Alternative Fiction - Present Internet

[mr mistook]

The issue of fan fiction came up in my mind a few times tonight. I know I'm drawn to include my favorite celebs in the urban fantasy I'm weaving, but I'm an ancient 35 ;)

The latest generation is very much addicted to full-out fan fiction, wherin the story revolves around a celebrity. Precursors of this can be seen in the many honored attempts to put Elvis into unlikely urban or suburban plots.

The issue now is with throwing current celebs - everybody from Clay Aiken to Anna Nicole Smith - or the whole pantheon - into a work of fiction as integral characters who work with ordinary folks as a campy plot unfolds.

I've read many of these "underground" stories, and many simply suck (as with 'regular' novels) but quite a few have me howling with laughter. Yet there are legal issues with such works, and as a result, the public domain of the free internet is the only avenue for authors of such fiction to express themselves.

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My secondary observation is about conspiracy theories, which any veteran of the online knows are abundant. The allure of conspiracy theory is that it's riveting, but this is balanced by the assertion that these guys are kooks. But I smell a new genre of fiction in the offing. Yes, these first authors actually BELIEVE their fiction to be true, and that's... not altogether good, but in the future might not conspiracy theorists find lucrative careers as fiction novelists?

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My question to you all is, do you see fan fiction and conspiracy theory as up and coming genre's of the internet age, and do you see other such alternative fiction on the horizon?

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ADDENDUM:

I also want to note that the 2nd person POV is beginning to come into it's own. Video games and the D&D style fantasy games that presaged them will be seen as the first 'offenders' who dared use 2nd person to put the reader/player directly into the action.

But by now it's a deeply established POV in the underground, and I see more and more internet fiction using 2nd person all the time. Right now it's mainly used in an action/fantasy context (and to some extent in porn) but won't this POV inevitably come into it's own?

[Writing Again]

I've read many of these "underground" stories, and many simply suck (as with 'regular' novels) but quite a few have me howling with laughter. Yet there are legal issues with such works, and as a result, the public domain of the free Internet is the only avenue for authors of such fiction to express themselves.

Satire is still an open ward on the third floor, turn right after the elevator stops.

not altogether good, but in the future might not conspiracy theorists find lucrative careers as fiction novelists?

I think that is already happening and gaining momentum. It plays on standard human psychology: xenophobia and paranoia: "They are up to something."

It is even more believable today when the standard path to effecting change is to gather enough like minded people together to promote campaigns, introduce legislation, etc. It is not a great leap to assume that some of these "like minded people" are self serving: From there the sky is the limit...


I also want to note that the 2nd person POV is beginning to come into it's own.

You are right and I'm betting there is a really good conspiracy theory out there to account for it.

[Jamesaritchie]

The internet really isn't public domain, and fan fiction is no more legal online than off. Most writers and publishers don't make a fuss about it as long as no money is involved, but there are those who simply don't allow what is normally considered fan fiction, and will go to court over the matter.

[Writing Again]

I wonder what the legal distinction is, if any, between satire and fan fiction?

The legal definition of fair use for satire came into play when a long running satire on Mickey Mouse ran for (I believe) years. Now you can only have so many instances of doing a satirical treatment of a specific property in a certain period of time. Too many instances in too short a time and it becomes infringement.

Satire isn't always funny, and lampoons can be down right revolting, but they always seem to contain some form of exaggeration.

Yet much of the fan fic I've read (I have not read a lot, not my type of lit) borders on parody of the original.

[XThe NavigatorX]

I just read a whole book that was in 2nd person. A cookbook.

Seriously, I can't imagine fan fiction ever being anything other than what it is now. The moment it starts earning any sort of real money is the moment the copyright holders begin descending in droves from the sky with lawsuits in hand.

[mr mistook]

The moment it starts earning any sort of real money is the moment the copyright holders begin descending in droves from the sky with lawsuits in hand

Yet there is a demand for it. It's still a young phenomenon, and truly 'great' works of fan-fiction probably haven't been written yet, but I don't doubt that some day this genre will find it's Poe's and Hemmingways. It's only a matter of time.

It seems to me that a person has the intrinsic right to write about their (fantasy) relationship to the 'image' of a celebrity they adore - especially in a culture where such adoration and fantasizing is actively encouraged by the media.

The media (especially the music industry) actually *relies* on this ability of teenagers to become enthralled with idols. It's their bread and butter. So if this experience of thrall ends up inspiring young fans to tell stories that entertain other fans (and perhaps the world at large) why should it be illegal for them to make money doing it?

I can write a story about my bicycle, or my dog, my mother or my best friend, about God, or my past lovers. Why can't I write about my crush on a super-star?

[XThe NavigatorX]

There's different kinds of fan fiction, and I don't know the legalities of the kind you're talking about. The kind I was talking about was fanfiction set in established universes with active copyrights.

In other words, writing a story about you hanging out with Monica and Phoebe would cause wrath. I'm not so sure about writing stories about you hanging out with Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow.

[mr mistook]

Well, that's a whole other dimension to it that i hadn't thought about. How would I feel if I created popular characters and somebody else incorporated them into their own story? I guess not all that different from if they put me myself into their story. At the root, it's all the same.

If the public knows that the author of a certain Monica & Phoebe story is not the original creator of those characters, then it shouldn't matter how those characters are used. Everybody should take it with a grain of salt, same as if the stroy were about Courtney and Lisa.

The big question is - is it fair for this secondary writer to make bank on the coat tails of the hard work of others. But I would think that fanfiction would only help to keep such characters or actors in the public awareness, and thus bring more publicity and money to the original source.

A bit like wearing a T-shirt with a name-brand emblazoned on it. How can it hurt? As they say, there's no such thing as bad PR.

[katdad]

The problem with conspiracy theorists is that they tend to be kooks, are mentally unbalanced, and therefore rarely have the mindset to write with sufficient clarity as to generate a readable piece of work.

I've read some submissions to editors of newspapers, and to legislators (in a former job of mine) and the tales these nutcases tell are fantastic. But they are also disoriented and lack focus. They are also replete with mechanical errors and gross typographical problems.

You can spot kook writing quite easily -- there are run-on sentences, many exclamation points, and lots of capitalized phrases and words.

[mr mistook]

You can spot kook writing quite easily -- there are run-on sentences, many exclamation points, and lots of capitalized phrases and words.

hehe. Not to mention giant typeface on a bright colored back-ground. :D

There are a few places online to find very lucid, well-written conspiracy writing. I'm kind of a fan of this stuff when it's written well. Paranoia can be fun the same way horror or suspense is fun.

The thing that makes these guys kooks is simply that they try so hard to believe their stories are real. If they could just admit that they're writing fiction, I think there would be a market for it.