About fanfiction
This is an intro I wrote for the four stories I turned in as assignment for one of my classes at Uni. I'd kinda forgotten about this but as I was reading over it again now, I was amused by how poetic I got. Thought I'd share this with you even if of course this is all old news to you. Anyway, here goes:
“He was no longer quite sure whether anything he had ever thought or felt was truly his own property, or whether his thoughts were merely a common part of the world’s store of ideas which had always existed ready-made and which people only borrowed, like books from a library.”
Milan Kundera, Life is Elsewhere
“There’s a time and place for everything, and I believe it’s called 'fan fiction'.”
Joss Whedon
"It’s true, in a way, that when it comes to writing there is nothing new under the sun. We are inspired by the world we live in. That includes the books we read, as well as the stories we hear and see and experience all around us. Nothing is born in a vacuum; ideas are made up of parts, of bits and pieces gathered throughout the writer’s life. The originality of his work lies in the composition. How are these pieces put together, in what order, what pace, how detailed is their description, how shallow their meaning? It’s less of a puzzle than it is a carpet, woven from strands of yarn, different in colour, thickness and fibre, hand picked by each writer to tell each story. It doesn’t matter where these strands originated from, in the hands of the weaver, the writer, the outcome will be unique.
Then there are the stories that, like a rug made out of ripped up old clothes, consciously derive from other stories. They serve as a tribute to them, are inspired by them or seek to explore beyond what they offer. The four stories in this collection are that kind. Two of them are merely inspired by the books they’re attributed to, the other two are woven into the universe the original writer created, are a kind of fan fiction if you like. All four still tell their own story by choosing which threads to leave and which to follow. One is complete, the others offer a step into a world that can be expanded by the writer, or even the reader, creating his or her own version of what happens next if he or she so chooses. It should be noted that even if the original books were written for children, the stories I wrote are probably better suited for an older audience.
I hope you enjoy."
My metaphors, man. They read like poetry. lol
“He was no longer quite sure whether anything he had ever thought or felt was truly his own property, or whether his thoughts were merely a common part of the world’s store of ideas which had always existed ready-made and which people only borrowed, like books from a library.”
Milan Kundera, Life is Elsewhere
“There’s a time and place for everything, and I believe it’s called 'fan fiction'.”
Joss Whedon
"It’s true, in a way, that when it comes to writing there is nothing new under the sun. We are inspired by the world we live in. That includes the books we read, as well as the stories we hear and see and experience all around us. Nothing is born in a vacuum; ideas are made up of parts, of bits and pieces gathered throughout the writer’s life. The originality of his work lies in the composition. How are these pieces put together, in what order, what pace, how detailed is their description, how shallow their meaning? It’s less of a puzzle than it is a carpet, woven from strands of yarn, different in colour, thickness and fibre, hand picked by each writer to tell each story. It doesn’t matter where these strands originated from, in the hands of the weaver, the writer, the outcome will be unique.
Then there are the stories that, like a rug made out of ripped up old clothes, consciously derive from other stories. They serve as a tribute to them, are inspired by them or seek to explore beyond what they offer. The four stories in this collection are that kind. Two of them are merely inspired by the books they’re attributed to, the other two are woven into the universe the original writer created, are a kind of fan fiction if you like. All four still tell their own story by choosing which threads to leave and which to follow. One is complete, the others offer a step into a world that can be expanded by the writer, or even the reader, creating his or her own version of what happens next if he or she so chooses. It should be noted that even if the original books were written for children, the stories I wrote are probably better suited for an older audience.
I hope you enjoy."
My metaphors, man. They read like poetry. lol