FanFiction
There’s just something about fanfiction.
Some people view it as something not to be bothered with or perhaps even wrong while others, especially those who write it, defend it as a writing art just like any others.
By definition, fanfiction is “a broadly defined term for fiction about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creators.” Basically, you didn’t create the world(s) and didn’t create the characters, but you did write them a new situation.
Sometimes, fanfiction is just the means for fans to get certain character situations they wish would happen out of their system.
I’m not going to talk about them.
Fanfiction is the means by which many new writers start writing. They usually graduate from journal to fanfiction or start with both. Fanfiction may provide a tempting “safe” area for the new writer. By using worlds and characters which are already successful in the market, the fanfiction writer is only left to write new and exciting situations which will interest a reader.
While this particular forum does not currently allow fanfiction, I believe both threads show (albeit a bit aggressively at times) pros and cons to fanfiction in general.
Some call it plagiarism, some call it just another genre to write in.
I think fanfiction is, indeed, a step below creating your own worlds and characters. However, I’ve written fanfiction and I think it was a great start into writing. I wrote my first novella with the characters and settings created by K.A. Applegate. All of it was a “safe” writing zone. I don’t condemn anyone for writing fanfiction, but if you plan on being a professional writer, the sooner you start writing original material, the better.
If you’d like more opinions on the issue:
Here is a debate thread about forum fiction.Here is a later thread brought up about the same subject, suggesting the addition of a fanfiction section to the forum in question.
It’s your choice of whether or not you write fanfiction, or, if you do, how long you continue doing so. As I said, I think it’s a good starting place for some writers. Just keep in mind that a publishing company isn’t likely going to want to look at your take on Harry Potter - and I be J.K. Rowling won’t be all that excited to read it either.
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And, to make a shameless plug for a writing forum I greatly enjoy, all of these threads are from WritingForums.com. If you’re interested and join the forum, feel free to PM me there. My username is silverwriter.
January 4th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
…I read too much fanfiction. Maybe I will write some, someday.
January 4th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
I actually don’t read any fanfiction. Hm. Then again, it’s taking me ages to read one book these days when it used to only take me one day. I’m getting behind all over the place.
January 4th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Well, I really only read Doctor Who fanfic…
January 4th, 2007 at 7:08 pm
Hehe. Well, if I found a show I loved enough…
January 4th, 2007 at 11:45 pm
You don’t like Dr Who? Through all Space & Time? With an arena that big, what’s not to like? *grins*
I don’t think I’ve ever read fanfic although Larry Niven, my fav SciFi writer, has a series of at least 12 books where other writers have written stories about his Man/Kzin wars. Of course, they wrote them with permission & some of them are as good as Niven’s stories (a couple might be better) so I’m not sure if they qualify as FanFic
January 5th, 2007 at 4:44 am
I like Dr. Who; I’m just not at the point of reading fanfiction for it nor any other show.
I think, yes, some fanfiction can be just as good as the original other, but they are few and not any that I have read in the past.
January 9th, 2007 at 3:44 am
First of all, K.A. Applegate wrote many of my favourite series, so I can see why you would choose her books for the basis of your first fanfiction.
I don’t write much fanfiction myself, but I think that it’s probably a good way to start as a writer, and I agree that it’s best to be original.
January 9th, 2007 at 6:48 pm
She is a good author, isn’t she?
I’m glad you like my thoughts on the matter.
January 18th, 2007 at 3:55 am
[...] Reading Fanfiction January 18th, 2007 by Elisa The other day, Jamie over at Fiction Scribe posted on the subject of fanfiction, and it got me to thinking about the genre. I have read a great deal of fanfiction in my time. At one point, I even wrote a bit of it. I have some friends who are writers of magnificent fanfiction. (Frankly, I think that they’ve spoiled me with their Stargate SG-1 fics…but I digress.) I have even read fanfiction that became an official tie-in novel (Susan M. Garrett’s Forever Knight tie-in Intimations of Morality. I have both versions.) Lately, I have been reading way too much Doctor Who fanfiction. (No surprises there.) There is such a variety of skill level and topic out there, even within just the one fandom. I have encountered some incredible imagery and several well-plotted adventures. Of course, there are also those stories that make you want to tear your hair out, but after a bit you get a feeling for authors that you like. Then, as with any other genre, you can find similar authors, and go from there. For me, the allure of fanfiction is the chance to see what might have been, or to get into the mind of the character. In case you are interested in reading some fanfiction yourself, Fanfiction.net has a wide variety of topics, and is bound to have something for everyone. What is your opinion of fanfiction? Do you read it? [...]