Fan-fiction - Why?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by captkjaneway

OT: I believe George Lucas did a deal for the rights for the merchandise from Star Wars A New Hope and from this funded all his other projects. IMHO Star Wars was teh film that created movie merchandise.

It certainly wasn't the first example of large-scale media merchandising, though. I'm sure there are earlier examples, but in the 1960s, "Dalek" merchandise (ie my Avatar, from the BBC TV show "Doctor Who") was enormously popular in Britain, with items ranging from Dalek soap, Dalek tea-towels, to Daleks dressing-up costumes for children.

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by solitarywolf

Over the years I have found that originally I liked fan fiction, but tired of it as I got older. When I go back and re-read the original, I now find that I love more than the storyline and characters. I love how it was written. I fall in love with the era it was created in.

I've read fan fiction that is more true to the original than not only authorized continuations, like the Gardner stories you mentioned, but even the canon author's own later writing. When someone writes a series over a period of decades, their style can shift considerably, and not always for the better. (see the above mentions of Anne McCaffrey)

And, of course, that's assuming there even is some definable "era" and some definable "original". Take, say, Star Trek. Over the past forty-odd years, official Star Trek canon has encompassed four TV series of varying quality, eleven movies, many dozens of books, assorted comic book series, some random number of computer games, and more. Not only can't you say that fan fiction is necessarily worse than the original (given the execrable quality of most of those books, not to mention odd-numbered movies, it's hard to say anything is worse) but it's not easy even defining what the original is. Do all the movies count? Even the bad ones? Even Star Trek V? How about the books? I had the misfortune to read some of the "engineering" series a couple of years ago, and not only have I read better fanfic, I've criticized better fanfic ... for sucking. Do you count all the TV series, even the ones you dislike? Even when they contradict each other? Do we have to include Q?

That's something else fanfic can give us: a selected subset of our chosen world. Let's say, for instance, that someone likes the first two years of ST:TOS but thinks the third season, which gave us treasures like Spock's Brain, is just bad. So they can write their fanfic as if the official Star Trek canon consisted only of those first two original seasons, and go off in any direction they choose. Readers who agree with their choices will enjoy reading what they write, and a fair number of other readers, including the ones who endure things they don't agree with because they're Star Trek, will read and like the stories, too. I've never looked, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that there is, say, Pern fanfic where the story of Moreta's Ride follows the original description, not the mess that McCaffrey retconned later, and I know that for a very old TV show I write fanfic for, most writers simply ignore the highly problematic pilot (we have good precedent: the canon writers did, too!).

I think that fanfic, as a fundamental part of itself, embodies participation rather than passive consumption. Even when it's bad (and yes, it can get very, very bad) it's still an example of fans participating in, and creating within in, something they like. In today's world of passive entertainment, that's actually a rather surprising thing. You look at a hundred years ago and people, even rich people, played parlor games, played musical instruments, sang together, and so on; today, entertainment is mostly non-participatory: you watch TV and don't actually do anything. Fanfic authors are getting off their non-participatory butts and participating. Even if they're bad stories, they're doing something, not sitting waiting for someone else to do something. There's a lot to be said for that.

Going back to James Bond: The original Ian Fleming stories certainly had a distinct feel to them, one that the later Gardner books lacked. The movies didn't even have that much, and some could be called parodies of the series and the genre. They're canon. They're "real" James Bond. Personally, I would prefer fanfic written by someone trying for consistency in style and time with the original novels to movies like Moonraker, canon be hanged.

[ClairePMR]

Originally Posted by marshies

I read Harry Potter Fanfiction on a regular basis.

There are a couple reasons why I love them:

1) I grew up anticipating the next release of the Harry Potter series, and these filled the void between releases. Authors would hypothesize and extend the story lines with their own imaginations. Fanfiction was actually really good back then! In fact, so good that when the real book 6 came out, I was dissappointed by the plots because I had already seen them in fanfiction before.

2)What if: I'm a firm believer that Hermione is blind and stupid for choosing Ron. The big wide world of fanfiction lets me live in denial forever.

I'm another HP fanfiction aficionado and author. I'm not a teenager and haven't been for better than thirty years. I've found total drivel and sheer brilliance in HP fanfiction, though most of it is found in places other than fanfiction.net. (Try Hawthorn and Vine on LiveJournal.) While it's rare, I've found some fanfiction that has rivaled, and in a few exceptional cases outpaced, the work of the original author.

