Fanfiction and my views on it.
I've just read an article on ohnotheydidnt talking about fanfiction and were some authors stand on it and I've just have a few things to say about that.
To me, fanfiction isn't about stealing anything from authors, it's about having such strong feeling about the story or characters - be it good or bad - and wanting to express those emotions with other like minded people. It's about loving the characters and the universe that those people have made that you want to be SOME part of it, be it through fanfiction, fanart, fanvids or fanmix. It's about being overcome by this word you've found that you just want to jump right in and live it with the characters. To me, fanfiction is about connecting with something deep inside that's brought out because of these characters and the stories that thousands on people have written about it, not just the authors. Authors shouldn't look at it as people stealing from them or "stealing their children" as one author said, but look at it as someone has loved your world and your characters -your ideas - so much that they were inspierd to write themselves.
And I don't see it as just about people loving these books and stories, because fanfiction also helps promote your book/movie/TV show or comic! I know I'm not the only fanfic reader out there that once you've found a favourit fanfiction author you go and read anything else they have written, even if you don't know the book, movie, comic or TV show that the fanfiction is based on. And I know I have gotten into way more book, TV shows, movies, even comic book BECAUSE of fanfiction. IT'S FREE ADVERTISEMENT PEOPLE! It's word of mouth on the global scale. You can buy shit like that.
In the words of Joss Whedon 'These shows are designed to be in people's lives, in their fiction, in their dreams, in their porn, in everything.'
Also, about fanficiton being illegal, that's why we put a disclaimer on everyone of our fanfictions. We don't sell our stories and we don't make money off of them, so how is that illegal? And I'm really asking, I'm not just being sarcastic. If we fanfiction writers put disclaimers on our fics and we don't make money from it, then how is it illegal? I thought copyrights are just for the people how are stealing others ideas AND MAKING MONEY FROM IT, doesn't fanfiction fall under freedom of speech (or whatever it is up here in Canada)?
Anyways, that's my little rant on some authors views on fanficiton. I know if I ever get a book publish or create a TV show or write a screenplay, I'm not doing to look down on fanfiction. I think I'll be more like Joss Whedon, where if I saw fanfiction about my creative whatever I'd be very happy and over joyed to see it because I would know that people like it and it was very popular.
To me, fanfiction isn't about stealing anything from authors, it's about having such strong feeling about the story or characters - be it good or bad - and wanting to express those emotions with other like minded people. It's about loving the characters and the universe that those people have made that you want to be SOME part of it, be it through fanfiction, fanart, fanvids or fanmix. It's about being overcome by this word you've found that you just want to jump right in and live it with the characters. To me, fanfiction is about connecting with something deep inside that's brought out because of these characters and the stories that thousands on people have written about it, not just the authors. Authors shouldn't look at it as people stealing from them or "stealing their children" as one author said, but look at it as someone has loved your world and your characters -your ideas - so much that they were inspierd to write themselves.
And I don't see it as just about people loving these books and stories, because fanfiction also helps promote your book/movie/TV show or comic! I know I'm not the only fanfic reader out there that once you've found a favourit fanfiction author you go and read anything else they have written, even if you don't know the book, movie, comic or TV show that the fanfiction is based on. And I know I have gotten into way more book, TV shows, movies, even comic book BECAUSE of fanfiction. IT'S FREE ADVERTISEMENT PEOPLE! It's word of mouth on the global scale. You can buy shit like that.
In the words of Joss Whedon 'These shows are designed to be in people's lives, in their fiction, in their dreams, in their porn, in everything.'
Also, about fanficiton being illegal, that's why we put a disclaimer on everyone of our fanfictions. We don't sell our stories and we don't make money off of them, so how is that illegal? And I'm really asking, I'm not just being sarcastic. If we fanfiction writers put disclaimers on our fics and we don't make money from it, then how is it illegal? I thought copyrights are just for the people how are stealing others ideas AND MAKING MONEY FROM IT, doesn't fanfiction fall under freedom of speech (or whatever it is up here in Canada)?
Anyways, that's my little rant on some authors views on fanficiton. I know if I ever get a book publish or create a TV show or write a screenplay, I'm not doing to look down on fanfiction. I think I'll be more like Joss Whedon, where if I saw fanfiction about my creative whatever I'd be very happy and over joyed to see it because I would know that people like it and it was very popular.