What is the difference between reading books and fanfic? For me, it's the ability to pick and choose exactly what I'm in the mood for. Fanfic generally comes with tags and notes, so if I want a Sterek fake dating fic with werewolf reveal and mutual pining, I will be able to find one with minimal fuss. With books, it's always hit and miss. Sometimes the summary tell you what you'll get and that's good. And sometimes they try to be clever and the book turns out to be about something completely different. But by then you're stuck with it, aren't you? There's no back button on an actual, physical book.
I also think that fanfic allows for more diversity and has the greater freedom to explore. Because the canon is already given, nobody needs to waste time to lay the scene and introduce the characters. We already know the characters. Even in AU fics, the characters are recognizable. You know these people, so you can dive right into the story. And it's a sad fact that a lot of diversity gets written out of books to make sales. Authors get told to change their LGBTQ+ character to something "more approachable" (read: straight) and that maybe a physically disabled character or a mentally ill character isn't the best protagonist. There is no expectation of making money with fanfic, meaning that there is no need for censorship of that kind.
Do you think that fanfic can be as good or better than published books? Absolutely! I've read fics that were as good or better than published books. On the flipside, I've also read "books" that made me wonder how they got to the point of being published in the first place. I also think that fanfic as a medium allows the writers more freedom to include other forms of art and to tell a story on several levels (by including fanart, links, songs, etc.) that novels (by virtue of being actual books) can't include. So apart from writing quality, there are other ways that fanfic can definitely keep up with (any maybe get the better of) books.
Have you ever read fanfic for a book? Duh. HP was one of my first fandoms, and my most recent book fandom is Rivers of London (♥). Although generally book fandoms tend to be on the smaller side (unless there's also a movie or they read HP levels of fame), they do exist. *g*
What is your favorite length of fanfic to read? Depends on my mood, really. But somewhere around 50k is a good length. Sometimes I only have time for something shorter, though. I tend to tackle the really long ones (100k+) on the weekends.
What is it that is so compelling about reading fanfiction? It's the satisfaction that comes from seeing all these versions played out that will never make it into the show/movie/book/thing. It's knowing that there is at least one more person besides you that likes this one specific thing (because they went and wrote a fic about it, didn't they?). It's "correcting" something in canon, adding something to it, changing something. It's asking that question - what if? What if this episode had gone differently? What if this character hadn't died? What if this thing hadn't happened? Because you know none of these questions will ever be answered in canon, but you want to know. (And of course there's the thing that's also compelling about reading books: to disappear into a completely different world and immerse yourself in all these places and adventures.)
What do you think about fanfic that is much longer than the average novel? Epic fics can be amazing. But occasionally it's a case of "this could have been shorter". (But tbh, the "could have been shorter" syndrome also affects a lot of longer-than-average books.)
Recommend a novel length fanfic? First Impressions by manic_intent Rivers of London. Peter Grant/Thomas Nightingale. You could say that I first got a Clue that my governor maybe, kind of, had a sort of Thing for me when Molly started methodically oversalting all my food and drink. Including the hot cocoas. (completely AU, but definitely worth a read!)
It's funny that the main thing I got out of your great post (we share so many similar views) about fanfic is that I need to find this Rivers of London book at the library. (Already done.)
On the flip-side of tags and everything being useful to finding what you want, I'm not always happy about getting so much info up front. A warning for character death is the one that always bugs me. I 100% understand why it's there and why it's really important for some people but I'd personally rather not know ahead of time. But it's not like I don't like it so I don't think it should exist. It's more of I ignore tags and then realize what I've clicked on is one of the rare things I'm just super not into.
I've often wondered when AO3 will get to the point where you can exclude certain tags from your search results entirely. As someone who's super into these little rare pair ships it always makes me sad to see there are a good number of results but then the vast majority of them are with my pairing being the bad relationship prelude to the overwhelmingly popular ship.
