" out of the experience.

There is a lot of badly written fan fiction out there, here and elsewhere. Stories so poorly written that you cannot wade through even the first paragraph. Or there may be no paragraphs at all. But there are some very good writers there as well. And, from what I've been reading, a few of those writers are actually professionals who do this for fun.

Other than a paycheck, how different is a fan fiction writer from someone who is hired to write a new Star Trek novel or to join the Star Gate Atlantis writing team? Hmm...

Why do I write fan fiction? That's complicated.

It has reached the point where I almost have to, to maintain my own inner balance. Whether or not I write them down, these stories whirl around in my brain. Often the only way to get them to settle down and allow me to move on is to sit at my keyboard and nail them down with the stroke of the keys. It allows me to work out some of my own personal demons and explore new parts of myself through my characters. It is a great stress reliever for me.

Why don't I write original fiction? Who says I don't? Part of the reason I am writing fan fiction is to develop my writing skills. One day I would like to try my hand at professional writing. That day will likely come after I've retired and I no longer need my "day job." Right now, I am the bread winner in my family and we have far too many chronic health issues for me to consider giving up my benefits.

I don't post original work because it is original. Once I post it to the Internet, anyone could take it and claim it's theirs. Maybe I'm being a bit arrogant to think my work is worth stealing. I can't get paid for the fan fiction, so I risk nothing but possible embarassment. I have gotten marvelous feedback from some of my readers and my writing has improved greatly as a result.

In fact, now I have a handful of people who are constantly feeding me plot bunnies because they want more. Some of those bunnies are evil little devils, but I'm certainly flattered that they like my work enough to ask me for more. Honestly, I'm so busy writing now, I'm not reading much.

[Guest Zyx]

I don't feel like reading this entire thread so I'm just going to respond to the question in the thread title:

HELL NO!

[scottishfae]

I think that's called plagerism. lol If your basing "original fiction" on somthing "you've seen" then it's not original. "Chang[ing] the base idea" of something can be hard for most beginner writers and could resort in them just paraphasing someone else's ideas, which is also plagerism. I wouldn't give this advice to any aspiring writer.

This is a very popular discussion in English (literature) Academia right now. Why? Well, let me name some big name authors who have recently been accused of plagiarism: Ian McEwan (Atonement), Yann Martel (Life of Pi), J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) and several others. Most people have been accused because of similarities within other stories, and while I believe the one against J.K. Rowling was dismissed for the most part, McEwan and Martel both ended up giving credit for inspiration to the other authors.

One of the things about literature and knowledge in general, is that it is building upon each other. There are arguments in academia that all existing stories are based off a few set stories, most of which I think, it is argued, go back to Homer's Odyssey. Is this true? I don't know, but certainly using similar ideas from other stories to build into new stories is something that happens a lot.

Case and point: Hamlet, and many other of the plays of Shakespeare. Very few will argue that Shakespeare was a genius with words, but it can not be denied that most of his plays are based off existing stories that he took and wrote in his own style. Today, with the world of copyright law being what it is, Shakespeare would have been accused of plagiarism, and probably been found guilty.

And then there are the authors who are providing alternatives to stories. Grendel (based off Beowulf), Foe (based off Robinson Crusoe), etc. They are using the stories of existing works and flipping them in some way and telling alternative stories of the characters involved. Foe, personally, is one of my favorites and I enjoy it much more than Robinson Crusoe.

Anyway, this became a lot more long-winded than I originally planned. I'm basically try to point out that basing original fiction off of something else is not only uncommon but a great tradition historically of literature around the world. Yes, any author should be wary and careful of how they approach a story that is heavily influenced from another, but, then again, it can also lead to great triumphs of literature. Plagiarism is not to cut and dry as many people think, unfortunately; and fanfiction is much greater than just a bunch of anime/movie fans on the internet. I would argue that both Grendel and Foe could be considered fanfiction, in our current terms, and that Shakespeare could probably be lumped into that category too, for some of his plays at least.

I think too many people are ready to dismiss fanfiction after they look into some of the poorly written stories, but it's a very powerful force. Rowling seems to have embraced it, as most anime/manga creators have. It's a marketing force all on its own and it keeps people interested in stories long after they have finished.

