Playing in Other People's Universes
Until a year or two ago I had never seriously thought about writing fan fiction. It seemed pointless and somewhat of an admission of failure of imagination--like saying that you don't have enough imagination to come up with your own characters and settings. Recently I've experimented with some fan fiction: two short stories set in SM Stirling's Dies the Fire universe and a sort of generic young adult series book pastiche based on a Tom Swift/Rick Brant-type character.
Why did I do that when I have way more story ideas than I'll ever get a chance to write? Mainly because it takes the pressure off. I know I can't ethically sell the fan fiction, so I don't feel any pressure to make it sell able. Ironically, that actually lets me right more boldly, take more chances. The Dies The Fire fan fictions are among my favorites among my short stories because I let myself be as over the top as I felt like being. That can be pretty over the top, but it seems to work well for me. I wish I could capture that freedom for my own stories.
Why did I do that when I have way more story ideas than I'll ever get a chance to write? Mainly because it takes the pressure off. I know I can't ethically sell the fan fiction, so I don't feel any pressure to make it sell able. Ironically, that actually lets me right more boldly, take more chances. The Dies The Fire fan fictions are among my favorites among my short stories because I let myself be as over the top as I felt like being. That can be pretty over the top, but it seems to work well for me. I wish I could capture that freedom for my own stories.