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On FanFic, as if no one knows what I think...
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My feelings on fanfic are well documented. But since it's the topic of the day, I'll indulge myself.
I first became aware of fanfic on the Internets. Some people had written some stories based on characters from the various works of Poppy Z Brite. Being a horror fan (and Poppy, a horror writer at the time), I was curious. The fic was awful. Really, really awful. Spelling and grammar not quite as awful as teenagers write on Facebook these days, but it was close. I wasn't writing my own novels at the time, but I was incensed at the idea that people would write and post work with characters ripped off from "real writers." As such, I dismissed the very idea of fanfiction outright.
Years later, I met someone who was very into the fanfic thing. She wrote about in a fandom that I like (Harry Potter) and is, in fact, an evocative and engaging writer. She's popular in places where people go for fanfic, and in fact, has many more readers than I do. Many, many more. I briefly toyed with the idea of writing some fanfic of my own. But I couldn't do it.
In the end, fanfic feels like literary masturbation--especially considering that a lot of it is filthy. If I'm going to spend time writing, I want to spend it writing things I can share--things that are valid and relevant enough to make it worthwhile for people to read them. There may be a way to do that through fanfic, but I have no idea what that might be. It just feels like daydreaming or something. I just have this vague sense that fanfic isn't what writing is.
For the record, I would NOT want anyone to write fanfic based on any of my characters. If I want Sadie to end up someplace, I'll put her there myself. So if anyone is ever silly enough to do such a thing, for goodness sake do not post it on the internets.
My feelings on fanfic are well documented. But since it's the topic of the day, I'll indulge myself.
I first became aware of fanfic on the Internets. Some people had written some stories based on characters from the various works of Poppy Z Brite. Being a horror fan (and Poppy, a horror writer at the time), I was curious. The fic was awful. Really, really awful. Spelling and grammar not quite as awful as teenagers write on Facebook these days, but it was close. I wasn't writing my own novels at the time, but I was incensed at the idea that people would write and post work with characters ripped off from "real writers." As such, I dismissed the very idea of fanfiction outright.
Years later, I met someone who was very into the fanfic thing. She wrote about in a fandom that I like (Harry Potter) and is, in fact, an evocative and engaging writer. She's popular in places where people go for fanfic, and in fact, has many more readers than I do. Many, many more. I briefly toyed with the idea of writing some fanfic of my own. But I couldn't do it.
In the end, fanfic feels like literary masturbation--especially considering that a lot of it is filthy. If I'm going to spend time writing, I want to spend it writing things I can share--things that are valid and relevant enough to make it worthwhile for people to read them. There may be a way to do that through fanfic, but I have no idea what that might be. It just feels like daydreaming or something. I just have this vague sense that fanfic isn't what writing is.
For the record, I would NOT want anyone to write fanfic based on any of my characters. If I want Sadie to end up someplace, I'll put her there myself. So if anyone is ever silly enough to do such a thing, for goodness sake do not post it on the internets.