Fan-Fiction Rant

This is a little post I made for my blog (on which I may end up putting some of my fan-fics later on). Figured I might as well post the rant here as well. :D Blog can be found at http://stoicmaniac.wordpress.com

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So, I did say I'd be posting some short stories, and excerpts from longer stories. I will end up doing that shortly... but, first, I'd like to say a few things.

Now, I won't say I'm great. But a few people have read my stuff and they also mostly seem to really enjoy it, so I think I can say I'm decent. My work is exclusively fiction (because non-fiction is for ninnies), with a few fan-fics (yeah, I know, sue me).

I can hear it now -- "Fanfiction? Effin' fanfiction? What am I reading, is this a thirteen-year-old girl's blog? This is pathetic, I quit. In fact, I'm gonna go swallow a lubricated frisbee right this very second." (And if anyone gets that last reference I have an invisible cookie waiting for you.)

But hear me out! This is logic, good logic!

First, let's define fanfiction.

Fan fiction (alternatively referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the original creator.

That's what Wikipedia has to say about fanfiction, among other things.

Now consider comics -- y'know, Batman, Hulk, etc. If any person other than Bob Kane or Stan Lee writes those characters (which, obviously, lots of other people do), then it is, by definition, fan-fiction. It's just professional fan-fiction, as they're being paid and acknowledged as writers for those characters.

This also stretches outside comics. What's your favorite show? I can guarantee you that more people than the show's original creator have written for it. People get jobs writing for properties that technically don't belong to them, and as long as they get paid for it, they have perfectly legitimate careers. Hell, even movie franchises get different writers. Think the same guy writes James Bond with each passing film?

So then. An amateur writer of an original setting or character may receive a margin of respect, depending solely on the quality of their work. They are not getting paid, but since their projects take place in a world of their own devising, they can be considered respectable and possibly talented individuals.

However, an amateur writer of a project outside their own realm of creation will generally be ridiculed (don't feel bad, I was in this party as well until I saw the light). Even if they are talented in the fields of wordplay and storyline, they will be chastised because the object of their talent just so happens to be Optimus Prime (hehe). But, if a comic or TV show comes out with someone writing Optimus Prime and making money for it, they may very well be hailed as a genius if they are good enough.

So, them's just my ideas on the subject of fan-fiction... I understand why the prejudice came about, as a lot of fan-fiction is terrible -- the same way a lot of amateur original writing is terrible. So, if someday in the future I decide to post a few 'ficz of my own, you folks will be buttered up for the whole idea of it.

Provided this wasn't too long, and lost your attention.

The Public Domain is basically the best way to be paid to write fan fiction.

There's even a sight for public domain super heroes.

Just sayin'

*Looks at the title of the forum this is posted under*

*Wonders why Joygirl thinks we all hate fan-fiction*

@minigunman123: I don't think everyone hates fan-fic, I wrote it for something else and figured what I had to say could be of interesy here. XD

@Joygirl said:

@minigunman123: I don't think everyone hates fan-fic, I wrote it for something else and figured what I had to say could be of interesy here. XD

Ahh. Well I can relate to the fact that there's tons of bad fan-fiction out there, but some of it is really, really fun to read, and even some others are nearly novel-length and are simply amazing (I've only come across like, one or two, maybe three, of those, in my entire viewing of fanfiction.net, though). I think that it's fun reading other people's interpretations of characters, and sometimes their own original characters, if they write it well and don't diverge too much from the source material; when that happens, it tends to seem less like fan-fiction, and more like fan-destruction, lol. It has to be really well-written for a divergent fan-fic to be worth reading, IMO.

Having read a lot of fanfiction, I find myself drawn more towards stories that stay in character and I specifically like reading stories written by new authors because I find they need the most feedback and are more open to suggestions to better themselves.

I do appreciate new directions that are taken with popular characters but when its so way off --- and the environment is equally as unfamiliar, I usually encourage those authors to branch away from fanfiction and explore their ideas with original characters. Its fun getting to see the progress made by various writers as well.

@Joygirl said:

It's just professional fan-fiction, as they're being paid and acknowledged as writers for those characters.

Well said! Nice rant, intelligent and concise.

A lot of pop culture is fanfiction. Only difference is that they're paid to produce it.

YES!! Down with fan-fic prejudice! Down with it!!

**Throws Molotov**

Good writing is good writing. And if fan-fic is good enough for S P Somtow and Poppy Z Brite (who each count a Crow fan-fic novel among their published works), then I simply do not care what anyone else thinks about it.

Nice rant :D

So true

[ and i am a horrible writer ]

@andrewtheking said:

So true

[ and i am a horrible writer ]

You are merely unpracticed. Not "horrible".

That is good logic.

@andrewtheking: No im a horrible writer, not you.