I started reading fanfiction in the mid-90's for pure escapism and another take on characters that I felt were ill-served by the writers of a TV series or two. My interest in those characters waned and I moved on to other shows, movies or books as my inspiration.

My own writing (for pay) is usually instructive, technical or reference material. Sometimes I like to stretch my creative wings a little with something that doesn't make me work too hard, but still pushes me beyond my usual boundaries.

And I, too, cannot accept on any level, that Hermione would have ended up with Ron. Ugh. Let's let the lady have a more exciting and satisfying life, shall we? It's fun to imagine what might have been.

Finally, if you look at the sheer numbers of stories published on sites like ff.net, (more than a half million HP stories alone - seriously!) it encourages me that young people do want to write. I pray, however, that their skills improve as they practice. The current trend toward giving feedback that simply reads "Awesomely Kewl!" is not helpful. When I do take the time to leave feedback, it's honest, constructive, and points out the writer's consistent errors in grammar and punctuation. Really wish others would do that, too.

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by cklls

The current trend toward giving feedback that simply reads "Awesomely Kewl!" is not helpful. When I do take the time to leave feedback, it's honest, constructive, and points out the writer's consistent errors in grammar and punctuation. Really wish others would do that, too.

But don't you know you're supposed to be "supportive", which is a code word for incessant praise? Don't you realize that people get only better at something when you tell them they're already the best they can be? And never forget that writing is art, and art can never be judged or evaluated.

</sarcasm>

There are some who do, ck. There are still some who do. Maybe if a few more people did, there would be a bit less suck at the Pit. Though seeing what's dribbling out of Hollywood these days, despite professional reviewers screaming in agony, I'd probably better not hold my breath. I've drifted away from writing fanfic lately because it's so hard to get an honest opinion instead of mindless, and meaningless, fluff.

[citac]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

[snip]

I think that fanfic, as a fundamental part of itself, embodies participation rather than passive consumption. Even when it's bad (and yes, it can get very, very bad) it's still an example of fans participating in, and creating within in, something they like. In today's world of passive entertainment, that's actually a rather surprising thing. You look at a hundred years ago and people, even rich people, played parlor games, played musical instruments, sang together, and so on; today, entertainment is mostly non-participatory: you watch TV and don't actually do anything. Fanfic authors are getting off their non-participatory butts and participating. Even if they're bad stories, they're doing something, not sitting waiting for someone else to do something. There's a lot to be said for that.[snip]

I want to give you loads of karma for this, Worldwalker. I wish more people felt this way. For me, an interest in a show inevitably results in a desire to create something connected to it, which is fanart in my case, and to interact with fandom.

And it's a good thing that my fandom was so involved with our show: when it was canceled after it's first season, the fans rallied and managed to get TPTB to reverse it's decision. We managed to get a terrific second season before it was canceled for good. The person who spearheaded the effort got a cameo in the first episode of the 2nd season, and after it was truly over, the producers and the composer compiled a soundtrack of the show as a gift to the fans. When I pop in that DVD, I feel proud that we played some part in it's creation.

[ClairePMR]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

But don't you know you're supposed to be "supportive", which is a code word for incessant praise? Don't you realize that people get only better at something when you tell them they're already the best they can be? And never forget that writing is art, and art can never be judged or evaluated.

</sarcasm>

There are some who do, ck. There are still some who do. Maybe if a few more people did, there would be a bit less suck at the Pit. Though seeing what's dribbling out of Hollywood these days, despite professional reviewers screaming in agony, I'd probably better not hold my breath. I've drifted away from writing fanfic lately because it's so hard to get an honest opinion instead of mindless, and meaningless, fluff.

My favorite reviews are the ones that say "Great Chappie - post soon!" Even as experienced as I am, I like to know what my readers enjoy about what they've read, and what they'd like to see more or less of. (That's one of the downsides of so much tech writing - nearly zero feedback.) When I receive a detailed review about characterization or plot points, I'll really think about it and consider how I might adjust my approach. Sometimes I do make minor shifts based on insightful commentary; sometimes I'll ignore it because there's another purpose in mind with the direction I've chosen. But I do pay attention to the commentary.

I remember the days, years ago, when ff.net was the only real source for creative fanfiction. Today, there are tens of thousands of places to find it. Thankfully, it means less time required at The Pit. Just have to know where to look for the good stuff!

