Fanfiction on Gaia:
Jan. 29th, 2004 10:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dagas_isaYes I'm tired of this.
Fan fiction is not real writing. Fan fiction is plagiarism. All fan fiction sucks. From much of what I read on the main writer's forum of Gaia, fan fiction is the bane of the amateur writing community. Not only is it completely unoriginal and require no effort to pull off, but the incompetent toads who write it produce nothing but complete drivel. This seems to be the opinion of the majority of Writer's Forum regulars on Gaia, and this is an opinion that I must disagree with.
The definition of fan fiction is original fiction by a fan of a particular show, movie, book, etc. that incorporates the locations and/or characters of the original work. Most writers on Gaia look down on fan fiction based on this definition alone. The corollary they use is this: "If it's not completely made up and original, it must be bad." This extends to accusing fan fiction of plagiarism, which is stealing the work of another, usually word for word, without acknowledgement or permission from the creator. Other detractors of fan fiction reason that people who use the world and characters of another are either too lazy to create their own concepts or are incapable of doing so.
In the fan fiction community, it is encouraged that authors put a disclaimer at the top of their story. This disclaimer states that the author does not claim to be the creator of the original work and that the author is not looking to make any money off the work whatsoever. Many creators of original work either accept fan fiction as a legitimate way of expressing appreciation of their work or ignore it all together. Those who disapprove are able to ban all fan fiction for their work, which then influences the policies of large archive sites as FanFiction.net. Thus, fan fiction is not generally considered to be plagiarism by creators of the original. They are more officially recognized as derivative works.
The second point, that fan fiction does not require any original thought because it borrows the world and characters of another work, is perhaps more valid although one that I still wholeheartedly disagree with. The worlds and characters in any creative work are not static, and unless an author explicitly answers every single question that anyone might possibly have about anything in their work, there is always something left open to interpretation. Even if the names and faces featured in several fan fics for a certain work are the same, the interpretation of the characters and the world are unique and belong to the fic author alone. Even in a previously created universe, there is still much for a writer to do. There are plot holes to fill, characters to flesh out, what-if scenarios to contemplate, "one true couples" to pair up, cosmology to explain, the list goes on. To create a good fanfiction requires thought, not merely to create a scenario, but to imagine the consequences it would have in an already-existing world.
Writers of original fiction start from ground zero, taking an original concept and building it up piece by piece until it becomes their own dream house. This has its challenges, but it also has its blessings. If an original character needs to do something that would originally be against that character's personality, an author can go back to their character's profile and make adjustments as needed. All but the most glaring of inconsistencies go unnoticed. They get to create their canon step-by-step and play in it however they want to. Fan fiction writers don't have the pressure of creating a world from the ground up, but they have a reference that they have to follow within reason. Canon characters must stay in character or have a legitimate reason for straying outside the boundaries. Original characters in fan fiction are much more harshly judged than their original fiction counterparts. Even the slightest hint that an original character might be special can draw accusations of Mary Sueism in fan fiction, even if the same character would be ignored or even praised in an original work.
Writing good fan fiction requires the same skills as good original fiction. Deep characters, exciting, well-executed plots, and a writing style that works with the flow of the story are needed in both. However, fan fiction writers also have to be more consistent with their execution. Creating a believable world for both original fiction and fan fiction require research, and usually the only difference is that fan fiction looks towards a source of entertainment for their research, picking apart one particular canon top to bottom for small details while original fiction writers look to several sources of information and incorporate general ideas from each one.
So far, this has primarily been concerned with good fan fiction. This must puzzle the majority of the Writer's Forum regulars on Gaia because fan fiction is crap almost by definition. And here, they will argue that 99% of the fan fiction that one will find on sites like FanFiction.net is crap. To be honest, yes, yes it is. Most of the people who write bad fan fiction are simliar to those who write bad original fiction: they're young, uneducated, and inexperienced. They haven't had the time to develop their skill. If they are more prevalent in fan fiction, it is because fan fiction looks much less intimidating than original fiction on the surface.
However, one cannot judge the fan fiction community based solely on what is displayed at places like FanFiction.net. It would be like determining that every single poster on Gaia is stupid because many users talk in netspeak, troll, flame, spam, and do all those other unsavory forum behaviors. Large communities like Gaia or FanFiction.net attract a number of idiots, as large sites get that way by not discriminating. However, a large communities tends to fragment into smaller communities, and the smaller communities are where one finds the good things.
From what I've observed, original writers look only at the 'fiction' part of fan fiction. To them, fan fiction writers are wanna-be writers who just don't have the talent to create their own original story without stealing everything from an already published work. However the other part of fan fiction, the 'fan' part, is just as important. Talking about a series and generating fic ideas is much more enjoyable then just passively observing. Writing what one believes should happen in a series also enhances enjoyment. Some series or books end in bad places. And while it makes sense for the canon to end there, it leaves fans unsatisfied and looking for more. Fan fiction lets fans take control of things and satisfy themselves and other fans who are looking for the same sort of ending. The writing is an important part of fan fiction, but expanding the experience of the canon is equally important.
I've pretty much worn myself out here, but I have to repeat something I've seen posted numerous times by january. If a fan fiction does not serve as a suitable tribute to the orignal work it should not be written. For all those anti-fan fiction people I have to ask: What exactly counts as a suitable tribute? And also if this statement even applies, can't also one say that no original fiction should be written unless it makes a valuable contribution to the world of literature? How can these standards be judged?
