What is it with people and fanfiction?

[Fox12]

Serious question, because many of the mentions of fanfiction I've heard from non-fanfiction writers/those who dislike fanfiction have been generally rude and uncharitable.

A majority of the fanfictions I've read are actually incredibly well done by talented young fans of the series they are writing for, some with and some without sexual content.

So is it just because of the large amount of sexual content or perhaps poor writing? Do you guys have any specific feelings on the matter?

Captcha: Do you like to cook? Depends, who am I cooking?.....

For I mean.

I think there's a certain stigma attached to it. When people think of fan fiction, they usually have some sort of stereotypical vision of ET doing it with the Ninja Turtles or something. Cracked.com made an article the other day making fun of that, and when you don't actually read fanfiction, that's the sort of stuff that stands out. 50 shades of grey probably didn't help either. Personally, I don't read fanfiction, but I don't have anything against it either. There may be fanfiction with great depth and characterization out there, I have no idea, but I do believe that fanfiction is negatively portrayed as strange and fetishistic, even if that's completely wrong.

Personally, I just don't get the appeal. I want to be a writer, so I don't understand why people don't just put time and effort into writing their own stories with original characters. That said, if anybody were to write fanfiction about anything I ever write, I wouldn't have a problem with it like some authors do. It seems harmless t me, and I know smart, talented, mature people who love writing fanfiction for fun. Personally I'm indifferent.

 

[Tono Makt]

Serious question, because many of the mentions of fanfiction I've heard from non-fanfiction writers/those who dislike fanfiction have been generally rude and uncharitable.

A majority of the fanfictions I've read are actually incredibly well done by talented young fans of the series they are writing for, some with and some without sexual content.

So is it just because of the large amount of sexual content or perhaps poor writing? Do you guys have any specific feelings on the matter?

I've written some fan fiction for myself, just for fun, when I was a teenager and in my early 20's. I've recently gone back and reread it and most of it is utter crap. From all perspectives, it's utter crap. The stuff that isn't utter crap is inappropriate, though not in a sexual way - writing things that were far darker and grittier than the subject matter was known for, mostly. (The particular story I'm thinking of is based on Sailor Moon, which I watched daily for a full summer as I was working a midnight shift and it was the best thing on TV when I got home.)

Most fan fiction I've read falls is like most of the fan fiction I wrote - terrible in every way. It misuses the characters, puts them in situations entirely inappropriate for the character (eg: Ron Weasely deciding that the best way to woo Heromine is to get a better mark than her in every subject, then getting the best mark in every subject and then Heromine going "You're so smart now Ron, of course I'll snog you!"), inserts a Mary/Marty Sue into the universe who happens to be the best at everything important, or just creepy, creepy, creepy sex. (as a note, if anyone ever goes to a site with erotic fiction, never ever, ever, ever look at erotic GoT fanfic. Just don't.)

Were I to create something which became for public viewing, I would do my best to ignore all fanfic based on my creation, leaving exceptions only for people I wanted to hire to help expand my universe or family members who I had to interact with regularly, and would want feedback. Otherwise I would run screaming whenever possible.

 

[Entitled]

Agreed, but I will always value greater creative depth; no matter how "good" a fanfic is, a similarly well-written story with an original setting will receive my respect to a much greater degree. If a person cannot create in this way, what does that say about their creativity?

There is practically zero artistic merit in making up an "orignal setting" in the sense that separates most fanfics from most published new IPs.

Even E. L. James could make up a few original character and setting names for "Master of the Universe", so it could be published as "Fifty Shades of Grey".

If you want to make a publishable a new IP, you can. It's pretty much a formality.

At the same time, there are plenty of fanfiction writers, who might not have went through with this formality, either because it's more fun that way, or because the points that they want to make in their story rely on a particular detail of it's source, while at the same time, more original than many published novels, even than many Great Novels.

I have... inflexible ideas about to whom a setting belongs.

The problem with such inflexibilities, is that they are betrayed by the fact that a setting "belonging" to someone is only determined by copyright law, which is in itself flexible, while at the same time it has some pretty sharp arbitrary lines around the borders.

