Fan-Fiction

StevenHarvey1990 · Mar 30, 2013

What do you guys think about it?

I ask because, in my novitiate state I am about to write a sequel to a well known film franchise.

Purely for educational purposes. I want to work through the afflictions many, if not all, novice writers are addled with early doors, before starting work on my own script. Saying that, everything written will be mine, it's just that I'll be taking established characters on in a new direction in a world someone else created. Whilst there are major differences between this and a completely new project there's still plenty of room to stretch the creative sinews. I am treating the whole thing as a serious writing project, as though it was paid work.

I'm curious.

Has anyone written any? See any value in it? Completely renounce it? Think there's a place for it on the forum?

At the very least I think it'd make for a good discussion/debate.

PS. I asked here purely because I'm talking about fan-fiction in screenplay format.

dpaterso · Mar 30, 2013

What you write in the privacy of your own home on your own computer for practice, is up to you.

But board policy is, no posting fan fiction.

Having said that, screenwriters, especially wannabe TV writers, can submit samples for existing shows to showcase their skills. So it's not discouraged within the industry. (At least going from what I've read.) But that's not fanfic, that's writing a sample spec.

Speaking as someone who started writing via Trek fanfic, I'm all for it... fanfic is great fun and helps the writing learning curve. But not here on the AW board, please. Sites like fanfiction.net might interest you, if you haven't already checked 'em out.

-Derek

Shakesbear · Mar 30, 2013

I honestly do not understand fan fic. If you have the mindset/imagination that means you can write why do you need to use characters and places created by someone else? I can understand wanting to learn about writing and how to avoid beginners mistakes, but there are people who will read your work and give you an honest appraisal of it. I would not like to see it on this forum mainly because I think it would dilute what the forum is about.

StevenHarvey1990 · Mar 30, 2013

RE:- Board policy, I thought as much. Although it saddens me a little I get it. A sister site of sorts would be a good idea in my opinion. Get people from here over there. I digress. A different discussion for a different day perhaps.

I have read about writers using spec TV episodes as writing samples before. I've also read/heard stories of sequel scripts on spec too so that's interesting. As more of a sample though.

I agree fan-fiction is great fun, but then all I've written in that medium so far has been purely 'for fun'. I wasn't taking a serious approach so this will be much different, but no less exciting and fun I'm sure. Hey who knows... it turns out good I may re-write it a dozen times and send it off in vague hope.

I have had a look at fanfiction.net but they haven't a rigid form, if you get what I mean? Finding anything resembling a 'script' is like looking for-- well you get the point. I just find it irritating.

Keep the comments coming. Cheers Derek.

StevenHarvey1990 · Mar 30, 2013

Shakesbear said:
I honestly do not understand fan fic. If you have the mindset/imagination that means you can write why do you need to use characters and places created by someone else? I can understand wanting to learn about writing and how to avoid beginners mistakes, but there are people who will read your work and give you an honest appraisal of it. I would not like to see it on this forum mainly because I think it would dilute what the forum is about.

For me it's a two birds one stone thing. I can stimulate myself (sounds a little dirty), learn, have fun and satiate the desire to see a certain story play out in the way I want. More like five birds but the message is still the same. I imagine the kind of thing I'm tackling would be a bit like "writing on assignment" too, so would help a little bit there too.. understanding the world, the characters, the tone et al.

"I would not like to see it on this forum mainly because I think it would dilute what the forum is about."

I totally get what you mean here. I really do. If we can have a section labelled 'Office Party', and given what's in there I see no disadvantage in having a fan-fiction section.

shadowwalker · Mar 30, 2013

There's another very recent thread on why there's no fanfic here.

I've written a great deal of fanfic - it got me back into writing again, it was fun, it was educational, and it provided me with some great friends and betas. I hadn't even considered writing to get published until I'd written fanfic for several years, and now - well, here I am, with publication my goal.

Shakesbear · Mar 30, 2013

StevenHarvey1990 said:
I totally get what you mean here. I really do. If we can have a section labelled 'Office Party', and given what's in there I see no disadvantage in having a fan-fiction section.

I think that if you really did "totally get what you mean here"you would not have suggested that having the Office Party is comparable to having fan fiction on the site. The OP enhances and enriches the forum in a way that I very much doubt fan fic would.

StevenHarvey1990 · Mar 30, 2013

Shakesbear said:
The OP enhances and enriches the forum in a way that I very much doubt fan fic would.

I would really appreciate it if you could elaborate here before I respond. I'm not getting the logic behind that if I'm honest.

dpaterso · Mar 30, 2013

Folks, the no fanfic policy isn't going to change so this debate is redundant.

What does Office Party have to do with writing fanfic? I've no idea.