Thank you for hearing me out.
Over and out.
Fan fiction is not real writing. Fan fiction is plagiarism. All fan fiction sucks. From much of what I read on the main writer's forum of Gaia, fan fiction is the bane of the amateur writing community. Not only is it completely unoriginal and require no effort to pull off, but the incompetent toads who write it produce nothing but complete drivel. This seems to be the opinion of the majority of Writer's Forum regulars on Gaia, and this is an opinion that I must disagree with.
The definition of fan fiction is original fiction by a fan of a particular show, movie, book, etc. that incorporates the locations and/or characters of the original work. Most writers on Gaia look down on fan fiction based on this definition alone. The corollary they use is this: "If it's not completely made up and original, it must be bad." This extends to accusing fan fiction of plagiarism, which is stealing the work of another, usually word for word, without acknowledgement or permission from the creator. Other detractors of fan fiction reason that people who use the world and characters of another are either too lazy to create their own concepts or are incapable of doing so.
In the fan fiction community, it is encouraged that authors put a disclaimer at the top of their story. This disclaimer states that the author does not claim to be the creator of the original work and that the author is not looking to make any money off the work whatsoever. Many creators of original work either accept fan fiction as a legitimate way of expressing appreciation of their work or ignore it all together. Those who disapprove are able to ban all fan fiction for their work, which then influences the policies of large archive sites as FanFiction.net. Thus, fan fiction is not generally considered to be plagiarism by creators of the original. They are more officially recognized as derivative works.
The second point, that fan fiction does not require any original thought because it borrows the world and characters of another work, is perhaps more valid although one that I still wholeheartedly disagree with. The worlds and characters in any creative work are not static, and unless an author explicitly answers every single question that anyone might possibly have about anything in their work, there is always something left open to interpretation. Even if the names and faces featured in several fan fics for a certain work are the same, the interpretation of the characters and the world are unique and belong to the fic author alone. Even in a previously created universe, there is still much for a writer to do. There are plot holes to fill, characters to flesh out, what-if scenarios to contemplate, "one true couples" to pair up, cosmology to explain, the list goes on. To create a good fanfiction requires thought, not merely to create a scenario, but to imagine the consequences it would have in an already-existing world.
Writers of original fiction start from ground zero, taking an original concept and building it up piece by piece until it becomes their own dream house. This has its challenges, but it also has its blessings. If an original character needs to do something that would originally be against that character's personality, an author can go back to their character's profile and make adjustments as needed. All but the most glaring of inconsistencies go unnoticed. They get to create their canon step-by-step and play in it however they want to. Fan fiction writers don't have the pressure of creating a world from the ground up, but they have a reference that they have to follow within reason. Canon characters must stay in character or have a legitimate reason for straying outside the boundaries. Original characters in fan fiction are much more harshly judged than their original fiction counterparts. Even the slightest hint that an original character might be special can draw accusations of Mary Sueism in fan fiction, even if the same character would be ignored or even praised in an original work.
Writing good fan fiction requires the same skills as good original fiction. Deep characters, exciting, well-executed plots, and a writing style that works with the flow of the story are needed in both. However, fan fiction writers also have to be more consistent with their execution. Creating a believable world for both original fiction and fan fiction require research, and usually the only difference is that fan fiction looks towards a source of entertainment for their research, picking apart one particular canon top to bottom for small details while original fiction writers look to several sources of information and incorporate general ideas from each one.
So far, this has primarily been concerned with good fan fiction. This must puzzle the majority of the Writer's Forum regulars on Gaia because fan fiction is crap almost by definition. And here, they will argue that 99% of the fan fiction that one will find on sites like FanFiction.net is crap. To be honest, yes, yes it is. Most of the people who write bad fan fiction are simliar to those who write bad original fiction: they're young, uneducated, and inexperienced. They haven't had the time to develop their skill. If they are more prevalent in fan fiction, it is because fan fiction looks much less intimidating than original fiction on the surface.
However, one cannot judge the fan fiction community based solely on what is displayed at places like FanFiction.net. It would be like determining that every single poster on Gaia is stupid because many users talk in netspeak, troll, flame, spam, and do all those other unsavory forum behaviors. Large communities like Gaia or FanFiction.net attract a number of idiots, as large sites get that way by not discriminating. However, a large communities tends to fragment into smaller communities, and the smaller communities are where one finds the good things.
From what I've observed, original writers look only at the 'fiction' part of fan fiction. To them, fan fiction writers are wanna-be writers who just don't have the talent to create their own original story without stealing everything from an already published work. However the other part of fan fiction, the 'fan' part, is just as important. Talking about a series and generating fic ideas is much more enjoyable then just passively observing. Writing what one believes should happen in a series also enhances enjoyment. Some series or books end in bad places. And while it makes sense for the canon to end there, it leaves fans unsatisfied and looking for more. Fan fiction lets fans take control of things and satisfy themselves and other fans who are looking for the same sort of ending. The writing is an important part of fan fiction, but expanding the experience of the canon is equally important.
I've pretty much worn myself out here, but I have to repeat something I've seen posted numerous times by january. If a fan fiction does not serve as a suitable tribute to the orignal work it should not be written. For all those anti-fan fiction people I have to ask: What exactly counts as a suitable tribute? And also if this statement even applies, can't also one say that no original fiction should be written unless it makes a valuable contribution to the world of literature? How can these standards be judged?
Thank you for hearing me out.
Over and out.