And really, that's all I have to say (for the moment).

[Araneola]

"A way for an author to convey their imaginations/passions/etc. for others in an entertaining way."

Whenever you refer to the first paragraph, my dear Riku, this is what sticks out to me. And this is one of the same responses I can give you as to why I write and read fanfiction. Entertainment. Enjoyment. Several people other than myself have already said that they write and read fanfiction because it's fun. Nevermind the teeny-bopper omglol influenza of the internet. Real fanfiction has imagination, has passion, and those authors connect with their readers. You don't necessarily need a new world, or new characters to get a beautiful message across, and I think being able to touch readers with that message without foundations of your own creative mind is a skill within itself. Fanfiction is the manifestation of that connection.

And as to your comments about my own response, yes, those questions apply to both, and yes, that was my intent. "The problems I encounter as the creator, however, are exactly the same ones I encounter as a fanfiction writer." It is the sentence previous to those questions.

Overall, my main point is that you really have to ignore the bulk of "fanfiction" out there. Because, yes, it truly is terrible. But no one gets better at something without practice first, and that should be where fanfiction is allowed to thrive. If I encounter the same problems as a writer and as a fanfic writer, than why wouldn't I jump on that opportunity to improve myself and have fun at the same time? Sounds a little like a no brainer

I hope that this clears things up!

[RikuDrak]

"A way for an author to convey their imaginations/passions/etc. for others in an entertaining way."

Whenever you refer to the first paragraph, my dear Riku, this is what sticks out to me. And this is one of the same responses I can give you as to why I write and read fanfiction. Entertainment. Enjoyment. Several people other than myself have already said that they write and read fanfiction because it's fun. Nevermind the teeny-bopper omglol influenza of the internet. Real fanfiction has imagination, has passion, and those authors connect with their readers. You don't necessarily need a new world, or new characters to get a beautiful message across, and I think being able to touch readers with that message without foundations of your own creative mind is a skill within itself. Fanfiction is the manifestation of that connection.

I'm sorry for remaining a bit skeptical, perhaps if you could PM me an example of these sorts of beautiful fanfiction.

Anyways, I can see how you can turn that sentence back to reflect your feelings. I can't really state anything new at this point so I won't bother, as I'm sure it'll just get annoying to you, everyone that reads it, and myself

I think creating a new world and new characters gets the point much further across, mainly because you don't have to shape your message by your setting/characters (although plenty of people burst through those walls as if they were cardboard, which can cause a cringe in the staying-IC department).

I'm going to admit that perhaps I just happened to have never stumbled onto good fanfiction, which could be all the cause of the negative feelings towards it. I just feel that, if one would write as fanfic, they should retain as rigid a structure to stay IC. Which is a lot more trouble that it's worth, because your creativity can be greatly limited. Those that go ahead and bend pre-existing characters to whatever they feel like are more or less, in my eyes, actually doing injustice to the original creators. It may seem less important because of how "far away" the original creator seems, but I think it should be taken as seriously as if someone ripped an underdog's original character away and made them all sorts of OOC just to portray some really obsessive, really scary passing fancy.

Fanfiction is indeed a great marketing device. I agree.

[madlodger]

MY OPINION, rayne, is that this looks like an assignment for homework. I can almost bet that you are a some sort of writing student. The poll supporting this thread mentions "real writers". There is nothing wrong with learning to write professionally and to pay your bills that way. Not all people have interest to make writing into a paid gig, though.

The beauty of fanfiction is that it is written purely out of passion and is an extension of human imagination. If I HAD to put out 10000 words weekly in order to feed my family and to have a roof over my head, then writing just wouldn't be fun anymore. As a fanfic writer (admittedly unprofessional and not very good) I can write WHATEVER I WANT, WHENEVER I FEEL LIKE. Pro-writing and fanfic-writing are two very different things.

I know that some people here are writing students and would like to know if fanfiction is even mentioned during lectures. Is it a part of curriculum in any way? Do professors talk about it? What is their overall attitude towards fanfiction?