Thoughts on fanfiction?

[yoboketto]

I have seen some people debating about fanfiction on the internet throughout the years. And I feel like people have had a fanfiction faze at some point and/or in that faze at the moment.

So my question is, what are your thoughts on fanfiction?

[NickRowler]

I don’t have any issues with people writing fanfics but I do agree that sometimes they can be a bit cringy. But I feel like they can also be a way for young writers to improve on their craft and practice writing narratives.

I am not too deep into fandoms but I have heard some people not happy about the sexual or fetish stuff in fanfics written by teens. As well as weird shipping stuff that raises red flags.

I am not sure if I really had a fanfic faze, I did write fanfics but they were suppose to be bad on purpose.

[darthmongoose]

I think fanfiction is a useful tool for development that tends to get unfairly maligned. Many of the great literary works throughout history have been retellings of older stories, like Romeo & Juliet, adaptations or remixes, like My Fair Lady (inspired by the Greek myth Pygmalion), or used characters from them in a new story, like The Odyssey or Dante's Inferno. Fanfiction acts like a prompt by filling out the basic archetypes, story or background, allowing a person to jump into writing without having to sell people on the characters or set everything up or spend ages on research, you can just get stuck in and improve your prose, pacing, plotting and character voice writing.

Of course, I do think if you're going to make money from a story, it's important to respect your creative peers by not profiting off their characters or story, and you should never claim credit for other people's work. BUT I also feel that many works that are in copyright long after their creators' deaths due to the manoeuvring of corporations ought to be released to the public domain. Superman and Batman are definite examples here. People ought to be able to make their own Superman stories just as they can make their own Dracula stories.

Fanfic can be great, but some days it can be really annoying. I remember before I moved my comic from Action to LGBTQ+ it was always disheartening to see how much of the free to read "popular" rankings on Tapas were dominated by Steven Universe and My Hero Academia fanworks. It feels very unfair when you've had to labour away on an original setting, magic system and a bunch of carefully crafted original characters that you have to market to people and fight for their attention and try to make them understand why your story is worth their time, why they'll love your characters if they just give you a chance, that somebody else is easily getting attention by skipping over all that and benefitting from the fact that somebody else has written great characters and had them marketed with the power of a corporation so people are already invested in them.

So... overall, I like fanfiction, but I want it to stay on fan-content sites like AO3, not on original fiction platforms like Tapas.

[Aleksei]

I think its fine.
If its about real people, some of those even read (and writte) fanfictions. Yes, I am talking about some BTS members.
If its about non-real people, there is the copyright thingy, but you always can work under the Fair Use doctrine. How else whould Phausto do his work if not for this? (don't google him if you are not ready).

If the story is solid, you can go with it. As other have said, you may even use it later to create your own thing with original characters, which is way better, but you wouldn't be able to do it without the practice first.

Interesting fact! Batman will be public domain on 2034, and Superman on 2033 (their first iterations though). That means that I can't use them before? No, you can use them, but under Fair Use, that means that you can't damage in any way the owners of the franchise with your derivated creation. After they enter public domain, you can even win a lot of money without worrying about the cease and desist that the companies usually prompt when they are not the first result in google.

[SagaHolmgaard]

I'm really positive towards fanfic. I write fic ocassionally and I read it a lot, and I'm pretty active in fandom overall. I think it can be good and fun as long as you know what you yourself are able to handle and how to ignore people you don't agree with.

Though I guess I gotta agree with darthmongoose, it's a bummer when fanworks get all the attention xD especially on Tapas which... doesn't allow fan-content in their Term if I understand correctly? I can't blame people for wanting to see more stuff with their favorite characters and ships, but I would also like SOME attention on my original works

[JoshRaid]

1. Fanfiction is Valid. All fiction is valid except for real person fiction, Nazi Propaganda, and Easter Movies.
2. Do not limit yourself to just fanfiction. There are things fanfiction cannot teach you. Original fiction writers should also try fanfiction if that's really what they want. There are things it can teach you that original fiction cannot.
3. Original fiction is not inherently better, it's just that all fanfiction must be self-published and therefore it's harder to find good stuff.

[DesiredUsernameTaken]

FanFiction is an odd topic. There's a lot of lines where I'm not sure if there should or shouldn't be any. I'm still mixed on the smaller details about it.

On one hand, it's a great way for those who've just picked up writing to explore said writing without being caught up in the details of creating an entire world, all of the characters, etc. It's a template. You also get an audience that's already interested because it existed before you started. Fans get to see more content of the universe they love, and writers get more free advertisement.

Overall, Fanfiction is harmless. It can be fun, there's lots of creativity, and for some writers they simply create better in Fanfiction than on their own and that's why they dabble in Fanfiction. It's almost like co-writing, but without the direct partnership. If it works, it works!

On the other hand, I always found it awkward as a reader of Fanfiction when characters were OOC. The writers I came across didn't seem to give any thought to trying to re-create them, just re-write them. On some level, it feels disrespectful to the originator (the canon writer). Like taking Character A, who's very polite and compassionate, and then turning Character A into a violent bad boy because....reasons.

