Fan Fiction

[anomalocaris]

I confess. I've done it. I think it's a useful practice tool. Sometimes I want to work on a particular aspect of fiction that I feel my skills are lacking in. In order to allow myself to focus on that aspect, I'll borrow a world and characters temporarily. It's a bit like using training wheels to let you practice steering without worrying about balance. And yes, it is blatant violation of copyright. However, the majority of fan fiction is connected with TV or movie franchises, and those franchises ultimately benefit from the extra attention, so it's to their advantage to tolerate fan fiction, provided the authors acknowledge the actual copyright holder and are not selling the material for financial gain.

What I see as a far worse form of plagarism --and sadly, it's harder to prosecute -- are the writers who take other writers' ideas and characters, tweak them ever so slightly and then sell them as their own. I'm still fuming over a writer who took Kevin Hearne's briliantly creative material and started putting out almost identical books. She even used the name of Hearne's protagonist for a secondary character. I contacted Mr. Hearne about it. Turned out he's very much aware of what she's doing, but she's carefully skating just barely on the legal side of the line where he probably wouldn't be successful in going after her.

[dragoneyes2005]

I write fan fiction also. It's very hard especially when trying to do a pairing that is not the usual while remaining true to the characters.

[anomalocaris]

I generally tried not to do that when I was playing with it. I tried to stick within the confines of "canon." I once read a hilarious fan fiction in which the "canon" characters were forced to work with the fan fiction versions. You know how fan fic writers tend to pick one characteristic and exaggerate it? A character who's slightly socially awkward becomes practically autistic in fan fic. A character who tends to be a little more in charge in a partnership becomes a bully. A character who's a little less assertive becomes a self-sacrificing, clinically depressed martyr who's into cutting. I suppose it's cathartic for the writers but it drives me nuts. So I loved the fan fic where the "canon" characters had to deal with those other versions of themselves, and just gave up in disgust and walked away.

[dragoneyes2005]

I confess I haven't read any like those. Though they do sound entertaining. There are a few that I liked how the non canon couples ended up together. I read a mix of canon and au. Mostly I write canon. I should try my hand at an au and see how it works. I just tend to get writers block.

[jakeline zelaya]

fan fiction is a popular way writers show love to their book

[jhollan2]

I generally tried not to do that when I was playing with it. I tried to stick within the confines of "canon." I once read a hilarious fan fiction in which the "canon" characters were forced to work with the fan fiction versions. You know how fan fic writers tend to pick one characteristic and exaggerate it? A character who's slightly socially awkward becomes practically autistic in fan fic. A character who tends to be a little more in charge in a partnership becomes a bully. A character who's a little less assertive becomes a self-sacrificing, clinically depressed martyr who's into cutting. I suppose it's cathartic for the writers but it drives me nuts. So I loved the fan fic where the "canon" characters had to deal with those other versions of themselves, and just gave up in disgust and walked away.

Does anyone watch Supernatural? There is literally a plot line in season 4? (I think), where it turns out that someone has been writing books about the characters lives and they find out and sit down to learn about them and read fanfiction about themselves. That show is absurdly meta sometimes, but it was really funny to see the characters reacting to themselves as characters.

[Paliden]

I don't write Fan Fiction but I do read it. I like fanfiction.com I actually found that one years ago because of fictionpress.com but there is some good fan fiction on there. I personally like the Wheel of Time fan fiction and the LOTR.

[debbie smith]

I have read some really great fan-fiction and some really bad fan-fiction but have never written any. I would imagine it would be very, very difficult to write fan-fiction, even bad fan-fiction, since you are having to stay within someone else's mind to keep the characters and to some extent the story, true to the someone else's creative pattern.

[GeonnaMarie]

I haven't written fanfiction in a long time; I always felt a little shy about sharing because sometimes people really don't like the direction you go in. Anyway, I really like True Blood too. I read all of the Sookie Stackhouse books (which, in my opinion, kind of went downhill pretty quickly) but the show has been surprisingly great. Has caused a slight obsession with Alexander Skarsgard though.

[TJsmama]

I've been reading SVM ( Sookie Stackhouse) fanfic for years and love them. They've been a godsend between release dates, new True Blood episodes, and after Dead Reckoning where everything Eric related went to sht. I started writing it as well after the disappointment of the final book (I gorged on spoilers and have yet to read the last two books) and it's been such a great experience. The fandom is so welcoming and it's just an amazing feeling being able to commiserate with like minded people after the character assassination of a beloved character, by creating alternate storylines/universes for him to live on in.

-anomalocaris, I'm curious, which series/author are you referring to?

-jhollan2, I remember that episode! I think the writer knew so much about Sam and Dean from eavesdropping on the angels, right? Or was that from a book I read? Hmm..

[jhollan2]

-jhollan2, I remember that episode! I think the writer knew so much about Sam and Dean from eavesdropping on the angels, right? Or was that from a book I read? Hmm..

The writer was a Prophet of the Lord writing the Gospels of Winchester, but he didn't know it. He thought he was just making things up and having really vivid dreams until Sam and Dean showed up and were really angry that he was basically writing the unauthorized biography of their lives. Becky, one of the characters, writes Supernatural fanfiction and at one point they end up at a fan convention where a bunch of people are cosplaying as them.

[laureng]

I've never written any fan fiction but I used to be a very avid reader of band fan fiction back in the day. Some of the stuff people would come up with was great!

[Raven2evil]

I've fallen out of it but I used to be pretty big on a few fan fiction sites I can't even remember all of them anymore or my user names. I love writing fan fictions.
When I first started writing them as a teenager I wrote them like the medium I got the idea from. If it was a tv show it was more dialogue heavy and some actions/emotions to go with them. It looked like a script for a show. If it was from a book then it read more like a novel. Over the years I learned to let go of the script type and just went for novel reads. Problem with that was is I was never taught grammar or spelling in school. So even though I almost get it through all the reading I do sometimes it just isn't enough. Spell check is my friend and I still work at least once a month to try to improve myself in this area.
My favorite type of fan fictions are cross overs. Taking two stories, two shows, a story and a show, etc. and mixing the characters and worlds together. Leaves for all kinds of amazing chaos and creativity.

[Vimtuous]

I've written fanfiction for a number of years and I've actually found it easier to write than my own original works at times. It used to be pretty much all I read and wrote for a huge chunk of time! I really liked the community aspect that went along with fanfiction and fandoms as well. It's great to be part of such a huge group of enthusiastic fans.

[SidnayC]

I never use to get fan fiction... but I guess I could write one if I wanted an alternative ending to a book or I just really loved that book