fan fic goodness
So here I am chiming in after well over a year. I'm popping up to post my full answers to a fic fic survey I took over at veggiebelle's LJ.
1. How did you first come across fan fiction?
I was an X-Files fan and a die-hard Mulder/Scully shipper. Since Chris Carter explicitly told the fans that the two agents would never get together, I had to turn to fan fiction to give me what the show creators refused to.
2. What do you look for in fan fiction?
First and foremost, the writer MUST capture the characters' voices. There's nothing worse than seeing dialogue that a character would never say on the show. Second, I look for an original plot that is as interesting as the character relationships. I'm not much of a PWP fan, because I feel that the quality is severely limited in those stories. Lastly, of course I'm seeking out some sort of pairing that appeals to me.
3. What do you see as the best aspects of fan fiction, in general or with specifics?
What I find most enjoyable about fan fiction is the way that it allows fans to engage in an active relationship with the show they love. They're not just passively watching the show, they're allowing the stories they see to spark their own creative impulses. Many talented writers get exposure they would never get otherwise.
What's also wonderful about fan fiction is that fans get a chance to explore storylines that might be too taboo for network televisions. It's a chance for fans to deviate from what the networks deem is "appropriate" and think outside that box. For example, the Smallville HoYay fans totally subvert the masculine ideal of the Superman mythology by pairing Clark and Lex together in their stories. They take Superman, the very model of manliness, and apply a queer lens to the story.
Overall, I think fan fiction makes for better fans. People are choosing to have a dialogue with each other about a piece of literature and they are springboarding from that and using it as inspiration to create their own literature.
4. What do you see as the worst aspects of fan fiction, in general or with specifics?
The worst aspects are that fans tend to stretch canon a bit thin sometimes, which leads to poorly characterized stories. Also, since the internet allows any hack to publish at will, writers tend to have poor discipline. Even the most talented writers in this world have editors for a reason, and I think the genre will always be limited as long as writers refuse to rework their material. There's an enormous potential to create really cutting edge works of fiction here, but until a group of writers decides to sit down and really apply the red pen to their work, I think fan fiction will likely never rise above the level of really good pulp.
Also, because the internet is so spread out, trying to track down those good fics in the middle of all the lousy fic (poor spelling, plots that make no sense, etc) is really difficult. I've read too many stories that were just horrible, and yet the reviews posted all rave about the writer.
5. (For Writers Only) What inspired you to begin writing fan fiction?
I read a lot of really great stories out there and realized the enormous potential for creativity that these fandoms offered.
6. (For Writers Only) Why do you write fan fiction?
Partly because I love the shows and I can't suppress the urge to want to "fix" them when I feel they've gone astray (Buffy, for example, completely flew off the rails in Season 6 and 7 I believe). Also, I've always been a writer, so this is just another good way for me to exercise my writing ability. And yes, the praise heaped upon a story when I do a good job is sort of intoxicating.
7. (For Writers Only) Do you write NC-17 fic? Why or why not?
I personally don't, because I find it hard to write a good sex scene that doesn't devolve into horrible cliches. Also, I like to think that the driving force behind my writing is a solid plot that is engaging even without getting explicit about sex.
8. (For Writers Only) Do you write "slash" fic? Why or why not?
Yes, most of my fiction tends to be slash. For me, those are usually the pairings that attract me the most, because on the shows gay relationships tend to get the short end of the stick. Even when it's a canon pairing such as Willow and Tara, the networks refuse to give such relationships equal treatment. So I know that if I want to see a well written story about a particular gay or lesbian couple, I'm going to have to write it myself, since the show clearly will never give it to me.
9. Is there anything else you'd like to say on the subject? Anything at all?
I have lots of opinions on uber-fiction, which I think is a unique form of fan fiction, especially in the Xena-verse, but I don't have time right now. If anyone would like to engage in a dialogue specifically about uber-fic, that would be peachy.
1. How did you first come across fan fiction?
I was an X-Files fan and a die-hard Mulder/Scully shipper. Since Chris Carter explicitly told the fans that the two agents would never get together, I had to turn to fan fiction to give me what the show creators refused to.
2. What do you look for in fan fiction?
First and foremost, the writer MUST capture the characters' voices. There's nothing worse than seeing dialogue that a character would never say on the show. Second, I look for an original plot that is as interesting as the character relationships. I'm not much of a PWP fan, because I feel that the quality is severely limited in those stories. Lastly, of course I'm seeking out some sort of pairing that appeals to me.
3. What do you see as the best aspects of fan fiction, in general or with specifics?
What I find most enjoyable about fan fiction is the way that it allows fans to engage in an active relationship with the show they love. They're not just passively watching the show, they're allowing the stories they see to spark their own creative impulses. Many talented writers get exposure they would never get otherwise.
What's also wonderful about fan fiction is that fans get a chance to explore storylines that might be too taboo for network televisions. It's a chance for fans to deviate from what the networks deem is "appropriate" and think outside that box. For example, the Smallville HoYay fans totally subvert the masculine ideal of the Superman mythology by pairing Clark and Lex together in their stories. They take Superman, the very model of manliness, and apply a queer lens to the story.
Overall, I think fan fiction makes for better fans. People are choosing to have a dialogue with each other about a piece of literature and they are springboarding from that and using it as inspiration to create their own literature.
4. What do you see as the worst aspects of fan fiction, in general or with specifics?
The worst aspects are that fans tend to stretch canon a bit thin sometimes, which leads to poorly characterized stories. Also, since the internet allows any hack to publish at will, writers tend to have poor discipline. Even the most talented writers in this world have editors for a reason, and I think the genre will always be limited as long as writers refuse to rework their material. There's an enormous potential to create really cutting edge works of fiction here, but until a group of writers decides to sit down and really apply the red pen to their work, I think fan fiction will likely never rise above the level of really good pulp.
Also, because the internet is so spread out, trying to track down those good fics in the middle of all the lousy fic (poor spelling, plots that make no sense, etc) is really difficult. I've read too many stories that were just horrible, and yet the reviews posted all rave about the writer.
5. (For Writers Only) What inspired you to begin writing fan fiction?
I read a lot of really great stories out there and realized the enormous potential for creativity that these fandoms offered.
6. (For Writers Only) Why do you write fan fiction?
Partly because I love the shows and I can't suppress the urge to want to "fix" them when I feel they've gone astray (Buffy, for example, completely flew off the rails in Season 6 and 7 I believe). Also, I've always been a writer, so this is just another good way for me to exercise my writing ability. And yes, the praise heaped upon a story when I do a good job is sort of intoxicating.
7. (For Writers Only) Do you write NC-17 fic? Why or why not?
I personally don't, because I find it hard to write a good sex scene that doesn't devolve into horrible cliches. Also, I like to think that the driving force behind my writing is a solid plot that is engaging even without getting explicit about sex.
8. (For Writers Only) Do you write "slash" fic? Why or why not?
Yes, most of my fiction tends to be slash. For me, those are usually the pairings that attract me the most, because on the shows gay relationships tend to get the short end of the stick. Even when it's a canon pairing such as Willow and Tara, the networks refuse to give such relationships equal treatment. So I know that if I want to see a well written story about a particular gay or lesbian couple, I'm going to have to write it myself, since the show clearly will never give it to me.
9. Is there anything else you'd like to say on the subject? Anything at all?
I have lots of opinions on uber-fiction, which I think is a unique form of fan fiction, especially in the Xena-verse, but I don't have time right now. If anyone would like to engage in a dialogue specifically about uber-fic, that would be peachy.