kaykayelle

I guess I can assume that everyone here is pro-fanfic. Why? Any particular reason?


I'm pro-fanfic because I think it can really get you involved in a show. You can read a random fic on a show you have never watched and be show entranced in it that you have to see it. Seeing someone else's extreme passion for a show or book, or whatever it may be, just makes me want to get more involved. It's good for everyone involved. It's a great way for the creators of the original works to gain a whole new fanbase.

Silversun

I also tend to find that fanon could stretch canon to unbelievable lengths. In a good way. For example, I write for the Young Americans fandom, which only had 8 aired episodes. Looking back on them, I can see it wasn't that spectacular a show. The dialogue was sometimes quite lacklustre, and some plotlines were pretty tired. However, there had been a lot of fanfic written around the time when the show first aired, and that just expanded the fandom in some amazing ways. You get a much firmer grasp of who the characters were and who they might have turned into, had the show gone on. Same applies to character relationships and such. For me, fanfic is mostly about that - extending canon into new and interesting possibilities.

kaykayelle

UC is also great. It can help you see, and fall in love with, scenes and such in a whole new light. It makes the viewing experience just that much more enjoyable.

Crossbow

I don't know what you mean by "legalize fan fic." It's not illegal now.

I like it because:

It's fun to see other people's perspectives on stories you think you know. My favorite ones are those that question your assumptions about the canons.

It's also really good practice for writing in different voices and styles, without having to create characters and worlds to practice in.

You can read it at work and look like you're doing something.

kaykayelle

I know it isn't illegal, but the legality of it can be question. Also, I thought it would be a good title to get people in to the thread.
If you can think of a better, more suitable title, go ahead and tell the mods. I'm not married to"Legalize Fan Fiction" or anything.

Silversun

Yeah...

I was also a little confused by the Legalize Fanfic title, to be honest. It seems like this thread is turning into more of a 'What exactly do you like about fanfic?'

Crossbow

Well, I definitely don't think it should be legal to make a profit on it, an it's not. I wish that writers wouldn't object to people using their stuff for fun.

Silversun

You know, I always wonder what the difference is between fanfic and those paperback novels you get about certain shows. You've seen them, right? There are loads of Buffy/Angel/other show 'novels' floating around bookshops, where... well, they are basically long fanfic. And it's not like they're written that well - about as well as a good fic writer. So why are these people allowed to make money doing the same thing?

Catalinay

I've wondered about that too, Nicky.

I also think it's funny that some authors who don't like fanfic invite other authors to write in their created worlds. Mercedes Lackey is the first that comes to mind, as I'm currently reading an anthology of short stories other authors have written about Valdemar. (I could be wrong about her not liking fanfic, though.) I don't know, it just seems strange to me. Although it also seems strange to have other people wanting to write in your world, which has happened to me with the epic TFATF fic.

kaykayelle

They have complete consent from TPTB. That'd be the difference.

Do you think those people are approached to do those types of books, or do they have to pitch their idea like they would for a movie or something? If they have to pitch it, that's essentially fanfic they want to make a profit off of.

I'd be curious to know if any of those book writers know what fanfic is.

AlexEvans

They get permission, and a portion of the money goes to the copyright holder. Depending on what reality they're writing for, they may need to get the plot approved etc.

One advantage of fanfic is that we aren't bound by a single on-going plotline; we can branch out in as many different directions as we can think up.

pixiedude

Specifically, TPTB expect to make money from it. A publisher buys the right to use the name (eg, Star Trek).

They approach the big-name authors (again, this is in high visibility series like Star Trek). I read an interview with a sci-fi writer who'd written a couple of Star Trek novels. In his case, the publisher told him the gist of what the book should be about, ie, how it would fit into the rest of the series.

There was a time when "legitimate" sci fi authors looked down their noses at authors of "derivative works", eg, Star Trek/Star Wars novels, or authorized novelizations of movies. But I think the money has proved irresistible. Also, many modern sci fi fans grew up getting most of their sci fi from tv and movies, which was not the case 20-30 years ago.

Editted to add: I think the people who grew up watching "Star Wars" have turned the corner on this, but when I was part of the "fen" in the '70's, there was an attitude among people who identified themselves as sci fi fans to consider books and short stories inherently more artistically worthy than tv and movies. There was an attitude that "media" sci fi was made by hacks for phillistines, even though the pulps published plenty of formualic space opera and horror in their day.

I've wondered whether an echo of that conflict is why there seem to be more authors of books (Anne Rice, Mercedes Lackey) who feel like their rights as artists are being violated by fanfic, than there are creators of movies and tv shows.

Cold-Blooded Piece of Toast

I guess you could say I like fanfiction because it really lets one expand on the world you've been given. You can put the characters in different situations and see how they fare. You can make good or dark win. You can explore one-dimensional characters and fully flesh them out... either for good or bad. I do abhore some fanon versions of characters.

It's a good outlet for writing fantasies, looking to see if others share them. For example, in the Harry Potter fandom I've seen a huge growth in kink fiction and it's interesting.

It has been said that incest is the new slash and I think that's interesting. I don't think people are liking real life incest any more than they used to but it's funny to see so many related characters thrown together. Some for shallow reasons. They're brother and sister but they look hot together. Others want to explore the darker dynamics such a relationship would add. Though incest that is non-consensual and involving older characters often is used as a plot device to make way for another relationship.

Fanfiction is also a way of playing God. You move the characters, your pawns, and they play. You can make them do anything. I've seen just about everything and anything done and while it's oftentimes interesting it doesn't always work. Such is life.

I've recently gotten into chan. Not because I condone adult/child relationships but because I find it interesting. The adult a predator and the child prey. It reminds me of the past so much sometimes that it's almost funny. Of course, sometimes it's grossly used and the resulting story is not fit for anything but staying on the writer's hard drive.

I guess bottom line I like fanfiction because it's an escape and because I can play God. People can send flames, critiques or praise. There's already a built-in audience and they are only waiting for the right story. Why not throw them a line?

Gabrielle

Crossbow

What I find disturbing about all the adult/child fics I've read is that in all the ones I've read - and I mean ALL of them - it's "okay" because the underage person initiated it.

The publishers of those books don't accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Yes, the writers know what fan fic is. In fact, I know of at least one person who writes both "real" Buffy books for the Franchise and also fan fic.

What I wonder is how they organize things like the 21-volume "New Jedi Order" series, with like 15 different authors. I see they're doing something similar in the Star Trek DS9 books - instead of fitting the stories into the shows that were aired, they're taking up where the series left off.

Silversun

Incest as the new slash - very very interesting! I never thought about it that way.

Yeah, but that can be said about original fiction too.