Why Did You Waste That On Fanfiction?

I write highlander fanfic so I can behead the bullies I couldn't deal with as a child. So all things considered, you're probably the more psychologically grounded of us.

 

The fanbase is already there. Some fandoms want to continue reading about their favorite characters, and wouldn't read a similar story about characters that they don't already care about.

And some fan-ficcers are just honest about their inspiration. Someone else did the work of creating a world and characters that are perfect for the story. Of course, there is still the work of researching and then fleshing out of characters that have very little presence.

 

Please don't make wild conclusions

1) All I said was it depends on the content. Some are easy, some are hard.

2) While THX 1138 was indeed derivative of more famous dystopians like Brave New World, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, etc.; Star Wars is in no way a fan-fic/retelling of Dune. They both involve a desert planet, and a hero that rises to fulfill his destiny. Link from the Zelda series also rises to fulfill his destiny, and there's a desert involved there, too.

The droids in Star Wars are a MacGruffin for the franchise; there are at least a dozen times where R2-D2 does something that allows the heroes to escape with their lives or save the day. The droids are incredibly important to the Star Wars story, and yet there are no droids in Dune.

The spice may resemble the Force, but only in the sense they are both supernatural powers and can be used for either good or evil. The spice is a drug; it is dealt like a drug, people become dependent on it like a drug, and withdrawal is fatal. In Star Wars, one is born with the Force. The spice is actually more like the Triforce from the Zelda videogame series. The triforce, like the spice, gives supernatural powers (to Link, Zelda, and Gannondorf), it can be used for good or evil, but it is also not innately given. (When Gannondorf took the Triforce of Power originally in Ocarina of Time, the Wisdom and Courage Triforces went to the other two). The Force and the spice share only two of these three qualities.

Also, in Dune, there are no female characters nearly as influential as Padme and Leia, and there are only a handful of alien races unlike Star Wars' myriad of species. Light Sabers, a completely original idea developed by Lucas, may not be integral to the plot but are integral to character drama. Luke battling his own father with an archaic metal sword or with a blaster just isn't the same. Also, the Death Star is incredibly important to the plot of episodes IV and VI. "Destroying the Death Star" is the main objective in both these movies, as it means a fatal blow to the Empire. The moon-like space station with the power to destroy an entire planet is another idea unique to Lucas.

I'm in no way saying that Star Wars is "original". Obviously, like most works, it builds off what was written before it. For example, Jedi philosophy seems to be based off Tauism, and Banthas, Sith, Leia's Hut Outfit and Jabba's Skiff all seem to come from John Carter of Mars. Lucas himself said comics were a big influence on a lot of different elements from Star Wars as well. My point here is many things influenced Lucas into his conception of Star wars, not Dune alone.

While Star Wars was unarguably influenced by Dune, it is in no way a retelling of Dune, nor could it have ever been a fanfic of Dune.

Please don't make wild conclusions with no evidence, especially when it pertains to my favorite movies of all time

 

Haha, you're not the only one! The few times I've written fanfic -- admittedly, I only stopped because I felt guilty about it 'cause I wrote about actors. One I later spoke to and instantly regretted ever writing him into anything! -- it's been smut. M/M smut. I would send the link it to my partner when I posted it and get his opinion - he's strangely supportive, hehe.

 

True. But the Dark Side of the Force can consume and destroy. Just as the spice mutated the guild navigators and could be highly addictive, the Force used by the wrong person could be highly destructive to the wielder.

Well you did use it to try to disprove my point about fanfictions being turned into original works. I merely pointed out that Star Wars was not in and of itself original, which you pointed out.

I'll gladly debate Star Wars vs. Dune in another thread, but not here.

 

I think fanfiction is a useful way for people who enjoy writing to write during times when they're lacking in creative inspiration or are having writers block, or other reasons that perhaps mean they're not in the best position to come up with there own original stories at that time. I think it's easy sometimes for us to forget that constructing a world is a difficult and fragile skill and not easy for even talented writers to do if they're not feeling very inspired. I think fanfiction is good for writers who want to have a bit of a blast with writing but don't want to have to spend ages coming up with their own world, story, characters, antagonists, conflicts, themes and so on, and just want to have some fun writing dialogue or creating scenes and so on. When I'm suffering from writer's block I like to novelize stories lifted from maybe movies or games and what not just to have some fun writing scenes and dialogue.

Then again, maybe this is just to do with the type of writer I am. I don't actually enjoy the "world building process" that takes place when I'm turning ideas into a new stories; I enjoy the euphoric satisfaction and sheer, utter joy at completing the process What I enjoy doing is writing dialogue and writing iconic scenes. Creating characters I don't enjoy as much as I enjoy what I do with these characters. So in that sense, it's understandable that as I writer I enjoy fanfiction and novelizations from time to time. However, as I said, I get a special sense of satisfaction when I'm in a position to do stuff with my own characters and world which is why I love being an original writer and am not an exclusive fanficer, but creating your own stuff is not always easy or enjoyable and sometimes it's nice to let your brain loose a little from constant brainstorming and just writing in somebody elses universe that you enjoy ^^

 

As long as you don't say Star Wars is "basically a massive retelling of Dune" which it is not. My only goal of that post was disproving that statement, which I gather was only a hyperbole in the first place.

 

Actually, my sci-fi project was originally a plan on fanfiction expansion of Star Trek. Then I just realized it might just as well stand good on its own so I've done this process in reversal.

 

No.

/char

 

So as a little kid you never imagined your own original characters acting alongside your favorite characters during an episode of a cartoon? Or am I the only person who is weird like that?

I actually started out writing fanfiction of my favorite animes. Then I found out how much cooler it was to write my own original stories.