I think that all writing is practise. No writer ever truly arrives at where they want to be. It is an ongoing journey that never really ends (short of death. That's quite final, i've heard). Fan fiction is a great way to hone your skills whilst letting your imagination dwell in a truly enjoyable landscape. There is a short hand involved with fan fic i think, also, much like writing in any genre, people are already familiar with the form and the inner mythology, like reading a crime novel or a romance novel; you kind of know the basic set up the minute you jump in. I always used to look down my nose at fan fic, but have found it really useful to practise my writing and to learn from others. I think there are a lot of 'successful' writers out there (~cough~ stephenie meyer ~cough~) who would greatly benefit from some time in the fan fic trenches.

Project_Worm's Fan-Fic rant:

BLAAAAHGH!!! Gimme' comments!! WAAAAHH!!

Nice.

@ekrolo said:

@andrewtheking: No im a horrible writer, not you.

No, you're not a horrible writer. I am. You're Thor fan fics are epics.

@TheCannon said:

@ekrolo said:

@andrewtheking: No im a horrible writer, not you.

No, you're not a horrible writer. I am. Your Thor fan fics are epics.

Fixed.

@Joygirl What'd you change?

@TheCannon: The second you're to your.

I do much better writing over a period of time, rather than just rushing it out, which is what I do with most of my fan-fics.

Great rant @Joygirl . I find fan-fiction to be great practice for writers honing their craft . A fun way to let that spark of creativity out and spread it to some sorry reader that takes a leap of faith to actually read someone elses thoughts. Then you get were I'm at and find fan fiction boring and your own original creations more fun.

then after like two years you stumble on comic-vine's fan-fic page and start writing the stuff again. Or at least that is what happened to me. Personally I blame great writers on this site (not naming names it would inflate egos and all that. That and I think people know who I'm talking about.) for the renewed interest in fan-fics.

@Time_Phantom: Thanks very much. :D

@Joygirl said:

@TheCannon: The second you're to your.

This was hilarious.

Personally I find fan fiction to be easier to write than original fiction. You're given all the characters and base locations, so all you have to do is think of a good plot to put them in.

This got me thinking along with talking to batkevin, do you think original or proper fan fic is more liked on this forum?

I don't really understand why people would hate fan-fiction, personally I think I tend to shy away from reading a lot of it because a lot of people try it but few are good at it and I'd really like to just be able to know which are the good ones and read those which is the same way I am with published comics. I personally think it's a lot easier to write regular fiction over fan-fiction though, I mean as a fan you feel the need to honor certain ideas and so forth and your own stuff you can just do whatever you want and let your mind run free. With fan-fiction your confined to the pre-existing limits set out by the works you are using. So, I'd say it takes more talent to write good fan-fiction over good fiction.

@X~X~X: Just type "DC Mayhem" into the search bar. :P Those are the good ones.

you can absolutely be talented at writing fan fiction. you can be talented at invisible cookie baking truth be told. just because other people don't respect the field doesn't mean that you're not talented. and anyone who doesn't like fan fiction should understand that and make the distinction. as a person not too into fan fics, i testify that it is possible. more power to you, miss.

@Joygirl: Bump

*naps*

@joygirl: ???

No sage advice, just a rant. :D

@joygirl: That's what you think. I think that it's quasi-inspirational.

*blush* Well thanks, hun.

@joygirl: Wolverine was created by Len Wein

@joygirl: Sorry my geekiness overtook me for a second. I do mostly agree with you're post tho

@joshmightbe: Switched it to Hulk in the OP. :P

@joygirl: a month from now someone will bump this and have no idea what im talking about

MWAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHA

ALL PART OF MY PLAN

Well, you can blame Sonichu, Sparking Tickle and My Immortal for that. If you aren't aware what those are (Though you probably do) STAY AWAY!!! STAY THE F*CK AWAY, DO YOU HEAR ME?!!!!

Dunno Sparking Tickle but I know the others.

Also you forgot Repercussions of Evil. :D

Sparking Tickle is an Astro Boy x Tony Stark erotic fan-fic...That's all you need to know.

I was introduced to fan fic by a link on a wrestling fan site to an angelfire site called Daughters of Kane (I was big into Kane and Taker at the time) It was the beginning of my hate for Mary Sue characters before I even knew the term for it.

@spideyivydaredevilfan26: I heard of My Immortal. I think it holds the title of worst fanfiction ever.

*shakes head*

Repercussions of Evil.

@joygirl: That was evil. I must go back in time to stop myself from reading it, thus deleting the post from existance, thereby allowing me to read it so I can write this post.....

Awesome post! I think one of the biggest criticisms fan fictions get is that some people believe that they are just poor works of the original source materials. But over the years (and recently here at Comic Vine), I have been reading tons of fantastic fan fictions and I always believed that fan fictions are a great way to tell your side of the story for your favorite characters if you don't like the directions they are going in the comics or any other medium.

@joygirl: I may be wrong. But it seemed to me that the Author, made that ish bad on purpose. Perhap's a hater of fanfiction, maybe?