Oh yeah. Rivers of London is kind of like Harry Potter for grown ups, with policemen instead of students. I haven't been disappointed by a Rivers of London book so far, and I hope it keeps up. *g*
I know what you mean. AO3 does give the option of not warning for things, but you can easily get spoiled from the notes and most people use the warnings anyway. The best warnings are the ones where you can decide for yourself if you want to take a look or if you'd rather be surprised. But I still find tags infinitely useful in finding just the right thing to read.
But you can eliminate things from AO3 searches. Take a look at this. It explains how to filter out a pairing (but it also works with other tags, I think). (And I'm pretty sure I've used the minus sign on the regular search page to exclude things.)
Okay, I have now read Midnight Riot (which is what the first book is called in the US) and I have a question. The first scene we get between Nightingale and Seawoll, Seawoll says "I don't care who you're currently fucking, I don't want any of your X-files shit getting in the way of proper police work." I kept waiting for that line be become relevant and it never seemed to. Does that ever come up again in a future book? I doubt I'll read any further into the series any time soon but I'm super curious about that bit.
Not so far. There is some speculation about Nightingale and relationships (as there always is), but no official liaisons as far as I remember. (...but now you've made me wait for it to become relevant.)
Totally agree with everything you said in this section: What is it that is so compelling about reading fanfiction? All the what-ifs brought to fruition, from the creativity and imagination of a fellow fan. Yes, sometimes the what-ifs do not hit the mark, but when it does, it's magnificent.
Yes, sometimes the what-ifs do not hit the mark, but when it does, it's magnificent.
One of the beautiful things about fanfic is that there is so much of it. So even if you don't like a particular line of stories, you still have hundreds or thousands of others that take the same idea in a different direction.
"But by then you're stuck with it, aren't you? There's no back button on an actual, physical book."
You could just put the book down/give it to someone else etc.
Not trying to be rude but this concept took me a long time to come to grips with that it's okay to just put a book down. I try to say this to people who say they have a hard time with it.
Ah, I'm not above putting a book down if it turns out to suck. I've not finished books before. But if I pay actual hard-earned cash for it, then this is the least-desired outcome. It's wasted money. And giving it to someone else or donating it to a library might be a nice thing to do, but it still makes me mad that I paid money for something that turned out to suck. (In the same vein, I'm also mad about having spent money on kitchen appliances that turn out to be less useful than advertised.)
I agree 100% with your whole answer for "What is it that is so compelling about reading fanfiction?" I started highlighting something I agreed with but then it's like, I was at the point where I'd basically highlighted all of it...
I've also read "books" that made me wonder how they got to the point of being published in the first place. I have a running challenge that if I find more than 5 typos, I put it down. And it has happened.
I also think that fanfic as a medium allows the writers more freedom Absolutely. This.
I do like to use the TAGS in AO3 to guide me to the stories I 'might' like and allow me to avoid those that are really not what I want to read. There is a downside that sometimes the tags let on too much, or the writer gets a little TOO tag friendly and makes up silly tags that switch me off completely. Although not necessarily true - juvenile tags tends to equate to juvenile writing.
I am a great fan of alternate universes and forks in the road style stories. I love seeing how things might have turned out if someone had turned left instead of right.
For me, it's the ability to pick and choose exactly what I'm in the mood for. Fanfic generally comes with tags and notes, so if I want a Sterek fake dating fic with werewolf reveal and mutual pining, I will be able to find one with minimal fuss. With books, it's always hit and miss. Sometimes the summary tell you what you'll get and that's good. And sometimes they try to be clever and the book turns out to be about something completely different. But by then you're stuck with it, aren't you? There's no back button on an actual, physical book.
I also think that fanfic allows for more diversity and has the greater freedom to explore. Because the canon is already given, nobody needs to waste time to lay the scene and introduce the characters. We already know the characters. Even in AU fics, the characters are recognizable. You know these people, so you can dive right into the story. And it's a sad fact that a lot of diversity gets written out of books to make sales. Authors get told to change their LGBTQ+ character to something "more approachable" (read: straight) and that maybe a physically disabled character or a mentally ill character isn't the best protagonist. There is no expectation of making money with fanfic, meaning that there is no need for censorship of that kind.
