Fanfiction - Good or Evil?

[Blitz]

One of the things I've noticed as a beginning writer is the temptation of fanfiction--writing stories in a previously created universe.  It seems to be pretty popular among the teen crowd, and especially in the sci-fi/fantasy genre.  I guess it's hard not to want to extend a favorite author's work, or alter it to what you think is the better story.

My question: Is fanfiction helpful to aspiring writers, or does it hurt?  I've heard people vehemently opposed to the very idea, and those who gush over their latest masterpieces.  What do you think?  I suppose my opinion is that originality is always better, but fanfiction will help you in the way that any writing helps you: practice, practice, practice.

(And I know we're supposed to avoid actual fanfiction within earshot of Jim on the forums, but I figured a discussion about its uses couldn't hurt.)

[spygrl]

I know a lot of people who have written fanfic and gone on to do their own original works.  I mean think about how many different authors write X-men and Star Trek novels and get them published.  Isn't that a form of fanfiction as well?

I figure as long as a person is writing and improving its not a bad thing at all.  I know that some authors are bothered by it, but in my mind imitation is the greatest form of flattery.. and to be so inspired by characters that have been created to continue their stories is a great compliment to the author that dreamed them up.  If they are so vivid that they so capture the imagination, then how can that be a bad thing?

[Dom]

I think fanfiction is the writing equivilant to one band covering another band's song.  You borrow some of their world, just to play in it a bit more after the story's finished, keep the story alive, or to learn from it, or as a tribute to the original.

I think fanfiction is a good way to get that practice, practice, practice in, your million crappy words or whatever a writer is supposed to put out before they have something good, but I also lean towards creativity in your own worlds being "better".  But that's because of the genre I write in...I'm doing my darndest to do SFF novels, and that's my personal ideal.  In that realm, fanfiction is largely worthless to me as a writer because I'll never get to publish it.  Better to put time into my original stuff.  However, if I step out of the realm of SFF novels, to, say, comics script writing, or tv script writing, or even movie script writing...those are all basically like professional fanfiction.  You write stories...in someone else's world.  As a collab effort.  It's not a bad thing, it's just a different realm than original novel fiction writing.  It's all writing, but it's different mediums of writing.

I do understand why some authors get upset at it.  There's the legal stuff, and also, if SFF novel writers wanted to do collab...they'd go out and do collaberative works.  Some writers write alone because they're protective of their hard-won ideas and efforts, it's very painful to let go of their babies, so it's understandable that they get upset if their world is played in.  Visual artists similarly sometimes get upset when someone crops and changes the color of their work, for an icon or something...it changes the meaning of what they made originally.

But I also understand why the fans create fanfiction.  And I do read it sometimes, because I too want to see a little more of this or that world, even if it's just a reflection.

I don't think fanfiction is bad or good, it just is.  Humans like to imitate others.  I think authors that accept fanfiction is inevitable in this era of the internet will have an easier time of it.  And fans are generally respectful of an author if he or she puts down "ground rules" or provides a sanctioned outlet for fan's creative energy, a la the MUSH and MOO weyrs (or whatever they're called) surrounding Anne McCaffrey's Pern series.

[BigMama]

I am not a published author, but it seems to me that if you are writing fan fiction, your concentration is on someone elses creativity, not your own. It seems to me it would be better to spend your time improving your craft by developing something creative that is your own, not a shadow of something that belongs to someone else.

[Mickey Finn]

" I mean think about how many different authors write X-men and Star Trek novels and get them published.  Isn't that a form of fanfiction as well?"

That's being contracted by the owner of the rights to write something ineir universe. It's sort of the difference between being invited in by the owner of a house, or just wandering in and making yourself at home while they're out.

[Amber]

While I'm not a published author, the thought of someone playing in my world that I created... taking characters that I crafted...  it makes my blood boil. 

(I don't like it when bands cover music, either :p )

[Jon Crenshaw]

Personally, with few exceptions, I hate fan-fic. (Some, I must admit, however, is very good--(V. Secret Diaries, for ex.)

Let me ammend that--I do not like fan fic.  Comedic undertakings, however, are another story. (see V. Secret Diaries, above)

That being said, a useful tool in learning your own writing style would be to write similarly to another author, without stealing characters, settings, ideas, etc.  (IE, write a story in the style of King, Butcher, Doyle, etc.)

But fanfic?  yuck.

[Jon Crenshaw]

(I don't like it when bands cover music, either :p )

Ah, but there's a marked difference between a fanfic author and a band that plays covers:

The band pays licensing fees to have the right to play the music.

[Amber]

(I don't like it when bands cover music, either :p )

Ah, but there's a marked difference between a fanfic author and a band that plays covers:

The band pays licensing fees to have the right to play the music.