With Public Domain, Fair Use, and similar limits, it has became customary for "original writers" to copy a given number of elements from the artists before them, not to mention the memetic passage of general ideas, like genres, meanwhile we create this deinition of "fanfiction" NOT out of works that are generally less original than a new IP in an artistic sense, but that can't prove in front of the sledgehammer of the law that they are original, because they contain certain specific keywords.

 

[Kittyhawk]

There is a place for fan fiction, but the problem is that many people try to hide behind it, because they supposedly aren't creative enough to do their very own story, character and world. Sure, originality and inspiration are not easy to lock down, but with practice, the true escape is through your own original work. Once you scale this mountain and stand on its peak, you'll be a better writer, and wonder why you were ever so scared of creating something truly your own in the first place.

Fan stuff is all fine and dandy, but original work is always the best way to go.

 

[Entitled]

There is a place for fan fiction, but the problem is that many people try to hide behind it, because they supposedly aren't creative enough to do their very own story, character and world.

Making up a new IP is the easiest part of creativity.

I could just write a Lord of the Rings fanfiction, then replace all the character and setting names with made-up words, plus slightly rearrange the map and publish it as an Original High Fantasy Novel.

Actual originality, like fleshing out characters' thought processes, threading your plot in a clever way, or keeping dialogues interesting, has nothing to do with whether or not you made up a "new world".

Besides, by your own logic, any new novel that is written to take place in modern New York, is starting out with a less "original" setting than one that takes place in Minas Tirith.

 

[Genocidicles]

If it was good, enjoyable to read, and interesting, then what does it matter if it's "canon" or not?

Because it will never interact with or be acknowledged by the original work, making it pointless.

 

[silver wolf009]

But fuck General Sprinkles dude. There's a special place in hell for that guy.

Yeah, a place called management.

OT: Fanfiction is fun to do if you know what you're doing. I'm good at it I suppose, but I'm a little slug who can't take criticism, so I often just don't end up doing it. I've made a few people cry though, which I guess is an accomplishment...

 

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

Fanfiction is the source of A LOT of extremely poor writing. Not all of it is bad, but the vast majority of it is. And even if the writing in and of itself is decent, a lot of it disregards certain aspects of the source material in order to make it to the writer's preference. For example, the "Draco in Leather Pants" [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DracoInLeatherPants] trope. Then there are self-inserts, original characters and characters from other series that are sometimes written in, and that mucks around with the source material, as well. And don't even get me started on "shipping" or "head-canons"... I don't think people should be making things up in order to make a series better in their eyes, y'know? I mean, there's always some room for interpretation, but making up an entire romantic relationship between two people just because they're nice to each other is just too much. There's a bit of wiggle room if romantic interest is hinted at, but in most cases I can't tolerate out-of-nowhere ship fanfictions. And then there's the whole "slash fic" thing, which falls into the "out-of-nowhere" category more often than not.

However, the biggest problem I can think of is this: what's the point in writing something if it's not original? I'm not talking about being totally unique in all aspects; I'm just wondering why people can't come up with their own settings and characters. You can have a similar setting to other works of fiction, no problem. I just take issue with the fact that fanfiction doesn't even bother to be creative, and instead resorts to using the characters and setting directly established by another author. The only time I can really excuse this is when there's an interesting idea that the work is exploring; "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" could be considered a Hamlet fanfiction, yet it is one of my favourite plays ever, because it's a very interesting and creative take on the characters of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Long story short, I don't so much take issue with fanfiction as I do with warping, perverting and disregarding the original author's work. There is a bit of leniency if it's well-done, but otherwise I don't really respect fanfiction. 'Course, when it comes to something like Touhou where everything is so poorly defined in canon that it can't really be warped, then it's all fair game.

Also, some fanfiction is good for a laugh. For example, Half-Life: Full Life Consequences is an absolute riot.

EDIT: Also, some "masturbation material" is okay, if it's well-done, but you can't expect me to take it seriously at all. I mean, I've got some hentai doujin saved on my computer, but it's only for the fact that I find the characters physically attractive; I don't treat them like I would original works of fiction.

 

[The Lyre]

When stories like My Immortal go viral, they have a massively negative impact on people's perception of fan fiction.

