249: Interviews With the Fandom

[pparrish]

Interviews With the Fandom

Let's be honest: Making fun of fanfiction is like shooting fish in a barrel. But according to a few fanfiction writers from The Escapist's forums, that may be missing the point. Peter Parrish speaks with three "fans of fanfiction" about what makes the medium special (if occasionally a little cringe-inducing).

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[Not G. Ivingname]

Yes, 99% of fanfiction is the same half a paragraph, Twilight crossover with Harry Potter about Draco's and Edwards wuv (with "wuv" being the least of the author's grammer issue) but there are a few really great fanfictions out there if you look hard enough. The Animaniacs story, "Family" is a great example of what a fan can do if they put their heart and soul into it.

 

[NeoAC]

Well, yes, if you go to fanfiction.net and try to find gems in amongst everything there, you're going to come up with a lot of carbonized crap, but there is a good chuck of the community dedicated to coming up with good stories, and helping others improve their craft. I've been writing for years, sometimes in RPs, sometimes trying to do serious stuff in real life, but only recently decided to take the plunge and put something up on the site, and while it's initially hard to get some reviews, a couple people have looked at it and offered some good constructive criticism, stuff I can use to improve myself as a writer. That kind of insight is invaluable, especially if you can look at the commenter's own work and see how they did it as well, it helps drive the point home. If there was any kind of filter before this stuff goes on, I don't know if anyone would get the same kind of advice necessary to further their talent, which if we want to keep writing alive in the face of the countless Dan Brown and twilight knockoffs, is required. Even getting the pieces of wank on the site, while maybe lowering the quality rating, help raise awareness in the writing community. The bad has its place in the writing world, it tells us where to go up from, and that's just as important as the very good.

 

[raankh]

I write fanfic for a completely different reason, namely to learn storytelling. I rewrite portions of films, books, whatever-- to see if I can substantively change the story into something I like better.

Of course, I don't actually publish that stuff ---

That being said, sometimes I've known fanfic to best the original. Or at least vastly outshine official novels ... to be honest, I've got quite a few Star Wars novels, but looking back I get this kind of dirty feeling having read them all. Nowadays, the only way I can really enjoy Star Wars is through wookiepedia [http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page].

And occasionally some fanfic ....

 

[Tom Phoenix]

I am a person that has been interested in trying his hand in fan fiction writing for...well, years. My only problem is that I tend to be too lazy for my own good and do not feel like putting things on "paper" (even though I enjoy writing.....kind of a clash of interests, isn't it?).

However, I know little of the "fanfic scene". So what I would like to ask is....is FanFiction.net the best place to start for a young budding fanfic writer? Or are there websites that come more highly recommended?

 

[scotth266]

Anyone who criticizes fanfics as a medium is being terribly hypocritical. Can anyone who bashes fanfics say they've never seen a movie/read a book and gone "Well, it was good, but what if ______ had happened? That would have made it so much better!" That is the essence of fan fiction: taking that niggling idea and bringing it to life.

We are all fanfic writers on the inside: some of us just don't want to admit it.

 

[Uilleand]

I'm a professional writer/editor and yeah...I fic. I write mostly in video-game worlds...and mostly in BioWare video game worlds and rarely, rarely come across abysmal writing/punctuation in those communities. I find that having really good, layers source material means there's a lot less of that genre-bashing. Good source material, to me, means there's ample opportunity for tragedy and humour within the canon. That makes me very glad, because while I pride myself on my angsty-mcangsterson writing, I can't write the funny to save my life. So, I'm glad to be in a community where others do it so well.

"By imposing those kinds of rules, they could easily lose their inclusive nature. Having to put stories through any kind of submission process would dampen the appeal for many people."

I'm going to disagree here. If you look at a community like kotorfanmedia.net, the admins there are really, really stringent on spelling, grammar, punctuation, even formatting. What it makes for is a place where you're going to get quality reading pretty much anywhere you click.

 

[wadark]

I've written a bit of fanfiction, including an full-on "novella" from Sailor Moon (Yeah, I know, mock away if you must).

This article sheds a lot of light on things even I didn't know. And I agree with a lot in this article. Those plot bunnies are probably my biggest reason for writing fanfiction. Second to that would by my insistence that the story need to continue. That the end of a series or story isn't truly the end, and my writing generally attempts to explore what happens to the characters beyond the "official" end.

I've always been afraid to go anywhere with any of my work, partly because I'm intensely critical of my own work and am never really fully satisfied, and partly because I really don't want to be told that I'm absolutely terrible, because that would hurt my aspirations to write original stories as well.

Right now, I probably have around 4 or 5 writing "projects" in various states of completion. Some fanfiction, some original story. I'll probably never put them out there, because I'm too terrified of being told I suck.

That makes me very glad, because while I pride myself on my angsty-mcangsterson writing, I can't write the funny to save my life. So, I'm glad to be in a community where others do it so well.

