Why fanfic?

[elfwreck]

Why don't we write our own stories, if we've got the talent?

Once we set aside the legal issues (which are complex, and plenty worthy of discussion on their own), and the ethics issues (wac, apwodoto), we're left with the key question of why do we do this--why write (or draw or vid or game or whatever we do) in someone else's universe, with

Comments

[elfwreck]

There's a lot more about tv shows than books; they're shared more widely. TV shows count viewers in the millions; books count sales by the thousands. (There's possibly room for an essay about HP being the first literary fandom to compete with TV fandom because it had that much shared popularity.)

The good news is that fanfic isn't limited to currently popular shows. You must know there's seven hundred bazillion Star Trek fics, ranging from the original series through Enterprise. There's Due South fic archives. Lots of comic book fics, which I'm barely aware of but have read a few incredible stories. (There's a lot of Smallville fic, and while I've never watched the show, I know enough about "teenage Superman" to read the fic.)

Since I haven't found any good L&O resources (I've read one or two good fics, but can't find them again today), I'm gonna point you at something else: Yuletide is an "obscure fandom" fic exchange that's been running for several years; they get entries in hundreds of fandoms that are too small to have their own archives.

Random recs:
Strange Bedfellows, a M.A.S.H. story that should've been an episode. Too much fun. (Hawkeye/Trapper John slash; 9000 words)

memory, other, a Dune story involving a conversation between Paul and Alia. 2400 words.

Bright Moon, Who Goes Farther Still, from Watership Down. Over 16,000 words; this one should be gathered up and cherished as a new myth.

[slashpervert]

I originally read fanfic in Star Trek fanzines in the 70s. Still own a large box of them in fact. I have some of the original ones that spawned the "slash" title that were the Kirk/Spock zines.

There are fanfic on just about every book and show you can imagine. My current favourites also include Harry Potter, Pirates of the Carribean, Doctor Who, and Torchwood. I actually think "serialised" fiction, movies or shows get the most fanfic. It is something about being part of an ongoing process. There was a lot of Sherlock Holmes fiction when it was originally being published and still is, for example. So there is also the wanting the process to continue for that and shows like the original Star Trek where we were writing so much during the time after the first show was canceled and before the new ones. Fandom is what pushed the return. People wanted more. Many of the Star Trek novels that came out were essentially fanfic that was authorised.

[elfwreck]

Are you familiar with the Foresmutter's Project? (I'd give links, but they seem to have evaporated with the sale of eclipse.com to netcarrier.com. Gah.) There's a group that tries to put together digital archives of 70's and early 80's slashfic.