It doesn't help that most people don't know My Immortal is bad-fic, intentionally written as is for the sake of humour - though, if you tell someone that, it sort of ruins it for them.

The more...lewd...side of it also gives the mainstream a bad rep. I used to know a girl who only read Harry/Draco slashfic. Hardly a sin, but a non-canon sexual pairing of two underaged children doesn't do the overall image any favours - like anime and lolicon, I suppose.

I don't read fanfic, and I don't particularly like it, because I don't usually agree with other people's interpretations of characters - a problem I sometimes have when different writers do their own runs on comic books, for example.

I can see the appeal, though - especially for those deviant shippers who like to make the most bizarre of pairings.

Still, I don't 'look down on' fanfiction, I've known a lot of people who like it, and I sort of envy them, a little, because it really gets them involved in the fanbase.

 

[silver wolf009]

If it was good, enjoyable to read, and interesting, then what does it matter if it's "canon" or not?

Because it will never interact with or be acknowledged by the original work, making it pointless.

Pointless isn't an apt word, when fanfics have spawned followings to rival the original works themselves.

Making that many people laugh, or cry, or whatever you did with the work is about as far from pointless as can be.

 

[Angelblaze]

At least in my eyes, if the writers for fanfiction were ever truly talented, they'd write their own shit. At least, that's how I see it.

There's nothing stopping you from writing both.

Dante's Inferno is fanfiction.

To answer OP the first fanfiction I ever read was good so I don't look down on the genre.

Which is why my post allows for such instances???

If you write your own shit, you can be a great writer. If all you ever write is fanfiction, you are mediocre at best.

To claim that a writer is bad just because they do nothing but fanfiction is purely your opinion. I know I asked for it but I'd appreciate it if you noted that your opinion is not fact.

As a matter of fact, I know a good majority of fanfiction that uses completely different locations, settings, possible outcomes and endings for particular universes and only keeps the names and (perhaps) the personalities. A good majority of these said stories could have the names replaced and they'd be precisely the same - I propose a different idea: Pre-created characters from famous universes get more views and more recognition and therefore, in order to achieve the best possible levels of feedback for ones writing skills, fanfiction would be the perfect place to start ones one franchise/writing career.

If it was good, enjoyable to read, and interesting, then what does it matter if it's "canon" or not?

Because it will never interact with or be acknowledged by the original work, making it pointless.

Pointless isn't an apt word, when fanfics have spawned followings to rival the original works themselves.

Making that many people laugh, or cry, or whatever you did with the work is about as far from pointless as can be.

To add on to that: For alot of young girls and fans out there, fanfiction can be an escape and a happy place (speaking as a writer). Not only does it extend the lifetime of an intellectual property but there are so many times when I get reviews on my fanfictions like 'Thank you so much, I was having a rough day and this new chapter was just what I needed!'.

Just think for a second that some of these people, both younger and older then me are thanking me and getting emotional comfort and entertainment from me without even really knowing me. I'm entertaining them with stories of their own personal heroes and favorite characters, and that's a great feeling.

'Pointless'? Perhaps, in your own opinion. But for some people out there a good chapter of a good fanfiction is enough to make an entire week of unhappiness bearable.

 

[Entitled]

Which is fine. My point was not that two stories, one original and one fanfic, of equally skilled authorship, are not identical because fanfics lose points, but because original works get more brownie points from me.

My above question to someone else is relevant here.

If there are two romantic tragedy novels, both having characters made up by the writer, and plots written by the writer, but while one of them is taking place in present day New York, the other is taking place in Minas Tirith, on what basis would you say that the latter is "less original"?

Wasn't talking about the law. Care little about it when discussing artistic merit.

The problem is, that even if you don't care about the law, the very definition of fanfiction is heavily influenced by it, being considered a type of "amateur" and "underground" writing.

That you can publish an "original novel" about Dracula, but not about Harry Potter, is entirely based on what Public Domain laws say. That you can give a short cameo to Spiderman in your superhero parody, but after a certain unclear amount of ime, his presence starts infringing on your "property", etc.

All artists copy from others. If not character names, or quotes, then genres, plot points, and archetypes.

What ends up defining them as either Literature or Fanfiction, is whetheer they copy IP content, or other elements.