But, again, I think that's where my own thoughts on it gets confusing and contradictory for me. The best thing about writing is the creative freedom. I think that should apply to Fanfiction as well? At the same time, a template is a template for a reason. And if the characters are not remotely in character (even that can be subjective! The writers could feel they're in character for the specific AU, while I don't, so my opinion on that matter is moot), what is the point of using the template--the characters, the world--at all? I understand writing it anyway, but I guess I don't understand reading it as a reader.

Where I don't think Fanfiction writers should be targeted in any way, as others mentioned, Fanfiction of real people is extremely weird and shouldn't happen at all. For a variety of reasons. It's one thing to make a fan portrait of real figures somebody admires. It's another thing entirely to make up stories about them.

[rajillustration]

Fanfiction is one of those broad topics that is broad partly because everyone has a slightly different definition of what it is. So you get instances where people get defensive about fanart, citing old monk paintings (which is not fanart, they were doing it as a religious movement so unless you're praying and fasting while painting Goku, it's not an equivalent) or citing old classics, which were written when stuff was public domain or was just simply a retelling of history. To me fanfic is only when you are writing about a property you do not have permission to write about or draw and make a profit off of legally. That's it.

I don't really have any problem with people who do it to learn and practice (I do that myself all the time), I just have a problem when creators are expected to make fan stuff if we want to get viewers at all, we have to hop on these bandwagons of whatever is popular at the moment. Whether it be a movie you actually enjoy, or just a youtuber that happens to be popular and can maybe retweet you. To the point that like...coorporations are asking us to make fanart for free in these fanart contests and like...freaking pay me, youknow? I get burnt out on making fanworks often.

Like a lot of people love and enjoy my fan content, but it doesn't really pay the bills because it can't, and I wish they'd stick around for what I can sell. It's beyond frustrating to market around, especially on websites like comics where like--how am I supposed to compete with a billion Pokemon fanfics? I freakin can't because Nintendo puts millions of dollars into advertising Pokemon. Like I get that their nuzlocke run is important to them, and that it's their own personal journey, but part of the reason I put stuff on Tapas is because those fanfics aren't technically allowed, so I get more views on original works.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

I've spoken on the topic of fanfiction here a few times already, but I'll say it again: I love it. ^^ And there's no reason to be ashamed of it that doesn't ultimately boil down to bias and ignorance.

At the end of the day it's just telling a story with someone else's characters, or in someone else's universe: a creative exercise with a few pre-installed limits. And limits can be great for sparking creativity; I'm one of those people who does my best work when I'm NOT allowed to do whatever the hell I want. Finding ways around rules, using established concepts for new and interesting plots...that kind of problem-solving is what gets me excited and motivated to work on a project.

And of course, I also get to use my work to express how I feel about someone else's story/characters. You know when people make those long, gushy posts about how much they love what a writer has done or what a character represents...? Often, my fanworks are just a more elegant, succinct way of doing just that: showing other fans what I see in a character and how I think about their actions.

I think it's a little sad that most people in spaces like this only seem to think about fanfiction/fan art in one of three ways: A, a 'stepping stone' or some other form of 'practice' to eventually create original stories (because that's the only acceptable end goal for a writer, apparently) B, competition for their own original stories, and/or C, pandering trash made up by people who 'aren't creative enough' to have their own ideas.

And it just feels so...unnecessary. ^^; Like, why all the negativity?? Fanfiction is just a hobby like any other; its existence isn't going to hurt you. In the case of B, I can understand the concern about it being attention-grabby and wanting to have spaces away from it-- that makes sense.
But first of all, that's fully under the control of the people running the platforms where you create: if they actually want to make sure the spotlight remains on original creators, they will, regardless of how much fanfiction exists on their site.

And second of all...if one thing doesn't steal your spotlight, something else will. =/ It seems a bit silly to villainize fanfiction in this respect when people are just as quick to blame BL/GL, romance in general, anime-styled art, fantasy, NSFW...the list goes on and on. Like...can we just admit that it's tough to compete with things that are popular, and no specific genre/subset of art is 'responsible' for our own art not getting enough attention...?

[Swamp]

Honestly, I didn't start writing fanfiction until my twenties (while I've been pretty consistently writing original fiction since... second grade? It was bad). I felt weird "speaking through" somebody else's character, and didn't really want to try until I had better character writing, but that's the thing I get the best feedback on with my fic!
The fanfic community also has a really high concentration of people with ADHD or on the autism spectrum because we tend to get so engaged with certain properties. When I read something amazing, it feels like that story is the only thing in the universe I want to think about, and fic gives me the chance to stay in that world a bit longer or read/write the story I wish canon had been.

For me, the appeal is
-Shiny toy to play with
-I like to write stuff for my friends. They don't know 'my' characters, but are delighted to read their favorite character or romance. (In fact, my longer fics are pretty much romance free)
-It's a good industry skill. Most writers for Marvel and DC are writing comics based on other people's work. So do video game and TV writers. The ability to capture the voice of somebody else's writing while also bringing your own spin to it can be important
-On the flipside, I like fanfiction because it's not profitable. I would love to write for a living, but that means my original works live in the shadow of that. "Is this profitable, how do I monetize this". Fanfic is me time.

