HANDS OFF!!

[harmony_bites]

Given this post by ginny_weasley31 that some on Potter Place are seeking to compile lists of "abandoned" stories to complete--and some members are supporting the idea that if they don't hear back from the author they're going to consider permission implied.

Well, just in case, because I'm not sure anyone is interested in my little ol' WIP.

1) Book of Shadows

Comments

[harmony_bites]

(Although I guess even without contacting the author, a "sequel" is more like a fanfic of fanfic anyway, and I don't think I'd have a problem with it really, with proper disclaimers in place. I probably wouldn't be very interested in reading it though.)

I had several such stories written off my Trek stories. Almost always with permission. But in one case, the author didn't ask, and hell, I loved the story she wrote so much there was instant forgiveness, and I guess that softens my attitude toward doing that. But just picking up where I left off on a fic--that would feel like a terrible violation--the kind that, were it common, I certainly would never post a WIP again (I wouldn't any way--post a WIP for various writerly and fandom reasons--but I wouldn't have in the first place if I knew this was an accepted thing in the fandom)

I do understand the desire though, that wanting to know how a well-loved story would end

I'd dearly love to see Falling Further In completed--but if it's not done by KazVL, for me it wouldn't be completed. Only she knows where that story could go. I could only accept that I know how it really ends if it came from her.

[kribu]

I could only accept that I know how it really ends if it came from her.

Exactly! Which is - while I understand the desire to want to know the ending - why it simply wouldn't work anyway. It's not like it would really be a continuation of the original fic, no more than any post-DH fic is really a continuation of JKR's Harry Potter saga.

It would never be more than a fan's take on it, which would be different from the original author's version even if the original author provided the fan with extensive notes.

[harmony_bites]

Also, think of style.

It's one thing for you or me or KazVL to write a story based on the HP world in our style. The work still has an integrity it's own. OUR take on it. But if someone tries to finish Falling Further In not KazVL--it would almost certainly be a trainwreck unless the person was just as talented as her and a gifted mimic.

Think of Round Robins. They rarely work. Often because there's a weak link, but also because of a clash of styles. I remember one on OWL--it included two of my favorite authors back then--SnarkyRoxy and Juliet. But the two of them had such wildly different styles and takes on Snape's character, that when one of them tacked on you could hear the squealing, wrenching sound as the train went off the rails.

I fangirl wonderfulwrites and bambu345 greatly. But imagine Wonderful finishing The Summoning and Bambu doing Walk Through Fire. Er... no, just no.

[kribu]

Oh yes, exactly - that's why it wouldn't work even with the original author's notes; even in the "best" case scenario of the continuing author knowing the plot the original author had planned. It just wouldn't read the same.

If one really, absolutely, for whatever reason, felt she had to write an ending for someone else's story, it would either pretty much need to be labelled as a "sequel" or simply as fanfic for that fic, and to be written as well as read with that in mind. Still murky territory, but a little clearer.

I just can't really imagine even those working too well in fandom where the original author is still present and around, whether the fic in question was actually abandoned or just on a long hiatus (after all, authors do return and continue their fics even after a year or two away). (Writing a little scene or a drabble or a ficlet set in another fan!author's universe as a homage or a gift is quite another matter.)

I mean, one reason why I think fanfic works is that the original author isn't involved (even in cases where it's known that the author has occasionally read a fic or two and is aware of their existence). It grants so much more freedom for the fan writers, both creatively and on a more personal level, without really needing to worry about ever "meeting" the actual author, or the author coming across it and being horrified. The authors have their playgrounds, the fans have theirs. With writing fanfic of fanfic, those lines would be muddled and a lot of wank could (and likely would) ensue. :-S

[harmony_bites]

It grants so much more freedom for the fan writers, both creatively and on a more personal level, without really needing to worry about ever "meeting" the actual author, or the author coming across it and being horrified. The authors have their playgrounds, the fans have theirs. With writing fanfic of fanfic, those lines would be muddled and a lot of wank could (and likely would) ensue. :-S

Word. It would be a disaster I think, and I didn't quite think of it or articulate it that way, but yeah.

[harmony_bites]

Exactly.

Often that's exactly why we love them.

I usually hate PoetryQuotingSnape. KazVL has been the only one who for me pulled that off.