Fanfiction- A Discussion

[Ursus Astrorum]

So, we all know about fanfiction, the art of taking someone else's world and making your own stories from it, in what could almost be seen as the literary form of a GI Joe playset. Several people are drawn to this medium, from half-decent and credible writers to folks just getting to know their keyboard, with mixed results. Unfortunately, most of the fanfic world is, let's face it: Smut. (QED: John [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHxyZaZlaOs&feature=channel_page] Freeman [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8yHguvYYyQ&feature=channel])

So I ask my fellow escapists: What is your opinion on fanfiction, as a whole and towards its specific sects? Also, what is your opinion of those that focus more on their own creations, in a sense allowing their own characters inhabit a pre-constructed world, with the original story's major roles reduced to minor characters and short asides?

 

[MrBrightside919]

Fanfiction is a gateway for perverts.

I'd post some fanfiction i've found around the net, but I value my membership to this forum and don't wish for the banhammer to be dropped on my head...

 

[Ursus Astrorum]

Fanfiction is a gateway for perverts.

I'd post some fanfiction i've found around the net, but I value my membership to this forum and don't wish for the banhammer to be dropped on my head...

By that logic, you could also call MMOs gateways for perverts, or Garrys Mod. Or even a piece of paper and a decent pencil. Just stating that just because a lot of them are perverted and disturbing doesn't mean they all are.

 

[Ultrajoe]

As someone entrenched in a Fanfic RP going on 70,000 words, i think it's a great thing. You are dealing with an established universe (We don't use any established characters, just the universe) and don't need to flesh it out for a reader. But i have read some incredible fanfic, you do need to sort through the shit but it is there.

It's a tool, and like any other tool it can be abused. And like any other tool, it can be used to do great things.

 

[NewClassic_v1legacy]

Fanfiction, as far as I understand it, is sort of training wheels for writer's. Not an absolute, but most writers will start, and grow a little, by writing Fan Fiction. Although, after a period of time, most will grow out of it and learn to write in more professional and self-made atmospheres.

The reason I say it's a tool is because so little of it is original. The world, setting, timeframe, atmosphere, tone, and often characters are already written for the writer. All they need is to take something that already exists and run with it.

The problem is that it promotes a sort of half-writing, because everything is so "paint by numbers" (character development, plot, etc). I've seen some very, very good fan fiction, but it's most definitely the exception to the rule, and always written by those far better than me at original fiction.

So, my opinion on most fan fiction? Like having to look up how to tie a tie every time you go out to dinner, night after night, for several years. Once you've got an understanding, stop wasting the gift, and practice on a harder medium. Paint-by-numbers can only get so decent, after a point you get too good for it to do you justice.

 

[black lincon]

Fan fiction is creepy, or at least what I've seen of it.

On Halloween a kid in a few of my classes came dressed up as Harry Potter, but his close were messed up. I asked him if he was in some wizard fight or something (is it obvious I've never read the book?), he told me that he was dresses up as Harry Potter after he, and I quote, "had sex with Draco Malfoy." Admittedly, the person dressed up as Draco was his girlfriend.

I really want nothing to do with fan-fiction ever, ever, EVER.

 

[jim_doki]

i dont mind fan fiction, having written some shockers myself. I think it would be a great way to get your foot in the door of writing some comics. I mean if you did it properly i mean. If you wrote a serious batman story...

is there some program that the companies run like that?

 

[meatloaf231]

Fanfiction is generally not so great, and is oft plagued with Mary Sues.

 

[Vigormortis]

Fan-fiction is like any form of literary writing. 98% of it is utter garbage full of campy ideas, shallow uninteresting characters, horrible dialog, and very little direction and coherency. The only difference being that fan-fiction can/may at least have a mildly interesting, established setting/universe for the story to take place in. The other thing about fan-fiction is it's generally easier for Mister or Miss average fan to write something within it than to come up with their own, original ideas. Also, just like any true published, literary tale, there are a few shining examples of truly great storing telling and narrative. These tales, and indeed their authors, are few and far between, but they still exist. Hell, even famous, well publicized, authors write fan-fics.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Man I love those Full Life Consequences videos... there is nothing like translating poor writing into a visual medium and taking everything they miss spell literally.

 

[Mr. Payne]

Well, what if i made a fan fiction on REAL LIFE (muhahaha) then would it be silly? methinks not.

 

[rogueshadows]

As someone entrenched in a Fanfic RP going on 70,000 words, i think it's a great thing.

i am intrigued. can you direct us to this?