Writing a Zombie Apocalypse is not considered Romero Fanfiction, yet writing a novel about Hobbits would be Tolkien fanfic. An entirely arbitrary result of proto-zombies pre-existing as voodoo mythology, while Tolkien actually made up a new word for his little people.

Nothing stops a fanfic about Hobbits, from having overall more original themes than a novel about zombies.

 

[Genocidicles]

Making that many people laugh, or cry, or whatever you did with the work is about as far from pointless as can be.

Ah I meant pointless to read them, not write them.

 

[FoxKitsune]

It really bothers me when I see people dead set against fanfiction. No one can deny there's a lot of crap out there, but how many original pieces on the net are just as badly written? From a plot perspective, do you judge all books by the standards of those you didn't like? All movies? All games?

Sure, most of the stuff I read over the years was nothing to phone home about, but like with any other medium there are real gems hidden in there as well. Stories that, as has been said, could do real well if they had only been original worlds and characters.

I also need to take issue with one particular comment-

People who write fanfiction do so because they aren't creative enough to come up with their own characters and universe, so they have to piggy back on someone else's work. That's why I don't want to read fanfiction, because if those writers actually had any talent they would be able to come up with their own shit, and possibly attempt to actually publish it.

I write fanfiction and I'm actually working on my unique work.


thanks for the over-generalization I guess?

Then maybe you should stop writing fanfiction and work on your unique work.

I've actually known quite a few people who say that they write fanfiction to practice for when they write their own novels. Out of the few who actually started writing I have yet to meet one who finished their book, or even got more than half way done.

So...good luck I guess.

I wrote fanfiction for the longest time; still do if the mood takes me, rarer these days but I still do.At the moment I'm playing with some 'back in the day' stuff about Rhaegar Targaryen, but I also just released my first e-book on amazon. As much as I'm enjoying it, and as proud as I am to have finally achieved that milestone (first book published, 10 points) I'm not going to stop writing about Rhaegar entirely. Because I enjoy it, and the people who read it enjoy reading it.

 

[Angelblaze]

It really bothers me when I see people dead set against fanfiction. No one can deny there's a lot of crap out there, but how many original pieces on the net are just as badly written? From a plot perspective, do you judge all books by the standards of those you didn't like? All movies? All games?

Sure, most of the stuff I read over the years was nothing to phone home about, but like with any other medium there are real gems hidden in there as well. Stories that, as has been said, could do real well if they had only been original worlds and characters.

I also need to take issue with one particular comment-

People who write fanfiction do so because they aren't creative enough to come up with their own characters and universe, so they have to piggy back on someone else's work. That's why I don't want to read fanfiction, because if those writers actually had any talent they would be able to come up with their own shit, and possibly attempt to actually publish it.

I write fanfiction and I'm actually working on my unique work.


thanks for the over-generalization I guess?

Then maybe you should stop writing fanfiction and work on your unique work.

I've actually known quite a few people who say that they write fanfiction to practice for when they write their own novels. Out of the few who actually started writing I have yet to meet one who finished their book, or even got more than half way done.

So...good luck I guess.

I wrote fanfiction for the longest time; still do if the mood takes me, rarer these days but I still do.At the moment I'm playing with some 'back in the day' stuff about Rhaegar Targaryen, but I also just released my first e-book on amazon. As much as I'm enjoying it, and as proud as I am to have finally achieved that milestone (first book published, 10 points) I'm not going to stop writing about Rhaegar entirely. Because I enjoy it, and the people who read it enjoy reading it.

Fox quick question: is that you in your profile pic? Cause you look like Phreak...

like seriously.

 

[silver wolf009]

Making that many people laugh, or cry, or whatever you did with the work is about as far from pointless as can be.

Ah I meant pointless to read them, not write them.

Well what works have a point?

The things that come to mind for me are history and science books, how to guides, and new articles.

 

[Genocidicles]

Well what works have a point?

The things that come to mind for me are history and science books, how to guides, and new articles.

You misunderstand. I assume people read fanfiction because they want more of what the original work offered. I find it pointless to do so, as the fanfiction will never be acknowledged by the original work in anyway.