Last Week’s Discussion:
FanFiction
Last week I decided to bring up a topic I’d seen on another blog: fanfiction. Why? Well, partly because I used to be a contributor and reader of fanfiction, but also because I think it plays a huge role in the fan world.
Still, anyone can write fanfiction and therefore the quality can be both really good or really bad! That being said, I had to bring a question to the table. Is fanfiction good or bad? Here’s what my lovely readers had to say!
Sara said:
“Fanfiction has evolved completely and totally from it’s original purpose. Some people still use it to create the ideal endings for their characters but for the last few years, at least the writers are follow, I read new and unique and creative stories with wonderful writing. […] I now see fanfiction as a way for aspiring authors to spread their plot wings before taking a chance and creating their own characters.”
It would seem I was put in my place in regards to FanFiction, but I suppose that’s what happens when you’re not constantly up-to-date. That being said, there is still a wide variety of people who write fanfiction and a wide variety of the quality and purpose. So, while FanFiction may be a great way for new writers to test the literary waters, I offer a warning should be looking to read fanfiction. You never know what you’ll find!
Check out this week’s discussion on Thursday at 10am EST:
Ebooks!
Melanie Noell Bernard 
Fanfic – and I’m glad there’s finally a name attached to it – is a positive. Not just from a creative aspect, but also one that encourages people to write, to pursue a new storyline, to let out the ideas in their heads.
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You’re not worried about the potential bad quality or explicity of the work? Do you think new writers can get stuck in a constant repetition of always writing about other people’s characters and never evolve to their own original stories?
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Is that a problem that fanfic confronts? if so, then how do we encourage fanfic writers to “get outside the box”?
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I do believe that there are some serial fanfictioners (people who only write fanfiction) and I think they stay there because it’s safe. They don’t have to put too much effort into making their own worlds/characters, and most of all they don’t have to worry about rejection because they’re only posting it up on a fanfiction website instead of actually publishing. That being said, I’m not honestly sure at this point how we can get them out of the box. There’s the idea of a mentoring program or showing them that writing their own stories can offer more satisfaction than fanfiction, but it really comes down to confidence. Fanfiction is considered something ‘safe’ to write. Original stories… not so much.
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Love you friend! And id say we had a discussion not that I put you in your place haha I would love to recommend some fanfic if you don’t mind that it’s twilight haha
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Haha! No worries! Everyone needs to be corrected once in a while. :p and I didn’t even read the original twilight. Haha!
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Not even the first book?! How did you manage that??
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Haha! Apparently it has to do with me being a hipster and avoiding anything popular. :p I did the same with HG until I watched the movie.
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😳😳😳😳 HG is life and everything amazing. Twilight was just a social phenomenon and it was the series that got me into YA so I gotta give it love, even with all its many faults
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Haha! My inner hipster protected me from both the good and the bad. :p I’m still trying to fight it.
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I’ve never been a reader OR a writer of fanfiction mainly because I’m usually quite happy within the constraints set by an author or a series. But I think just the IDEA of fanfiction is so brilliant- where you can play around with existing arcs and characters to add your own unique perspective to an existing work. It’s just so cool.
I’m a little iffy with the fact that fan-fiction can turn into full-fledged novels, though. Fifty Shades of Grey started off as fanfiction and now it’s a global phenomenon. I just find it a little disingenuous to base your own work so heavily off of someone else’s and then make a huge profit from it. But maybe that’s just me. Great post, Melanie! 😀
~ Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks
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Honestly, I have to agree with you, Aimal. I think fanfiction is a great place for writers to start, to get a feel for writing something, but at the end of the day they need their own stories. Otherwise I’m not sure they truly deserve the credit. You know?
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