McAnally's (The Community Pub) > Author Craft
Fanfic richer or poorer?
Tech L. Me:
Devil Advocate away, that's what this forum is here for :D
Yes, the problem is is that the good stuff is few and far between, you have to wade through alot of mediocre and worse to find those few authors who respect the original universe while taking it in a slightly different or new direction.
And you're right, that is not how I meant to come off when I said that in a few fandoms there are fic authors who write better than the original(s). What I meant to say is that there are a few fic authors whose versions of the story I prefer over the original. Don't get me wrong if I read fanfiction, chances are I loved the original material enough to see if there is anything else out there, but sometimes (and I can't help it) I prefer another person's interpretation over the original.
In the end, I probably should have phrased my original statement along the lines of "I do not mean any disrespect to anybody and while the original author is talented and creative in their own way, I prefer fic writer b's interpretations of the the characters. This does not mean that one is the better writer than the other, it's just a matter of personal opinion."
I know this isn't going to soothe any author's opinions, I'd be insulted as hell too if I was an author and somebody came up to me and said "So and so does a better job of writing your characters and universe than you"
Also, while I can't speak for everyone out there but most, if not all fanfiction writers have a folder of original stuff stashed away that they work when they have the chance and are trying to get published outside the internet.
Shecky:
--- Quote from: Murphy's Stunt Double on March 17, 2008, 09:00:51 PM ---why did he write a SpiderMan fan fic story?
--- End quote ---
He didn't. He was contracted to write an authorized novel in the Spider-Man universe... legally an entirely different animal from fanfic. Fortunately, he was coincidentally a big fan of SM. ;)
Murphy's Stunt Double:
Ah, cool, thanks for putting that in, Shecky. I didn't realize he was contracted to do it. That's pretty cool!
Still, though if he'd had issues with fan fic the way was originally implied (Since corrected, *nods*), he might have said no on principle.
KevinEvans:
Another thing to look at are the shared universes, I think the first big one was Thieves World tm Where a number of authors set out to tell stories in a mutually constructed universe. Among the rules was, you could use someones Else's character but not use them up. Lately came Eric Flint's 1632 universe, where when the fanfic started he read them and then opened a franchise where first an anthology and then the Grantville Gazettes came about. Stories have to meet standards and must be true to "Canon" However He pays 6 cents a word and the works are published as Ebooks and eventually hit paper (GG 1-4 are in paper and we are up to 16 released and some stories have been bought and scheduled up to edition 23) the GGs have been selling well enough to support them self's. (Baen is offering them via Webscriptions book sales)
Of note is the fact that that the various stories have turned in to almost four million words of paid fiction. And the shared author model has kept the universe fresh and open. (14 published in paper and another 16 electronic volumes of the GG) with another three novels contracted.
Just a thought,
Kevin
Shecky:
--- Quote from: Murphy's Stunt Double on March 18, 2008, 02:34:05 AM ---Ah, cool, thanks for putting that in, Shecky. I didn't realize he was contracted to do it. That's pretty cool!
Still, though if he'd had issues with fan fic the way was originally implied (Since corrected, *nods*), he might have said no on principle.
--- End quote ---
He sorta did. From what I've gathered, he seems to like fanfic in general, but I'm sure he's been badgered by his agent and his publisher to stay away from it to avoid any potential lawsuit material. The thing about fanfic is that it can only be all-or-nothing in order not to be a problem - either permit it all and run with it, or completely divorce yourself from it. Anything between, unfortunately, opens you up to a world of legal juggling; business CYA, distasteful though it may be, is sometimes the only defense against that kind of you-gotta-stay-on-top-of-it limbo.
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