-Derek

shadowwalker · Mar 30, 2013

How about going to this thread, instead of rehashing it all?

http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=266916

Cyia · Mar 30, 2013

StevenHarvey1990 said:
I have read about writers using spec TV episodes as writing samples before. I've also read/heard stories of sequel scripts on spec too so that's interesting. As more of a sample though.

What you're talking about isn't fan fiction; it's a screenwriter's portfolio. If you're wanting to make a serious go of screenwriting, then it's normal is to have at least 2 full episodes of an in-production series, as well as an original pilot. They're spec-scripts.

It's always possible (and never likely) that a spec script will be picked up for production. If you're pitching your writing services for a series that's already in production, then providing samples of how you would write said series is part of the process.

Shakesbear · Mar 30, 2013

StevenHarvey1990 said:
I would really appreciate it if you could elaborate here before I respond. I'm not getting the logic behind that if I'm honest.

Go and have a really good look at Office Party (OP). I am not logical so it is not surprising that there is as little logic in my post as there is in your assumption that having OP means fanfic should be acceptable here.

dpaterso said:
Folks, the no fanfic policy isn't going to change so this debate is redundant.

Oh joy! Thanks! :hooray:

dpaterso said:
What does Office Party have to do with writing fanfic? I've no idea.

-Derek

This!

StevenHarvey1990 · Mar 30, 2013

Office Party is full of games and other non-writing related things, like 'What are you listening to?' etc.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is bad I'm merely pointing that fan-fiction, in my opinion, has more of a place on the forums, or at least as much of a place as the 'Office Party'. Obviously this is subjective. If I had to pick 'Office Party' or fanfic I know which I'd choose.

That said I now know why there is no fanfic on the board, so like Derek stated, the debate is redundant.

Anyhow, I'll reroute the discussion back to what was originally the aim of the thread...

What are people's thoughts on the usefulness of fan-fiction in helping a novice attain a better understanding of the craft?

Stijn Hommes · Apr 2, 2013

Shakesbear said:
I honestly do not understand fan fic. If you have the mindset/imagination that means you can write why do you need to use characters and places created by someone else? I can understand wanting to learn about writing and how to avoid beginners mistakes, but there are people who will read your work and give you an honest appraisal of it. I would not like to see it on this forum mainly because I think it would dilute what the forum is about.

Writing scripts for tv often involves writing for characters and places others have created -- shows tend to be written by teams and only one person first thought up the show.

Fanfic teaches you to portray characters and relations consistently and pick up on the possibilities those offer to you as a storyteller.

WriteKnight · Apr 2, 2013

Seems like there are two issues. The value of working within the constraints of another's universe. - This is good in terms of practicing the collaborative aspects of say... television writing. As others have said, there's value in that. Plenty of great authors - actually RE WROTE great novels... copied them out, line by line - to get a feel for how that great author wrote. Hemingway did this. So did Bradbury. ... to get a feel for the author's style and rhythm. So as an exercise in writing craft, as an exercise in collaborative practice and even potentially - to have a writing sample as spec in the case of Television submissions- yeah, it's good. I actually wrote a Spec Script for The Big Bang Theory - because I like the show, and wanted to try my hand at writing a sitcom. I would never send it to the show, but now I have a 'comedy sitcom' spec script to show when needed.

AS something to post and show on a public forum? I don't see a lot of value. There's a moderate risk to the forum and the writers in terms of copyright infringement - why bother with it? At the very least, you run the risk of alienating the publisher/producer. The whole "Fifty Shades" - for instance.

If you want to write fanfic, as a way of having 'training wheels' until you get your balance, fine.

I'd rather not see it in public.

(Standard waiver and disclaimer for really good parody... not actually fanfic)

JSSchley · Apr 2, 2013

WriteKnight said:
AS something to post and show on a public forum? I don't see a lot of value. There's a moderate risk to the forum and the writers in terms of copyright infringement - why bother with it? At the very least, you run the risk of alienating the publisher/producer. The whole "Fifty Shades" - for instance.

This is my understanding of the AW rule. Sites like Fanfiction.net are in the business of policing the sticky line that is fanficcers vs. copyright holders. That's what they do; that's their passion; they put thought and time into it, and even then, a lot of stuff that is way over the line still gets posted and they have to rely on people to report it. (Came across a word-for-word repost of a book over there the other day.) It's a messy business, because fanfic exists in a murky legal area, and they spend a lot of time keeping the site clean.

MacAllister has plenty to be going on with without having all those issues added to her plate. Rather than run the risk that people would go over the line, the rule here is "no."

You are the sole owner of anything you post about what you're listening to. But your 30 Rock fanfic isn't so clear-cut.

A spec script, however, which is what the OP seems to be talking about--yes. You actually must have those in your portfolio for TV writing. Like Cyia said, they almost certainly won't get produced because you don't have the series bible and because you only have access to what's been aired and not what's been scripted, they'll be WAY ahead of you in the storyline by the time you're hired (and you're unlikely to be hired by that particular show anyway), but they show you can write to a series that's already established.