I understand the frustration that fanworks will always have a leg up on original stuff, just because a reader is already half in. (Well, fanworks for popular stuff. While my Fullmetal Alchemist fanfiction gets way more views than my original writing, my original work does far better than my Bokura no Kiseki fanfiction, and my 2000 word m/m fic has way more hits than my 50K spy thriller centered on two side characters in the same series) I know a lot of artists also resent their fanwork being more popular, but even though my original work is closer to my heart, I think resenting people for that is a bit silly. I write unpopular stuff knowing it's less popular, and that's fine. I get frustrated sometimes, but I consciously choose to work on original fiction knowing it will get less attention than my fanfic. I write dense, fiddly stuff because I like writing dense, fiddly stuff, and I respect that lots of readers will find it dull. I could get a lot more views with sexy werewolf fanfiction, but that doesn't make me better than people writing sexy werewolf fanfiction. We're both doing what we love. and people should read what they love.

[BLTX]

I don't really read, nor write fanfics, though I have no objections to them.

[vapidink]

I love fanfiction, read it all the time, and used to write it when I was younger. Most people I know got their start with it too, so I like to think of it as writing with training wheels. There's no worldbuilding, little to no character design/development. It's all there just waiting to be played around with and is just great as practice for storytelling and just getting the basics down.

And also, for people who've been writing a while, I see it as just a fun way to do some writing without so much stress. Fanfic is about having fun and writing something entertaining. There's none of the stress and expectations there, and it's a really good way to build an audience and get used to criticism.

In general, I just have a lot of respect for fanfic writers. There's a lot of quality stuff out there and they write all that while dealing with a lot of crap from pretentious people who like to act like fanfic is the devil's diary.

[HGohwell]

So, I once heard fanfiction described as the literary equivalent of playing with dolls and the point where familiar meets the unknwon, and I think that sums it up.

You don't own your Barbie or your Batman figures as characters, but from a young age, people create stories for characters they don't own. Fanfiction is just the written version of doing the same.

I hate the idea that its not proper writing because you haven't had to create the world or characters, because that feels so disrespectful to people who write one episode of a show's script, or who write a run of comics for, let's say, Batman. The only technical difference between fanfiction and the many, many versions of Batman and the many au's he's in, is one is sanctioned and one is not. One is paid (usually) and one is not (usually).

I don't think it harms anyone. I don't like the idea that you can just change character's name and it can be sold as original, and I do think it should stay on fan orientated sites, and I especially think it's sad that fan content often gets far more and more consistent engagement than original works. But, the idea that it's all cringey and badly written is a pretty outdated concept and many well published and respected authors admit to currently and formerly writing fanfic.

Plus, you know, all the respect for people putting out 100K+ stories completely free to access with no promise of reward but maybe some comments, just because they love a series that much. That's some passion and if I was a creator with works like that out there, I'd be flattered.

[LadyN]

I’m all for it honestly. As a person whose introduction to the writing world was fan fiction, I think it’s good. Sure, there’s some really bad ones out there, but AO3 has all the good ones. I find it a great way to get into professional writing and/or just to have fun. Honestly I had more fun writing fan fiction than I did writing my own stories.

But it always depends on where you look. Wattpad is a hub of terrible fan fictions with problematic themes but as long as no one is being hurt, I see no problem.

[xstarx07]

Ehehe, kind of an akward topic for me, since my comic/project I've been working on for as long as I can remember is basically (quoted from a video I am currently watching, funnily enough) "a giant crossover fanfic"
Though, I am having my fun with it, even when I'm brainstorming until I get headaches on how to implement certain character arcs with the crossing-over characters because there's just so much you can do with multiverse stuff lol
But I digress...-

Personally, I get why fanfiction is usually brought into all sorts of lights - be it the cringy stuff that people usually see, maybe even have written themselves at one point or true gems (for example the Portal fanfic "Blue Skies", which I really like). I think the reason most end up being cringy is because of the shipping, but even that can be perfected, if the writer gets the characters right & most of all respects the work of the original creator. Sometimes, it can even add nice cherries on top of the canon, like @DokiDokiTsuna mentioned!
Fanfiction itself, I find, can be a from of art and I have much respect to those who perfected that! :3

[AmysGames]

I'm all for fanfiction! I agree that it's more of a "for fun" thing than original writing is, but that's hardly a bad thing. Sometimes you just want to create something out of love for someone else's story, and there's nothing wrong with that.

That said, I won't deny that I'm personally pretty picky about it. I don't tend to like fanfiction that strays too far from the source material, and anything that doesn't jive with my interpretation of the characters takes me out of it pretty quickly... so I don't usually go out of my way to read it, lol. But hey, as long as people are having fun, who am I to complain?

[missjira05]

If someone wrote fanfic on my characters I would read it. I would love it if some was so inspired by my work that they start to crate something I'd be sssssoooo happy

[BobbyjoeX]

Tbh if someone wrote fanfiction of my series, i would love it, i encourage it, as long as it doesnt cause fights >:l

i encourage shipping too but for the love of god. be respectful to other people's ships. i do not tolerate ship wars >:o

[system]

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