McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Fanfiction - Good or Evil?
JRBobC:
Just the $0.02 of a reader. Disclaimer I am not an author and doubt I ever will be. I would not be able to write myself out of a hole in the ground that I dug myself.
Anyway, as a reader my only real complaint about fanfiction is when the author's take the established story(ies) and character development and toss it out the window because it isn't what they wanted. Unfortunately the only case in point I have is Harry Potter fans. In particular the shippers. When JKRowling had Harry/Ginny Ron/Hermione, some people went off the deep end and cried foul and stated vehemently that they were going to "write" the real Book 6, the one where Ron dies and Harry ends up with Hermione, yadda yadda yadda.
As far as I am concerned as a reader I am just along for the ride. I want to watch the journey, the end isn't all that important to me. I also tend to have more faith in the fact that the author knows more about whats going on with their stories than I do. Since ya know it is their baby. Like I said I am just an observer.
meg_evonne:
First, I'm new to this concept of fanfic--so you just guessed my age. If you're really dense I've got it on my profile. Further I am a successful business women by genes and personality.
This world is hard enough for the artist or the writer to make a decent living without their intellectual material being taken away from them. The heart of this matter is the business of intellectual rights. Jim Butcher owns the Dresden Files & it's franchise unless he has expressly given or sold those rights. No ifs, ands or buts about that folks. Even the scriptwriters who hadn't read all the books, were still hired and paid under his permission! Of course YOU, a dedicated fan, wouldn't write that Murphy's Dad was shacking up with a hooker in FL--but they had permission to do that. Hopefully they learned their lesson and heaven help us----a G__ D___ JEEP!
OUCH, I hear you yelling at me. Stick it out with me a little bit longer okay?
Jim Butcher has kindly invited us into his home (mind) to play. It's just nasty and wrong to walk out the door with his sofa, don't you think?
If you are using fanfic to learn in private, great! It seems one hell of a way to hone in on one part of writing, ie character or action or dialog, etc while borrowing the world created by another. You JUST DON'T have the RIGHT to ever publish, share, distribute, or even have a friend or colleage read it without permission of the original writer. It's Jim Butcher's grey matter, not yours.
Besides, face facts. Once you've done it and then go back and read one of his books, ya just want to tear up what you did anyway because it just plain stinks next to the original. I suspose that's why a lot of authors don't care about fanfiction. Even so, you should still should leave the sofa where it belongs and don't rearrange the room, okay?
Good writing all! OUCH, okay--so some of you still want to lay into me---go for it, as long as it's creative critism you sling back at me! Remember, I'm an OLD LADY!
Meg in IA
the neurovore of Zur-En-Aargh:
--- Quote from: meg_evonne on May 25, 2007, 03:52:19 PM ---Jim Butcher has kindly invited us into his home (mind) to play. It's just nasty and wrong to walk out the door with his sofa, don't you think?
--- End quote ---
It's entirely up to the author whether fanfic counts as stealing their furniture, though. I know at least one person whom Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman have given specific permission to write Good Omens fanfic, and I have no problem at all with the existence of that, but if any of my fiction were to see print, and anyone were to fanfic it, I would hunt them down and sever their heads slowly with a hacksaw.
Yeratel:
--- Quote ---Jim Butcher has kindly invited us into his home (mind) to play. It's just nasty and wrong to walk out the door with his sofa, don't you think?
--- End quote ---
--- Quote from: neurovore on May 25, 2007, 04:35:32 PM ---It's entirely up to the author whether fanfic counts as stealing their furniture, though. I know at least one person whom Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman have given specific permission to write Good Omens fanfic, and I have no problem at all with the existence of that, but if any of my fiction were to see print, and anyone were to fanfic it, I would hunt them down and sever their heads slowly with a hacksaw.