But don't post those as fanfic. Those are your specs. They go in your portfolio.

StevenHarvey1990 · Apr 2, 2013

You guys seem to be perpetuating what I originally thought. Good for understanding another's world and characters, practice writing specific genre, useful in a portfolio and the most important, fun.

For those wondering, I'm writing my own Scream 5, in the same continuity as the previous films. My notepad is getting abused at the moment. That's where I'm at with it currently.

So, all in all, can't hurt?

I just know now not to be posting it here

Celia Cyanide · Apr 3, 2013

Shakesbear said:
I honestly do not understand fan fic. If you have the mindset/imagination that means you can write why do you need to use characters and places created by someone else?

People do this all the time when the write things like 1) comic books/graphic novels with established characters 2) TV shows created by someone else 3) movies based on books, etc.

As far as filmmaking goes, a lot of people make fan films. Some of them can get quite a following.

A_Napp · Apr 4, 2013

I've started to write in English with fanfiction and I've done several stories by now.
It's fun. Mostly, I want another ending, or think about alternate developments (parallel universes). I'm going to check out plotholes and in the original story, where I can hook up my story, so it becomes a convincing thing. And I love to create backgrounds for the characters, explain why the bad guy is that bad ... or maybe I'll display that he isn't the bad guy, but it's all different. So it is really fun to do that.
It all starts with "what if?"
Not all movies/series are fit for fanfiction. Others just cry for it.

Marian Perera · Apr 4, 2013

Shakesbear said:
I honestly do not understand fan fic. If you have the mindset/imagination that means you can write why do you need to use characters and places created by someone else?

Sometimes I have ideas that work better for the Transformers fandom (i.e. for giant alien robots that turn into vehicles) than for a romantic fantasy set in a medieval world.

Also, the Transformers I wrote about are very minor characters in the official canon. I've developed their characters as the original cartoon did not. It's not that different from Tom Stoppard writing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead.

Shakesbear · Apr 4, 2013

My understanding of fanfic has increased greatly - thanks.
One thing has occurred to me though and that it is not a new phenomena - Shakespeare took inspiration from many sources and made them different and special by his unique use of language. R and G is very different from some fanfic because it follows in the tradition of using plots/story lines that already existed - Ur-Hamlet being just one example. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/sources/hamletsources.html
Stoppard did not create a new story but used Hamlet as the basis for his play. He inverted the play to show another viewpoint. I think that that is very different from taking places and characters and using them in your own storylines.

Marian Perera · Apr 4, 2013

Shakesbear said:
Stoppard did not create a new story but used Hamlet as the basis for his play. He inverted the play to show another viewpoint. I think that that is very different from taking places and characters and using them in your own storylines.

Fanfic writers can do both - for instance, in my fanfics, I show another viewpoint of the Autobot-Decepticon war by telling stories from the perspective of the grunts who get hardly any lines in the official canon. At the same time, some of my stories are very introspective, which wouldn't work for the original cartoon.

To me, it's not much different from March, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Rhett Butler's People, Wide Sargasso Sea, Return to Wuthering Heights, etc.

lalyil · Apr 4, 2013

Putting Stoppard here makes me feel a little funny, since I'm a massive fan of him and particularly R&G (one of my favorite films too).

In a way I find "fan fiction" to be different than that. The title just gives a bad connotation of a 12 year old girl writing a fanfic about Twilight.

I also think it's one thing to use the material you have and attempting to create something out of it such as a sequel, spec script, or a little girl's sexual fantasy with Edward Cullen, and actually taking the source material and creating something completely new with your philosophy put in there, different style of writing, etc.
What I love most about R&G is that use of the papers from the original play (Hamlet obviously) in various scenes. Like the characters cannot escape their fate since it's already written, despite how much Stoppard wants to differ himself from Shakespeare.

Anyway, I think if one can take an existing 'creation', especially with characters you really don't know that much about (so it's not going to have to be based entirely on the original) and translate it to his own style, then it's actually quite exciting.

Sorry if I make no sense by the way, English isn't my main language and sometimes I find it hard to express myself..

Ron Maiden · Apr 4, 2013

Shakesbear said:
I honestly do not understand fan fic. If you have the mindset/imagination that means you can write why do you need to use characters and places created by someone else?

what's not to understand? you love those characters and their universe so you write about them. it's that simple. i did all my fanfic for fun, it wasn't supposed to be a paying job or anything, i did it because i loved the characters and had an idea for a story arc to tell

Shakesbear · Apr 4, 2013

Ron Maiden said:
what's not to understand? you love those characters and their universe so you write about them. it's that simple. i did all my fanfic for fun, it wasn't supposed to be a paying job or anything, i did it because i loved the characters and had an idea for a story arc to tell

There was an awful lot not to understand!

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