Thoughts After Writing My First Official Fanfiction Story

[jimhines]

Folks have been talking more about fanfiction lately, partly in response to an incident that took place at a Sherlock Q&A session, in which Caitlin Moran brought up Sherlock fanfic, and pushed two actors to read an excerpt of what turned out to be sexually explicit fanfic. Without permission from the author. For what was presumably supposed to be a

Comments

[aulus_poliutos]

Yes, good fanfic isn't easy. OK, I'll let out that dirty little secret of mine, lol. Before I got serious about my historical fiction I was an editor for a - now defunct - LOTR fanfic site and also wrote some pieces for it. We had a proper submission process and all, to avoid the crap stuff that is unfortunately also around (and my own submissions got edited by someone else). It was actually a pretty good learning tool, but I soon felt that I had my own stories to tell as well, and I was not the only member of that place who moved to original fiction.

[sueo2]

Some argue that fanfiction is "lesser" because you don't create original characters (as main characters) but it can be educational in writing a character consistent with the one we see in the original work. This forces the writer to understand character development. Some paid writers don't get it right.

[fadethecat]

See, I always find that argument hilarious because I write stacks of fanfic, and by and large I don't write any characters but my own. My use of fanfic cheat codes is to avoid setting exposition. Character creation is EASY. It's elegantly weaving in explanations of how the hell some complicated magical power works, complete with its limitations and costs, that drives me up the wall. So instead I write fanfic for RPG settings, where I can do anything I want with plots and characters, but don't have to try to gracefully exposit cost/duration/distance/effects of whatever interesting supernatural power I wanted to use while keeping the pacing going.

[mrs_norris_mous]

Have you considered posting it on ao3 ?

There is a category waiting... ( I think )

http://archiveofourown.org/tags/Frosty%20the%20Snowman%20-%20All%20Media%20Types/works

[jimhines]

I hadn't, but I may have to look into that...

[sartorias]

Thank you, Jim!

[nicked_metal]

Thanks for linking to this, it's heartwarming and good :)

Regarding the legal issues surrounding fanfic, I've been thinking for some time that someone should say "I own all rights to derivative works, including fanfiction - it is my intent to allow people to create fanfiction provided that conditions here]. I retain full ownership of the fanfiction that is derived from my work, and if you don't like this, then don't write things based on my stuff. However, if you're OK with that, then I'll let you know if I need you to change what you're doing with the fanfiction you've written."

[crimsoncorundum]

Great post. As someone who has been writing original fiction practically all my life and fan fiction for about fifteen years, I completely agree with you.

Also, I friended you. Hi! Nice to meet you. :)

[jimhines]

Hi, and welcome!

::Waves hello::