 

[AceDiamond]

Writing Fanfiction in high school = somewhat ok.
Writing Fanfiction after you leave high school = creepy and you should totally stop, especially all those slashfics. You know the ones.

That's how I see it anyway. I mean after high school you should try to write something *gasp* original.

 

[Sylocat]

Sturgeon's Law is amplified by the nonexistent entry barrier, but amongst the 99% of drivel, there is some excellent stuff out there.

 

[KarumaK]

Can be good...once you wade through all the yaoifangirl runoff.

 

[Amisbro]

As someone in the process of writing several fanfics(when I have the time) I'd like to offer this up to the commune:

I find that three of the more credible sites for this medium are fanfiction.net, shoujoai.com and moonromance.net which is in the revival process as we speak.

Now I bring these up because they had different sections that you could write for and there was a motherlode in the "Anime" section as I saw. Now that is just one category, but its also the one I tend to read the most. Some authors I think need to learn what a spell check or at the least a stinking dictionary!

Fanfiction.net for the most part will let you do your stories your way and you'd rate them for content.(I generally let the stories go through "All ratings"). As for Shoujoai.com is generally for lesbian(Yuri in Japanese) and they do the decent thing of dividing the stories up to either "Regular" or "Lemon". Oddly most of the stories on that site depending on the series fall into the "Regular" category rather than the "sexual" section.

What I always enjoy is seeing the "AU"(Alternate Universe) that people put on an anime series. Do they continue an Anime that finished and do their thing about what happened AFTER the series ended or do they change the story to fit an idea they have. I've read both types and find them enjoyable for sure.

Have I ever wrote a fanfic with my own character in it? That's about what I do when I write them. I'm not looking to be a published author in the sense of writing a book, so what is it really hurting? Its not like I'm looking at someone seeing the work and going "Damn! I could use this guy to write articles for my magazine" or anything. I do it for fun and that's what it should be.

Not everyone whom writes fanfics are perverts, but there are the stories I admit that when I read them makes me go "Uhhh..."

In closing: I find that fanfics are a fun medium and dissecting the hobby as far as "is it only perverts or not" isn't something I'd ever consider doing. I can understand that people might not like it(Yahtzee makes note of fanfic writers in various reviews during his "Zero Punctuation" series almost degrading it and thinking all fanfic writers write sexual stories) but there is a simple solution and that is don't read them. No one is going to kill you for not reading them, but I think you might miss out on some good writing if you don't

 

[superbleeder12]

Much like cosplaying, I find it something that people with little imagination do.

I'll admit that I've taken a few ideas from media, but not entire characters or plots. (I do most of my "writing" for role playing games)

 

[mshcherbatskaya]

Writing Fanfiction in high school = somewhat ok.
Writing Fanfiction after you leave high school = creepy and you should totally stop, especially all those slashfics. You know the ones.

That's how I see it anyway. I mean after high school you should try to write something *gasp* original.

That's like saying that once you get out of high school, you should stop playing video games and get a real hobby. And let's not have any illusions about this - the vast majority of original writing anything but. Just because you are making up your own characters doesn't keep them from being a total cookie-cutter stereotypes without a shred of originality or interest.

And here's one thing that people who don't write fanfic totally fail to get--it is a social activity. People read each other's stories and write stories in response to one another, there are contests, challenges, extended in-jokes. It's not that these people aren't writing original fiction as well--I personally know two published authors whose hobbies are both, oddly enough, fanfic and gardening--it's just that they are not writing their original stuff in such a drastically public setting.

I write fanfic because I like the challenge of operating within the strict limits of existing canon, telling the story that I want to tell on someone else's terms. I also write fanfic because it's fun. I've also written original fiction (we'll call it original, anyway...) These aren't mutually exclusive activities.

The irony of gamers shredding on some other subgroup because their chosen hobby is considered "immature" is just eye-rolling. If you have time to play Guitar Hero, you should just go learn guitar! Pfft! NOT. THE. POINT. It's about fun and friends, and I mean that about both fanfic and Guitar Hero.

 

[chronobreak]

If you have enough time on your hands, and you're that good, just write your own stuff. Make your own stories. Contribute to the realm of original works.

And, if you do both, well good for you.

 

[DuncanRR]

It really depends. Normally, I'm not too keen on it. If you're gonna write a story, might as well make it original.

Usually if I like a fanfic, it's either set in a comic book universe (I read a really good one once about Wolverine dealing with the repercussions of killing a former lover), or they're of the "so bad it's good" variety (see any of the works by one Peter Chimaera). The former because it's a good way for writers of that medium to break into the biz, and the latter because we all need a bit of laughter in our lives.