Poll: FanFiction, your opinion

[Vicky Stewart]

It's hard to find good Fanfiction, but it DOES exist. I've read some great Fallout Fanfiction that wasn't a culprit of canon rape, OOC-ness and contained no Mary Sues. The quality of the writing was great, all things considered, as well.

Kind of depends where you look. Some fanbases are plagued with awful Fanfiction more than others, I guess.

 

[Aurora Firestorm]

Just like every other medium, 90% of it is crap.

10% of it (maybe less, I don't know) is actually written well. Yes, this does exist. It's just hard to find, especially if you're looking for fanfic from something really super popular like Harry Potter. Ye gods, I was spoiled with tiny fandoms, and then I glanced at Harry Potter.

 

[Vicky Stewart]

It's hard to find good Fanfiction, but it DOES exist. I've read some great Fallout Fanfiction that wasn't a culprit of canon rape, OOC-ness and contained no Mary Sues. The quality of the writing was great, all things considered, as well.

Kind of depends where you look. Some fanbases are plagued with awful Fanfiction more than others, I guess.

Agreed. BTW, awesome first post. Welcome to the Escapist. Don't go in the basement.

Thanks for the compliment and welcome. ^_^ and I'll try to steer clear. xD

 

[Renegade-pizza]

Mock Effect FTW

 

[Erja_Perttu]

Fanfiction is just like most modern fiction now, a lot of it is rubbish I'm not interested in or am put off by, and occasionally you'll find something really good.

I've read a few fanfics that are way better than a lot of published fiction, and I think its worth findings those diamonds in the rough.

And hell, at least its free, and you can actively tell people their writing sucks if necessary.

 

[Joshimodo]

Dreadful, through-and-through.

You know, just for once I'd like someone to say that and have an avatar related to a work of fiction (or one I know of). It would save me so much time. Sadly, instead, I need to ask for a list of works of fiction you like so I can find a fic to prove you wrong.

Fiction, as in popculture things that fanfictions are written about (and I use the term written very loosely here), or fiction as in the actual meaning of the word?

 

[larysalove]

I used to write fanfiction. I thought I was pretty good at it.

But, most of it is, as has already been said, written at a third grade level or completely... I don't know... implausible. But I guess fan fiction is more for the enjoyment of the writers. I figure most fan fiction rarely gets read, with so many other choices in the same genre.

 

[AgentBJ09]

I'm sure I could find a fic you'd like if we have even one work of fiction in common.

I noticed how many folks you were quoting before to try changing their minds. I applaud you. Hopefully, some of them reply. As for me, these are the fandoms/shows/worlds I will gladly read/write some fanfiction for -

My Little Pony -
Digimon - Digimon Reboot [http://digimonreboot.notzuza.net/ep01.html] is one I found that I do like so far.
Power Rangers -
Kamen Rider -
Dragon Drive -
Sonic the Hedgehog -

------------

As for me, I have written fanfiction before, though all of it is incomplete, and I have yet to publish any of it. However, I usually follow these personal rules for writing and reading fanfiction.

- Look for good grammar, spelling, syntax, and sentence structure. (If you are a fan of something, you should respect the world you're writing about this way by default.)
- No Famous Relationships for main PCs.
- Downplay/remove scenes of a sexual nature, especially if it doesn't help the plot.
- Do not write the main characters from any prior season of a show into a story, unless you can explain why you are doing so logically. (A couple of fandoms can get away with this easily, like Power Rangers and Sonic, but quite a lot can't.)

And, this is just me speaking, but I do my best to avoid most fanfiction that is written from the POV of the main characters of any series related to the basis of the work. Personally, I just don't trust when fans make fiction with established characters as main characters. You can make them cameo characters all you wish, but don't write them as main characters.

 

[DTWolfwood]

can't read it. There is always the feeling that it feels really cheap. even a well written one, the end result is that its not real or canon. I can't shake that feeling. That or i don't like reading other people's imagination, they will pollute my own

 

[Alluos]

I don't hate it, I just find it to be a sort of middle-finger to the writer, like the fan is saying "This is how it SHOULD have been written, to suit MY needs."

 

[AY200]

Useful for people that are trying to become better authors. The act of writing can only have a positive effect on your level of skill and the speed at which you can write, and using an existing universe as foil to get feedback on your writing from others can generally net you one or two useful reviews among the 90 useless ones.

Also a good way of building peer-review connections.

Really depends on the particular fandom, though.

 

[DTWolfwood]

can't read it. There is always the feeling that it feels really cheap. even a well written one, the end result is that its not real or canon. I can't shake that feeling. That or i don't like reading other people's imagination, they will pollute my own

What about when the canon is limited to a single season, a movie and a few comics and short stories? Think you could read that?

no. It will pollute my imagination. I can't have my perception of what i like cheapen by someone else. More or less i have my own fanfic in my head that i refuse to have corrupted by foreign sources.

edit: i think i misread you. If it is canon i can read it.

 

[Rofl-Mayo]

It's just like anime. You must sift through a sea of shit before you find something worth reading.