--- End quote ---
There are only two cases where it's okay to publish stuff using another author's characters: 1. When the characters are in the public domain (Dracula, Beowulf, etc.) and 2. When the copyright owner gives advance permission or hires the characters out (Star Trek novels, Buffy comic books, etc.). If some fan wrote and tried to publish the untold episodes of Harry and Elaine's teenage years, or the classic love story of Thomas and Justine, then Jim Butcher would have every right to whack them on their pointy little heads with the big hammer.
firegazer:
--- Quote ---Anyway, as a reader my only real complaint about fanfiction is when the author's take the established story(ies) and character development and toss it out the window because it isn't what they wanted.
--- End quote ---
Actually, I don't have too much of a problem with it, as long as it's not grotesquely stupid (such as Goth!Hermione or Emo!Harry... actually, the last might be canon, I correct myself). Even then, the point is that you can't say 'only good writers are allowed to write fanfic' - because how are you supposed to pick those out, or even enforce such a silly rule? As for alternate "ships", I actually rather like some of the weirder ones. After all, it takes a certain sort of talent to write something crazy like "George/Hermione" or "Oliver/Ginny" and make it not only believable, but entertaining. And, of course, we come back to the point that JK Rowling has specifically allowed her fans to write fanfiction. I think she might have a good deal fewer fans, even, if she said no. Most fanfic writers will respect if an author says no, but they'll see it as being a little needlessly paranoid, and their respect for that author drops some. One of the bigger jokes in the fanfic community is that Anne Rice says no to fanfiction - considering all of her stuff is highly derivative, and most of it really isn't that great.
--- Quote ---There are only two cases where it's okay to publish stuff using another author's characters: ...2. When the copyright owner gives advance permission or hires the characters out (Star Trek novels, Buffy comic books, etc.). If some fan wrote and tried to publish the untold episodes of Harry and Elaine's teenage years, or the classic love story of Thomas and Justine, then Jim Butcher would have every right to whack them on their pointy little heads with the big hammer.
--- End quote ---
I only know of a few total nutcases who have ever tried to publish fanfiction, unless you count free web sites and archives that are explicitly there for such things. And most of those archives will refuse to web "publish" any fanfiction for authors who have explicitly stated that they don't want anyone writing fanfiction for their works. No one makes any money off of fanfiction unless they're Tom Stoppard and "Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead" is the title. If someone does try to make money off of their baby fanfic, most of the rest of the ficcers roll their eyes at them and talk about how stupid they are on their forums. Some people even email them to mention that it's not legal. You can't ask much more.
--- Quote ---If you are using fanfic to learn in private, great! It seems one hell of a way to hone in on one part of writing, ie character or action or dialog, etc while borrowing the world created by another. You JUST DON'T have the RIGHT to ever publish, share, distribute, or even have a friend or colleage read it without permission of the original writer. It's Jim Butcher's grey matter, not yours.
--- End quote ---
There's a very big difference between stealing furniture (a common argument, which I really don't understand) and writing a derivative story. The furniture is worth something. The story is worth less than nothing, and by using it, you're not taking anything away from the author who wrote the original - in point of fact, you are advertising for them, in a sense. No one is going to read your fanfic and decide they don't need to read the original book. I have, however, read fanfiction from one of my favorite fanfic authors in a world I haven't ever heard of, and decided that I needed to get the original book from that. Howl's Moving Castle, for instance, I hadn't even heard of until someone on my f-list wrote a one-shot for it - I picked it up at the bookstore that following weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it.
In essence, there is a big difference between limiting a product and limiting a thought. You can, and should, stop people from stealing furniture. You can't stop someone from reading a book and going 'what if'? and neither can you stop them from writing a review of a book based on what they thought of it. It's a bit of an extention, but consider a fanfic a kind of positive review of a book - as in, I liked it so much that I wanted to try writing more of it.
Besides, how else do you think Harry Potter readers survive the long dry spells between books? I'd bet you a lot of money that there's a HP fanfic on quite a few of those readers' favorites lists. Dirty little secret. :) Mark it up as keeping up enthusiasm between book releases - another plus for fanfiction.
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