That's a recorded cover distributed for profit... sort of the equivalent of Star Wars and other licensed fan-fic.

I'm talking about when you go to a concert, and someone says that they're gonna do a song from the 70s, only they've modernized it

I guess my stance on fan-fic comes from this:  All authors steal from other authors.  It's the nature of the beast, in a way, to see something and go, ooo, I like that.  I'm gonna make it better.  You then take it, change it, give the characters different names, and set the idea in a different place.  Why play in someone else's sandbox when you can build your own?

*shrugs*  JMO.

[FredG]

I've written some X-Men fanfic, usually places where I felt the "soap opera" nature missed a couple of scenes. 

And, as a writer, it's a shortcut.  I can write a character's name, and many of the character's traits are already  established, just there.  I don't need to spend any time SHOWING that Cyclops is a stiff control-freak; I don't need to TELL the reader that.  I can just make him walk in to the scene when I need an authority figure to frown a lot.  There can be more to it than that, but IMNSHO, a lot of fanfic writers use that crutch to help work out their own plotting, pacing, and other craft issues without having to work on characterization at the same time.

And there's a built in audience.  It's terrifying to write something, and ask someone else to read it and hope that they like it.  If you write a fanfic, you're guaranteed readers.

-FredG

[ethyachk]

Fanfiction is something you should write, you should cherish, then keep to yourself that you ever wrote it and likely burn it, just to make sure. Sometimes having a platform to start from is a great spring board into writing. But never let fanfics see the light of day. Please. Won't somebody think of the children?

[novium]

Fanfiction is something you should write, you should cherish, then keep to yourself that you ever wrote it and likely burn it, just to make sure. Sometimes having a platform to start from is a great spring board into writing. But never let fanfics see the light of day. Please. Won't somebody think of the children?

hah, yes, that was my impression of it.

[neminem]

We're discussing two different things here, I see. One I can comment on, while the other I can't, really.

I'm not an author, can't write to save my soul. So I can't really say whether writing in another's world would be helpful in terms of getting better at, well... what? Writing? I can't imagine it wouldn't. If your goal was to get better at world-building, then obviously you wouldn't get much practice if you used someone else's base. But if you were just practicing writing, I don't know why it would be any different - in fact, I imagine it could be harder in some ways, having to adapt your own writing style such that pre-existing characters spoke and acted in ways that wouldn't break existing characterization.

As a voracious reader, though, I can say this - most fanfic sucks a lot, to the extent that I really don't bother with it, as it's mostly a waste of time. But that's not the fault of fanfic itself, it's merely the fact that the genre attracts far too many people who write about as well as I do, but have much bigger egos . I love to see different takes on the same stories, or the same characters, or the same worlds, but only when they're worth bothering with. If I were a famous writer, I'd be flattered by any and all attempts at fanfic in my world - even though I'd be even more saddened at how much most of it would suck a lot.

Incidentally, I absolutely love covers; in fact, I go out of my way to collect them. Have gigs and gigs of it. I've also deleted gigs and gigs, because again, I only keep ones that are actually worth keeping. It seems that fewer people with little talent consider themselves to have talent in music than it writing, though, so it's at least worth bothering. Or at least, less of the music that sucks ends up being discussed and passed around the internet.

[ethyachk]

As a voracious reader, though, I can say this - most fanfic sucks a lot, to the extent that I really don't bother with it, as it's mostly a waste of time. But that's not the fault of fanfic itself, it's merely the fact that the genre attracts far too many people who write about as well as I do, but have much bigger egos .

I have had a distressing number of contacts with fanfic writers who were so proud of what they'd done they were sure that once the author read their fanfic that it would become accepted as a part of the world and would be published. Worse, some fanfic crazies even thought the authors would hand creative control of the world to these fanfic maniacs.

If that sounds unbelieveable, I should mention that I once dated a girl who honestly believed she was a fairy princess, daughter of Oberon and Titania, with her very own angelic guardian who she spoke to frequently. She was one of the fanfic people.

Lesson to be learned: don't date the people I date. Bad idea.

-S

[Jon Crenshaw]

I have had a distressing number of contacts with fanfic writers who were so proud of what they'd done they were sure that once the author read their fanfic that it would become accepted as a part of the world and would be published. Worse, some fanfic crazies even thought the authors would hand creative control of the world to these fanfic maniacs.

If that sounds unbelieveable, I should mention that I once dated a girl who honestly believed she was a fairy princess, daughter of Oberon and Titania, with her very own angelic guardian who she spoke to frequently. She was one of the fanfic people.

Lesson to be learned: don't date the people I date. Bad idea.

-S

.

QFT.

Sounds like we may have dated the same kinds of people.

Eyaugh, glad I'm over that phase.

But spot on about some of the fanfic crazies out there