I wholeheartedly agree. I don't know when or why "angst" became a negative thing. It seems to me that when the word "angst" is used, its always as a negative connotation of it being whiney or "pussy" or something, when really, its just emotion, that thing we're all SUPPOSED to have. Most of my stories focus on emotion, and "angst" if you must call it that, because, like you I can't write funny very well. And I'm a sucker for a good love story (just not Romantic Comedies, usually).

 

[Uilleand]

I wholeheartedly agree. I don't know when or why "angst" became a negative thing. It seems to me that when the word "angst" is used, its always as a negative connotation of it being whiney or "pussy" or something, when really, its just emotion, that thing we're all SUPPOSED to have. Most of my stories focus on emotion, and "angst" if you must call it that, because, like you I can't write funny very well. And I'm a sucker for a good love story (just not Romantic Comedies, usually).

I think it takes a lot of skill and experience to do comedy or tragedy well, or at least to bring a multi-layered approach to it.

Right now, I probably have around 4 or 5 writing "projects" in various states of completion. Some fanfiction, some original story. I'll probably never put them out there, because I'm too terrified of being told I suck.

Don't be. Hell, I KNOW most of my stuff is shite, but I also know it's been getting BETTER since I started letting people read and comment on it. I do think it's obvious that I take my writing seriously, so I tend to get comments that are helpful and well thought-out.
(And I TOTALLY feel you on the 4 or 5 unfinished projects. Good lord, I have dozens...but I've actually been able to mine some of those ideas for original writing projects....)

 

[wadark]

I think it takes a lot of skill and experience to do comedy or tragedy well, or at least to bring a multi-layered approach to it.

Don't be. Hell, I KNOW most of my stuff is shite, but I also know it's been getting BETTER since I started letting people read and comment on it. I do think it's obvious that I take my writing seriously, so I tend to get comments that are helpful and well thought-out.
(And I TOTALLY feel you on the 4 or 5 unfinished projects. Good lord, I have dozens...but I've actually been able to mine some of those ideas for original writing projects....)

Problem being, I'm not even really sure WHERE to bring my projects out, and in some cases, how to do it. My Sailor Moon fanfiction was originally handwritten on notebook paper (because I wrote it in classes) then I began to revise it as I transferred it to the computer.

But the story, if I remember correctly, is something like 35 chapters, I've only written about 20 of those into the Word document and its already 35 pages long. Kinda tough to get that out there in a relatively efficient way, as far as I know.

 

[Aptspire]

Yes, 99% of fanfiction is the same half a paragraph, Twilight crossover with Harry Potter about Draco's and Edwards wuv (with "wuv" being the least of the author's grammer issue) but there are a few really great fanfictions out there if you look hard enough.

Well, I haven't seen this archetype too much, considering that most HP fans hate Twilight, and vice-versa...

 

[Uilleand]

Problem being, I'm not even really sure WHERE to bring my projects out, and in some cases, how to do it. My Sailor Moon fanfiction was originally handwritten on notebook paper (because I wrote it in classes) then I began to revise it as I transferred it to the computer.

But the story, if I remember correctly, is something like 35 chapters, I've only written about 20 of those into the Word document and its already 35 pages long. Kinda tough to get that out there in a relatively efficient way, as far as I know.

If it's good, no-one's gonna complain about length...(I have one NWN fic that's about 27 chapters long...) FF.net has a pretty easy system to use, and is very intuitive for multi-chap fics. That said, you're more likely to get decent concrit from a livejournal or even a deviantart community...

 

[Grand_Marquis]

"This issue is actually a source of tension within many fanfiction communities. While some are writing merely to entertain their fellow fans and have little reason to care about literary standards, other writers seeking to craft something with more depth view this approach as lazy."

This can be found at its most extreme, actually, over on TheForce.net's fanfiction forum. There, they've got an entire "fan fiction resource" subforum filled with authors who rail against "mary sues" and hold big threads about improving narrative structure, pacing, and characterization.

Also, I think that in general, Star Wars fanfiction tends to be of a higher quality to other forms of fan fiction because of this: when a new fan comes in to try their material, the very first thing they realize is that, no matter what level they're at, they're doing a better job than George Lucas.

 

[LadyWren]

I really enjoyed this article. I read quite a bit of fanfiction but only about base material that I really love. If I'm attached to a character I want to read more about him or her, see what other stories can be developed, or often I feel the original work was cut off too soon. Sure there's lots of crap out there, but when you come across a real gem it's worth sifting through the less than stellar writing.

What about published authors who tweak well established classics, like Austen's Pride and Prejudice or Sherlock Holmes. There are reams of published works that take these stories and characters and change them. I just saw the other day in Border's a book called Vampire Darcy's Desire. Come on, it's hilarious and published fanfiction. If we can accept these types of writings in print than hopefully there can be more acceptance of the online communities.

 

[ClanCrusher]

As someone who has been writing fanfiction for a good five years now, it's interesting to see someone from the 'outside' talk about the community on the inside. Although I think the inner fandom wars were a bit understated. Either that or this writer didn't travel to the Harry Potter forums.

