30 Days of Fan Fiction meme, Day 13
13 - Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?In general, I prefer to stay as close to canon as possible. Even my headcanon - my "fanon" - usually doesn't go leaps and bounds over canon. My fanon usually fits into the world already
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Sure, I've had fun writing genderswap fic now and then, but I fancy it's always for a purpose - it's keeping the character true to his/her original everything, just placing them in different circumstances, which may or may not change their motives, viewpoints, and eventual actions.
My fanon too is pretty canon, simply because I think characters are created for a reason, a purpose, with certain characteristics, and changing those characteristics (eg: sexuality, morality, viewpoints) with no explanation except "just because" is, to me, not being loyal to the source material, which is why you liked the character in the FIRST PLACE. That said, I do like AUs like the genderswap listed above because I like to see what people can do with the source material. What if Isabela had run off and joined the Chantry instead of run to sea when she escaped her husband? (I think I've seen that somewhere on the kmeme lol) That's interesting, because the fact that she embraced a life of the lone woman in charge of her own destiny is a huge part of her character, but based on her confession, it could've gone a very different way if she hadn't happened upon an Antivan lover willing to deal with her "problem".
Here's the thing: entitlement. Fans think they are entitled to reform source material to their own whims because you as the author/creator, shared it with them. I think about the only thing I really remember from Toy Story - lending your toys to the neighbor kid only to get them back missing limbs, with different bodies, eyes gouged out, etc. I think we can all agree that wouldn't make anyone happy, and that's what SOME fanfiction authors do. AUs with consistent characterization are one thing, but just keeping the same name and changing everything else is not.
That said, again, if authors don't even want you writing in-between scenes, don't do it - they've asked, and the respectful thing to do is say "okay, I really love your stuff" not "you are strangling my creativity and enjoyment of your work". If you go to a museum to see a Rembrandt, you are expected to just look at it and enjoy what the artist has given you - you don't get finger paints to touch it up so it better satisfies you.
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Yes. I don't read a lot of genderswap, but if it does keep true to character I don't object to something AU like that at all.
I didn't even think of AU "what ifs" because I think those are interesting too. But it all comes back to respecting the source material and keeping the characters true.
I don't think I would mind fanworks of my own stories as long as it was respectful... But really, my thinking about this is pointless as I'll probably never reach the kind of popularity that people are urged to write fanfic about it - and this is if I can ever finish the rewrites to my novel and get it published. A lot of ifs!
That said, again, if authors don't even want you writing in-between scenes, don't do it - they've asked, and the respectful thing to do is say "okay, I really love your stuff" not "you are strangling my creativity and enjoyment of your work". If you go to a museum to see a Rembrandt, you are expected to just look at it and enjoy what the artist has given you - you don't get finger paints to touch it up so it better satisfies you.
This. All of this.
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