There are a handful of published authors out there who started out writing fanfiction and used it as a "test" of their ability to take plot and characterization from idea to completion. Not a bad strategy. My husband insists that I should do the same. He seems to think my writing is better than JKR, and I'd make a fortune. He's either delusional or biased. Think I'll go with biased for now.

[ClairePMR]

Originally Posted by citac

And it's a good thing that my fandom was so involved with our show: when it was canceled after it's first season, the fans rallied and managed to get TPTB to reverse it's decision. We managed to get a terrific second season before it was canceled for good. The person who spearheaded the effort got a cameo in the first episode of the 2nd season, and after it was truly over, the producers and the composer compiled a soundtrack of the show as a gift to the fans. When I pop in that DVD, I feel proud that we played some part in it's creation.

Jericho, right? Loved that show and was very glad when fan effort made a difference in bringing it back, however briefly.

[khalleron]

Every science fiction writer I've ever talked to began by writing fanfic (usually Trek fic, but that's because I'm of a certain age).

I've done my share - the best thing about it was belonging to a community of supportive and helpful writers, many of whom continued to help me when I moved on to novel writing, and whom I still consider friends even though I'm not currently writing in that fandom.

[Carriebear]

Count me in as another writer who loves to give - and get - constructive feedback on my fanfiction. I've got *checks* 13 stories up on "The Pit," with a combined total of 305 reviews. Of those, the ones I cherish the most are the ones that say "This was good, but I felt that your plot moved a little too fast, the characterization was a little off, I felt that this would have worked better than this," etc., etc. I love praise, who doesn't, but I feel the best praise is that which is coupled with ways that I can better my writing. There are readers and writers of fanfiction who take the reading and writing as seriously as if it were an original novel. But like some of the others here, I tend to like posting to Livejournal more, because I feel you get more constructive feedback.

[cfrizz]

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

And, of course, that's assuming there even is some definable "era" and some definable "original". Take, say, Star Trek. Over the past forty-odd years, official Star Trek canon has encompassed four TV series of varying quality, eleven movies, many dozens of books, assorted comic book series, some random number of computer games, and more. Not only can't you say that fan fiction is necessarily worse than the original (given the execrable quality of most of those books, not to mention odd-numbered movies, it's hard to say anything is worse) but it's not easy even defining what the original is. Do all the movies count? Even the bad ones? Even Star Trek V? How about the books? I had the misfortune to read some of the "engineering" series a couple of years ago, and not only have I read better fanfic, I've criticized better fanfic ... for sucking. Do you count all the TV series, even the ones you dislike? Even when they contradict each other? Do we have to include Q?

Most Star Trek FF is broken down easiest by series. So the "Original" would be TOS (The Original Series) which will encompass the tv show & the movies. Next would be TNG both series & movies and Q can/is a part of both TNG & Voyager. Next is Voyager, then DS9 and finally Enterprise.

I still have copies of some TOS FF that I paid for at conventions. One of the authors went on to actually write some of the TOS novels years later.

[Belfaborac]

It has gradually dawned on me that I was probably very much in error with my previous posts in this thread. I obviously didn't look in the right places, or didn't look hard enough, when I trawled for fan fiction long ago and hence only discovered the dross. My judgements appear to have been hasty, so I extend an unreserved apology to all fan fiction authors who may have taken offense.

[Amalthia]

There are many recommendation lists that help fan fiction readers find good fan fiction. I started reading fan fiction because so many TV shows (and especially sci-fi) are sex-less. The two exceptions that come to mind are Farscape and Battlestar Galactica.

If you wanted adult stories for Star Trek, Stargate, and Doctor Who fan fiction delievers. Also for a long time if you wanted male/male stories you had to search high and low for it in published works. Back in the 90s Samhain press wasn't in operation yet so to get my fix for m/m stories I read fan fiction.

[citac]

Originally Posted by cklls

Jericho, right? Loved that show and was very glad when fan effort made a difference in bringing it back, however briefly.

That was a good one too, but I meant the Magnificent Seven. Great cast, great chemistry between the actors, and it was a western which is my favorite genre.

[Penforhire]

Mmmm, definitely a favorite movie. How did you feel about it inspiration, Seven Samurai? I'll admit a guilty pleasure was enjoying the anime Samurai 7 as well.

[citac]

I've loved the movie ever since I was a kid. The show has some elements from the first movie, as well as some from the sequels. Seven Samurai is fantastic, and I've been looking for it in our local stores to complete my "Seven" collection, but no luck so far. Ordering online is out of the question due to expensive shipping. I didn't know there was an anime too! Is it good?