Do you think that fanfic can be as good or better than published books?
Absolutely! I've read fics that were as good or better than published books. On the flipside, I've also read "books" that made me wonder how they got to the point of being published in the first place. I also think that fanfic as a medium allows the writers more freedom to include other forms of art and to tell a story on several levels (by including fanart, links, songs, etc.) that novels (by virtue of being actual books) can't include. So apart from writing quality, there are other ways that fanfic can definitely keep up with (any maybe get the better of) books.
Have you ever read fanfic for a book?
Duh. HP was one of my first fandoms, and my most recent book fandom is Rivers of London (♥). Although generally book fandoms tend to be on the smaller side (unless there's also a movie or they read HP levels of fame), they do exist. *g*
What is your favorite length of fanfic to read?
Depends on my mood, really. But somewhere around 50k is a good length. Sometimes I only have time for something shorter, though. I tend to tackle the really long ones (100k+) on the weekends.
What is it that is so compelling about reading fanfiction?
It's the satisfaction that comes from seeing all these versions played out that will never make it into the show/movie/book/thing. It's knowing that there is at least one more person besides you that likes this one specific thing (because they went and wrote a fic about it, didn't they?). It's "correcting" something in canon, adding something to it, changing something. It's asking that question - what if? What if this episode had gone differently? What if this character hadn't died? What if this thing hadn't happened? Because you know none of these questions will ever be answered in canon, but you want to know. (And of course there's the thing that's also compelling about reading books: to disappear into a completely different world and immerse yourself in all these places and adventures.)
What do you think about fanfic that is much longer than the average novel?
Epic fics can be amazing. But occasionally it's a case of "this could have been shorter". (But tbh, the "could have been shorter" syndrome also affects a lot of longer-than-average books.)
Recommend a novel length fanfic?
First Impressions by manic_intent
Rivers of London. Peter Grant/Thomas Nightingale. You could say that I first got a Clue that my governor maybe, kind of, had a sort of Thing for me when Molly started methodically oversalting all my food and drink. Including the hot cocoas.
(completely AU, but definitely worth a read!)
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On the flip-side of tags and everything being useful to finding what you want, I'm not always happy about getting so much info up front. A warning for character death is the one that always bugs me. I 100% understand why it's there and why it's really important for some people but I'd personally rather not know ahead of time. But it's not like I don't like it so I don't think it should exist. It's more of I ignore tags and then realize what I've clicked on is one of the rare things I'm just super not into.
I've often wondered when AO3 will get to the point where you can exclude certain tags from your search results entirely. As someone who's super into these little rare pair ships it always makes me sad to see there are a good number of results but then the vast majority of them are with my pairing being the bad relationship prelude to the overwhelmingly popular ship.
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I know what you mean. AO3 does give the option of not warning for things, but you can easily get spoiled from the notes and most people use the warnings anyway. The best warnings are the ones where you can decide for yourself if you want to take a look or if you'd rather be surprised. But I still find tags infinitely useful in finding just the right thing to read.
But you can eliminate things from AO3 searches. Take a look at this. It explains how to filter out a pairing (but it also works with other tags, I think). (And I'm pretty sure I've used the minus sign on the regular search page to exclude things.)
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One of the beautiful things about fanfic is that there is so much of it. So even if you don't like a particular line of stories, you still have hundreds or thousands of others that take the same idea in a different direction.
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You could just put the book down/give it to someone else etc.
Not trying to be rude but this concept took me a long time to come to grips with that it's okay to just put a book down. I try to say this to people who say they have a hard time with it.
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I've also read "books" that made me wonder how they got to the point of being published in the first place.
I have a running challenge that if I find more than 5 typos, I put it down. And it has happened.
I also think that fanfic as a medium allows the writers more freedom
Absolutely. This.
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I have a running challenge that if I find more than 5 typos, I put it down. And it has happened.
Oh yeah. And not just with self-published books.
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I am a great fan of alternate universes and forks in the road style stories. I love seeing how things might have turned out if someone had turned left instead of right.
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Those types of AUs are great! I love seeing how things could have gone differently.
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