99% of stories published--traditionally and indie--are also riddled with ridiculous plots, cardboard characters, etc... I don't see that as a fanfic only problem.
I get why personally folks may not like fanfic. That's fine! But I'm fairly deep into fanfic spaces for a couple of very small fandoms, and I can honestly and truthfully say that some of the fanfic writing I've found there is some of the best writing I've read in my life. So I wouldn't dismiss it just because the majority of it is bad. :)
Also, I've found it useful as an author to write fanfic as a way to practice specific techniques. By not having to worry about coming up with a world, characters, etc, it freed my brain space up to focus only on the techniques I was worried about. So I think there are ways it can be useful to authors.
Sure. I acknowledged in my article where it serves a useful purpose (community building, practicing the mechanics of storytelling). But I still firmly believe a writer learns the mechanics of storytelling more quickly and cohesively while working with their own original characters and settings than writing fanfic because it compels them to learn the entire process of character development and story development. Fan fiction can invite taking short cuts to story and character development because you're working with an existing IP featuring characters and worlds already far along in the development process.
I'm all for anything that gets people to read and write more. It makes the world a better place. Ultimately, I think novice writers are better served learning how to write with their own original characters and worlds rather than basing it off of someone else's works. It lends to learning the nuances of story development much faster.
Yes, I don't care for fan fiction once bit. How do we inspire new writers to be creative and original by starting them off using other people's characters? And they're never as good as the originals. I won't read them or support them in any way. I think it's a complete waste of time. Hollywood is already bad enough with nothing but sequels and prequels and any other quels they can come up with. They're creative with revamping something established when they could put those efforts toward actual original stories. In the end, Fanfic is garbage.
I'm 100% an advocate for new writers finding their voice through creating their own original characters and stories. It's the best way to learn and grow as a writer. Fan fiction is an outgrowth of the sequel and prequel mania infecting Hollywood. Too many people want to rehash the same ol' familiar stories and characters rather than try anything new. It's annoying.
Good question. I have a long and detailed answer, so bear with me ...
I don't actually consider Sherlock Holmes stories to be fan fiction since he is in the public domain. Public domain characters do not fall under copyright protection because more than 75 years have passed since the deaths of their authors/creators. This puts them in a whole different category separate from fan fiction because anyone can publish and make money off stories using public domain characters without legal repercussions. You can write whatever you want with Robin Hood or Dracula, for example, and no one can do a thing about it because they are in the public domain.
Fan fiction, in my opinion, is limited to IP that's currently protected by copyright and/or trademark. So, with that in mind, there would be no way to accept a commission to do fan fiction on characters drawn from those protected IPs without courting a lawsuit. The only way it would be permissible would be if the IP owner commissioned you directly (like Lucasfilm hiring you to write a Star Wars novel, for example). But then, obviously, it wouldn't be fan fiction if you're hired to write a story by the IP owner. Your story would be official canon.
All that being said, I'm not a huge fan of using public domain characters for my stories. I prefer creating original characters that aren't tied down to existing canon or lore. I feel like it gives me more creative freedom as an author to tell the story I want to tell.
I suppose if the commission to write a story using specific public domain characters was high-paying, I'd give it serious consideration. Otherwise, I'd just stick to my own stories filled with characters I created.
in a space where anything can publish anything, there will be stuff of low quality, but you'll be surprised at the sort of quality pieces you can find with some interesting and experimental writing styles or interesting concepts
99% of stories published--traditionally and indie--are also riddled with ridiculous plots, cardboard characters, etc... I don't see that as a fanfic only problem.
I get why personally folks may not like fanfic. That's fine! But I'm fairly deep into fanfic spaces for a couple of very small fandoms, and I can honestly and truthfully say that some of the fanfic writing I've found there is some of the best writing I've read in my life. So I wouldn't dismiss it just because the majority of it is bad. :)
Also, I've found it useful as an author to write fanfic as a way to practice specific techniques. By not having to worry about coming up with a world, characters, etc, it freed my brain space up to focus only on the techniques I was worried about. So I think there are ways it can be useful to authors.
Sure. I acknowledged in my article where it serves a useful purpose (community building, practicing the mechanics of storytelling). But I still firmly believe a writer learns the mechanics of storytelling more quickly and cohesively while working with their own original characters and settings than writing fanfic because it compels them to learn the entire process of character development and story development. Fan fiction can invite taking short cuts to story and character development because you're working with an existing IP featuring characters and worlds already far along in the development process.
I think anything that prompts people to read more & write more is great. I haven’t read any fan fiction so can’t judge the quality.
You're not missing much, in my opinion.
I'm all for anything that gets people to read and write more. It makes the world a better place. Ultimately, I think novice writers are better served learning how to write with their own original characters and worlds rather than basing it off of someone else's works. It lends to learning the nuances of story development much faster.
Yes, I don't care for fan fiction once bit. How do we inspire new writers to be creative and original by starting them off using other people's characters? And they're never as good as the originals. I won't read them or support them in any way. I think it's a complete waste of time. Hollywood is already bad enough with nothing but sequels and prequels and any other quels they can come up with. They're creative with revamping something established when they could put those efforts toward actual original stories. In the end, Fanfic is garbage.
I'm 100% an advocate for new writers finding their voice through creating their own original characters and stories. It's the best way to learn and grow as a writer. Fan fiction is an outgrowth of the sequel and prequel mania infecting Hollywood. Too many people want to rehash the same ol' familiar stories and characters rather than try anything new. It's annoying.
Very annoying. I appreciate you posting on this. It’s definitely a very relevant topic for these days. Great work, John.
Thank you, Parker. I appreciate the kind words.
Would you write fan fiction if you were commissioned to do so and felt able to? Like the new Sherlock Holmes stores.
Good question. I have a long and detailed answer, so bear with me ...
I don't actually consider Sherlock Holmes stories to be fan fiction since he is in the public domain. Public domain characters do not fall under copyright protection because more than 75 years have passed since the deaths of their authors/creators. This puts them in a whole different category separate from fan fiction because anyone can publish and make money off stories using public domain characters without legal repercussions. You can write whatever you want with Robin Hood or Dracula, for example, and no one can do a thing about it because they are in the public domain.
Fan fiction, in my opinion, is limited to IP that's currently protected by copyright and/or trademark. So, with that in mind, there would be no way to accept a commission to do fan fiction on characters drawn from those protected IPs without courting a lawsuit. The only way it would be permissible would be if the IP owner commissioned you directly (like Lucasfilm hiring you to write a Star Wars novel, for example). But then, obviously, it wouldn't be fan fiction if you're hired to write a story by the IP owner. Your story would be official canon.
All that being said, I'm not a huge fan of using public domain characters for my stories. I prefer creating original characters that aren't tied down to existing canon or lore. I feel like it gives me more creative freedom as an author to tell the story I want to tell.
I suppose if the commission to write a story using specific public domain characters was high-paying, I'd give it serious consideration. Otherwise, I'd just stick to my own stories filled with characters I created.
in a space where anything can publish anything, there will be stuff of low quality, but you'll be surprised at the sort of quality pieces you can find with some interesting and experimental writing styles or interesting concepts