 

I cut some of my chops on fanfiction. It's a practice like anything else. Though I acknowledge that there are really (really) lousy fanfiction works out there, there's the rare gem. But you have to wade through a lot of the bad stuff to find the rare good one.

 

Most of the stories I write are fanfiction. I think it's easier to build up stories and characters based on the lush and rich expanded universe of existing shows, movies, books or games that way.

 

I read an AMAZING fanfic a few months ago and I have no doubt that it could make a great book. I read a lot of fanfiction and I came a cross a number of really great ones but that one just took my breath away with every page (and there are 1943 of those). It's called "Emanacipation Proclamation" and it's a twilight fanfic, but even all of the twilight haters should read it because it is so original and wonderful and breathtaking. It's about current slavery in the USA and it's a must... She should really publish it.

 

I'm completely satisfied with the world I've created. It's everything I could possibly want it to be. But sometimes, I just don't feel like writing about that world. Sometimes I just want to lose myself in someone else's creation, adding my own twists to what they've done. Sure, I may not put as much effort into it as I would my own stories, but how is that a bad thing? Am I always expected to go 110%? Or am I allowed to slow down every now and then, just write something for the hell of it, with no concern for quality or originality? That doesn't sound like stagnation to me. That sounds like taking a break.

That said, a break is all I believe fanfiction can (or should) be to an experienced writer. There's nothing wrong with trying it every so often, and in fact, it may even be beneficial. But it shouldn't be your main focus, simply for the fact that it places a limit on your creativity.

 

Another thing to consider; fanfiction is pure fun. Or maybe that's just me. Why else would I get into arguments with fictional characters? The conversations range from global warming to the careers of their voice actors.

 

A lot of my novels started out as fanfiction. I can definitely understand the premise of not wasting good writing on fanfiction. So I usually adapt my fanfic ideas to an original story. Typically they end up taking on a life of their own.

 

I've never written fanfiction (didn't even know what it was in the pre-internet world...)

I just wouldn't want to either.

People say it hones a writer's skill, well... yeah, maybe, kinda... but not nearly as much as actually creating yourself. It's very lazy, as far as I'm concerned.

 

Personally I would be honored if someone read my novel someday, and it inspired them to take up the pen (or keyboard) and begin writing a story of their own even if it is the universe that I created.. Fan-fiction in my opinion, serves an important role. That of an intermediary between professional original writing, and writing with someone else's universe. I got my start writing Fanfics, and I am proud of it.

It is NOT a lower form of writing, it is a different type of writing.

 

Hence why there is a very short forbidden-list at FF.net

I recently became aware of why McCaffrey would want to be on that list for so long. Maybe it's nostalgia that makes me not want to see those holes poked.


I actually had my fan-fiction world fan-fic'ed. I developed a magic school that ran on fandom, and would have to be retooled to work in a non-fandom setting. She was in the same fandom, but someone from another fandom could probably steal my idea without me being able to yell foul about it. Not that I'm into yelling about it... I'm ready to turn the idea loose.

 

Yes, different. At best, a pointless exercise. At worst, copyright infringement.

There are very few things I'm so snobby about in the writing world that I'll discount an entire group of writers, but fan-fiction--unless somehow authorized, as in a contest or something--certainly falls into that group.

Mimicry is the highest form of flattery... though stealing IP and infringing on a copyright is the kind of flattery I personally find more offensive than flattering, and would personally prefer to just avoid.

 

^^^^Hence why I find my best ideas for fanfic better served as something original. IMO, the truly good ideas can and will be able to stand alone.

 

A lot of fanfiction falls into the gray area of unlicensed but allowed. My own fandom has fan-fiction encouraged while the authoress screams that they are not gay. As far as I know, the slashfic has only been opposed by hosting costs.

 

I feel like fan fiction is pretty misunderstood as an art form. People tend to think of teenage girls writing about their favourite franchise online, but really, fan fiction is a pretty ancient genre of writing.

Everyone's familiar with the Holy Grail myth, but that's basically fan fiction. The original King Arthur story was written around 1138, then another dude decided to rewrite the story but add in his own character (a knight named Lancelot), and new love interest (Guinevere) and a new quest (for the Holy Grail). English legend is built on what is essentially a piece of fan fiction.

Isaac Asimov and Franklin D. Roosevelt were members of a Sherlock Holmes fan-fiction writing club called the Baker Street Irregulars. The licensed Star Wars/Star Trek/(insert popular franchise here) are basically sanctioned fan fictions. There's real-person fan fiction online that's denigrated, but if it gets published, it's called "historical fiction'. Our older members might be familiar with the "authorised editions" that featured stories about celebrities like Judy Garland doing literally anything the author wanted.

Fact is, fan fiction isn't a new or passing phase, and it isn't just for obsessive fangirls in the backwoods of the internet. Authors have been publishing fan fiction for centuries, and it's really only the recent revision of copyright law that's stemmed it (yay, encouraging creativity...?).

 

Snobby is the word, I'd say. Fan fic writers get no profit from what they create, and if it were something illegal like theft or infringing on copyrights, fanfiction.net and its sisters would have been shut down long ago. The only legitimate reasons I can think of for being against them in general are considering it a lower art form, and being offended that someone would try to make something from your own creation. Neither of which speak much for humility or tolerance.

I see no point in opposing fan fiction. It's going to happen regardless of how much snide insinuation you throw around. At best, you'll give yourself a headache fretting over how people are "stealing" your creations. At worst, you'll discourage beginners trying their hands at writing by suggesting that their work is inferior simply for being fan fiction. That's not the kind of judgment anyone needs or wants.

And because this is the Internet, I have to plainly label everything that isn't a cold, hard fact to avoid pandemonium. All this was my opinion. Should be sufficient.

 

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