I think it takes a lot of skill and experience to do comedy or tragedy well, or at least to bring a multi-layered approach to it.

For angst stories, yes. It does take a lot of skill to do it well, but the general overview of fanfiction is that skill is lacking, and most writers try to do tragedy and angst just for the sake of being angsty, regardless of whether or not it will make a good story.

Comedy generally tends to go over better, since they are usually built off of a humorous scenario or funny joke. Keeping the humor going though is something that only a few talented fanfiction writers can do.

I've written a bit of fanfiction, including an full-on "novella" from Sailor Moon (Yeah, I know, mock away if you must).

No need. Everyone who has stayed in the fanfiction.net anime community for more than a year probably knows the Sailor Moon plot inside and out without having to do more than read the wikipedia entry. I think Sailor moon also holds the record for "most crossed-over fandom." Harry Potter might be winning nowadays though.

However, I know little of the "fanfic scene". So what I would like to ask is....is FanFiction.net the best place to start for a young budding fanfic writer? Or are there websites that come more highly recommended?

As good a place to start as any. That's where I began writing fanfiction, and I still am to this day. It's not a greatly moderated site, but you'll get reviews, be able to make forums and post stories, and even request a beta reader and share documents via DocX file transfer. If you end up in one of my fandoms, you may even get a review from yours truly.

I've been around the block on fanfiction. I've peered into the depths of hell (just look for the story Artemis' Lover if you have a strong stomach) and I've seen works of fiction that were BETTER than the original works. That's right, BETTER. If you take the time to search (or just browse my favorites on fanfiction dot net) you can find some truly epic works of fanfiction.

Popular media also has some great works of fanfiction. Red vs Blue is one such medium. They used Halo to build a story, and now even they have fanfiction. Kingdom Hearts is also another style of crossover fanfiction. Just think of Sora and Rikku as Original Characters and you can really see the similarities.

To anyone else reading this post, if you have a story, post it. If you're interested in writing, then try your hand at fanfiction. But do yourself a favor and don't be lazy about it. Take some pride in your work.

 

[Uilleand]

To anyone else reading this post, if you have a story, post it. If you're interested in writing, then try your hand at fanfiction. But do yourself a favor and don't be lazy about it. Take some pride in your work.

QFT.

What are your fandoms, out of random curiosity??

 

[vxicepickxv]

Anyone who criticizes fanfics as a medium is being terribly hypocritical. Can anyone who bashes fanfics say they've never seen a movie/read a book and gone "Well, it was good, but what if ______ had happened? That would have made it so much better!" That is the essence of fan fiction: taking that niggling idea and bringing it to life.

We are all fanfic writers on the inside: some of us just don't want to admit it.

I've seen some of the fallout that can happen when something like this actually happens. A long time ago, there were two Neverwinter Night servers that ran the same files. After a while, eventually the group running the secondary server decided to take things in their own direction. There was hate for a while, there was a lot of people shuffling around, and now it's pretty much nothing but jokes now.

 

[ClanCrusher]

What are your fandoms, out of random curiosity??

I mostly dabble in anime. Ranma 1/2 is my main fandom. It was the second anime I ever watched religiously. I have some works in Final Fantasy VIII, Suikoden V, Kingdom Hearts, and a bit of crossover work. And those are just the ones I write in. I run a forum for the Rosario + Vampire fandom and the Haruhi Suzumiya fandom as well. If you have a fanfic in either of those categories, I'd be happy to review it. And I can't even begin to tell you how many different categories I actually read in. Believe me when I say I've been around the block.

My profile on fanfiction.net is under the same name as my account here so feel free to check it out.

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

There are some amazing fanfiction communities out there, let alone the fantastic fanfiction they write. I used to be quite a big part of the HP fanfic community, before it got all crazy and shit, and I really enjoyed the sense of 'you are one of us' that surrounded everyone, no matter how good or bad their writing was.

Nowadays I'm more into the KP fanfiction, (geekyness alert bordering on the critical from this post, I have to say), and I find it just as fun to be included in the communities there.

And now for the shameless plug, as always. Check out this name (MelasZepheos) on fanfiction.net if you want to read Kim Possible fanfiction. I got nominated for a dotmoon award, so it can't be that awful, right?

 

[Uilleand]

I mostly dabble in anime. Ranma 1/2 is my main fandom. It was the second anime I ever watched religiously. I have some works in Final Fantasy VIII, Suikoden V, Kingdom Hearts, and a bit of crossover work. And those are just the ones I write in. I run a forum for the Rosario + Vampire fandom and the Haruhi Suzumiya fandom as well. If you have a fanfic in either of those categories, I'd be happy to review it. And I can't even begin to tell you how many different categories I actually read in. Believe me when I say I've been around the block.

My profile on fanfiction.net is under the same name as my account here so feel free to check it out.

Will do! I love me some Ranma...
My own writing has never drifted into anime...pretty much only video games ... (Mass Effect, Oblivion, lot n' lots of KotOR, etc...)