Why.

[deird1]

Why fan fiction? Why, for example, does one have to write a Lord of the Rings around Gandalf's daughter or whomever, for whatever reason? Why not use that as a spring board and do something like Jacqualine Carey's Godslayer books. When you read them, you can TELL she was inspired to write these based on how she viewed LOTRs, but I felt that took that inspiration and ran with it. To me, at least, writing a story where Gandalf has a daughter or Harry and Hermione get together does not mean you're writing a LOTRs story or a Harry Potter story.

Because I want to write a short poem on heroic death, and I don't want to spend seven years writing and publishing a tv show so that I have the right quotes to use.

Because I want to do a character study of someone from this story, and I'd rather do it in fiction than in essay form.

Because I want to write around the main events of the story, and if I do that to a story I've created in my own head, no-one will have a clue what the main events are.

Because I want to tell a joke.

Because I want to explore the mindset of a particular person mid-way through a particular scene, and if I wrote a story with exactly that character and exactly that scene just so I could, you would rightly accuse me of copying from my favourite tv series even if I changed the names.

Because I want to write a story by cleverly leaving out the important part, and seeing if it still makes sense.

Because I want to capture a single moment in exactly 100 words.

Because I want to argue for a particular theory concerning a fictional universe, and if you think I'm going to create an entire original universe featuring One Monster Killer In Every Generation and have my main Monster Killer killed and then revived with CPR and then accidentally activate the new Monster Killer so that suddenly there are two of them just so I can discuss my funky theory without stepping on any copyright rules, you're insane.

Because I want to be obscure.

Because I like capturing moments in fiction more than I like constructing universes.

Because it's fun.

Because I like exploring alternate universes, and I don't want to spend my free time creating one universe so that I can then create an alternate universe of my first universe, just so I can do a vague job of discussing the actual alternate universes I wanted to discuss in the first place.

I feel like you're writing your own story, but using someone else's characters, and . . well, at the moment, I feel like that's lacking in effort.

I'm sorry, do you mind repeating that?

Comments

[velvetwhip]

You could not have made the case for fanfiction more eloquently. Brava! And thank you.


Gabrielle

[deird1]

Thanks! (This argument always annoys me...)

[velvetwhip]

It does me as well.


Gabrielle

[nenya_kanadka]

Yes, this, exactly. Sometimes there are things you want to say and stories you want to tell that can only be done in the context of other works. "Just write your own original fic!" is missing the point, quite often.

[deird1]

It really is...

[nenya_kanadka]

*slacktifriends you back*

[anamardoll]

This. And... also because there are pieces of our cultural story that cannot simply be tossed away. If I can't fit into Lord of the Rings because I'm female, the answer isn't that I should just pick up and move to a new culture that isn't steeped in LOTR. I believe it's my human right to make a place for myself in that cultural narrative.

~ Ana

[deird1]

Absolutely.

[nenya_kanadka]

Yes! I am no damned good at fixing things like "Not enough women in LOTR", when it comes to, say inserting new characters. But [had I nuzgul*, aka plotbunnies, and also possibly more skill than I have] I could most certainly write All The Things about Galadriel or Arwen or Celebrian or Haleth or Eowyn. Those stories are there! And if one wrote them there would quite likely be incidental OFC women in the tales, because women don't exist in a vaccuum. Hell, the story of what Rosie Cotton was up to while Sam was out "chasing black men up mountains" could be interesting, too!


*fan-coinage, from a common misspelling of "Nazgul" + "nuss" meaning "fluffy" in Norwegian

[curiouswombat]

Totally, absolutely, and amen to that!

(Please imagine one of my LotR icons - I keep meaning to bring one over here! This is my ironic sheep...!)

[me_llamo_nic]

I want to marry this post.

[deird1]

...got a ring? :)

[elisi]

I feel like you're writing your own story, but using someone else's characters, and . . well, at the moment, I feel like that's lacking in effort.
Dear Who-ever-you-are. Please go tell this to all TV writers ever. Because unless they created the show themselves, they're playing with other people's characters... It's a skill.

[deird1]

*nods* Absolutely.

[speaker_to_customers]

For instance Lee Goldberg, one of the most snide critics of fanfiction, writes episodes and tie-in novels for the TV show 'Monk'. Which was created by Andy Breckman and, therefore, Lee Goldberg is - a fanfic writer. The only difference is that he does it for a paycheck and not for love of the show.

[smurasaki]

No kidding.

Also, for an extra layer, what about the episodes of shows that are homages to other shows? Isn't that kind of fan fic inside fan fic, only for pay?

[redsixwing]

Where is my like button? Where? *searches frantically*

[deird1]

Sorry, the like button is non-canonical for Dreamwidth. You'll have to fic one...

:)

[redsixwing]

Oh, OK.

(But that's such hard work!)

[curiouswombat]

Ah - but clearly not such hard work as using someone else's like button and giving it whole new adventures in Dreamwidth...

[unjapanologist]

I love this post with much love.

You know, those sorts of reactions to fanfic may be the single thing that I loathe copyright indoctrination the most for. It's made people believe that re-using something from another story is something borderline illegal and thus icky, while this is simply the way people have told stories since the bloody dawn of time. It's so much easier and more fun to communicate with others the more common ground you have.

[deird1]

Yes! Communal storytelling is so much fun.

[kouredios]

Hey there. I know we're mostly just random friends (due to cereta's icon meme), but I'm about to start my PhD dissertation, which is going to be an argument for the literary legitimacy of fic, and I'd love to reference this post if you'd let me. :)

[deird1]

Feel free! *is flattered*

[kouredios]

Thanks! I'm still in the proposal phase, but I'm always collecting posts about why people write fic. There are so many reasons, all of them awesome. :D

[lydiabell]

This post is so much more eloquent than my response to that question, which is, "Because none of your damn business, that's why."

I mean, your responses are right, and great. And I don't mind honest curiosity from people who just don't get this whole fanfic thing. What gets to me is when people think they are entitled to a justification of what we do, because if we don't justify it to their satisfaction then obviously we're DOIN IT RONG.

[speaker_to_customers]

Rowen's argument strikes me as really weird considering that it's posted on a blog which attracted most of its readers because of the 'Left Behind' reviews and then spawned the 'Right Behind' fanfiction community. And almost all of the 'Right Behind' fics show how fanfiction can transcend published works and create something far superior to the original.

[athena3062]

I love this post for so many reasons! I want to save it and re-read it on gray days.

[rahirah]

AMEN.

(And personally, I do like worldbuilding and I do like creating original characters, and if I do say so myself I am pretty damn good at both. And I write fan fiction anyway. So there.)

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

I think a lot of people miss that fanfition is a basic way to interact with something you love, too. It keeps the stories alive and interesting. When we know the original authors we're more than willing to give them the credit for the creation, but we're also playing with their creation and basically enjoying them.

After all, what is mythology and folklore but endless reinterpretations and retellings? How is that different?

[lusciousxander]

Wonderful! I personally think because it's fun covers it up perfectly.