Fanfic

scriptwriter91 · Jul 14, 2007

I know the title might sound a bit weird, but stick with me. Fanfic (fanfiction) is a fictional story made up up by fans of a TV show about charachters from a TV show. I have witten one on the IMDB message boards about the popular Disney Chanel show Hannah Montana.

If you would care to read it click here. This is a cool way to practice you're writing styles on others and get their reactions. Pick a show and write a fanfic about it.

-sw91

Soccer Mom · Jul 14, 2007

Here is our last discussion of fanfic (FYI).

The question posed was to do or no....

pdr · Jul 14, 2007

And don't...

waste your time.

Write original stuff and sell it.

If you just want 'to practice your writing styles on others and get their reactions' join a writing class and learn something worthwhile.

Stijn Hommes · Jul 15, 2007

A lot of people get a blackout at the sight of a blank screen. If fanfiction can get the inspiration running and gets words on paper that is a good thing. It teaches diction, deadlines and most importantly it gets a story done which keeps the writer in question interested.

They still think up their own plot. A lot of the time fanfiction writers still create their own characters to interact with the existing ones.

The only thing they use is the setting and characters that already exist. If that can get someone going and teach them other things without getting intimidated by the idea of starting something from scratch I'm all for it.

I wouldn't have started writing if it wasn't for fanfiction.

And authors like Orson Scott Card don't defend fanfiction for nothing.

pepperlandgirl · Jul 15, 2007

pdr said:
waste your time.

Write original stuff and sell it.

If you just want 'to practice your writing styles on others and get their reactions' join a writing class and learn something worthwhile.

I did three things today.

1. I submitted a novella and a short story to my editor.

2. I discussed my advance with my writing partner for a different novel (the full amount went to her instead of getting split between the two of us).

3. I wrote several hundred words of fanfic.

Writing and selling original stuff and writing fanfic is not mutually exclusive.

Ol' Fashioned Girl · Jul 15, 2007

pepperlandgirl is right. They're not mutually exclusive. I've found - and probably need to find again - that fanfic can prime my engine when my brain refuses to cooperate on my own stuff.

Jamesaritchie · Jul 15, 2007

fanfic

Just remember than publishing fanfic is illegal unless you have the permission of whoever owns the copyright, and some writers and publishers can get extremely nasty when you take it on yourself to steal their universe and characters. Odds are you won't get caught and blasted, but it can and does happen.

Writing fanfic might be fun, but it is nearly always useless, and it is stealing someone else's universe and characters. Many seem to think it should be an honor to have fans write fiction based on your work, but it isn't. It's a pain in the ass.

pepperlandgirl · Jul 15, 2007

I don't know a single person who thinks publishing fanfic is a good idea. And I know a lot of people who read it, write it, beta it, review it, in several different fandoms.

I'm always a little baffled by the "waste of time" argument. I write it because it makes me happy. And it makes the people who read it happy. And I get practice. And I met my writing partner because we were both writing fic in the same fandom. Is that a bigger waste of time than somebody who slaves over a novel that is unsalable because it's crap?

Writing fanfic is a hobby. Writing can also be a career. Some people do both--at the same time even!

veinglory · Jul 15, 2007

Quite. Having a link to the last thread do we need to go through it again. In the end writers decide for themselves what they enjoy and find useful.

scriptwriter91 · Jul 15, 2007

I love writing it and so do a lot of people on the Hannah Montana board on IMDB. That's mostly what we do. That and post about the whole "LOLIVER" deal. I know no one understands what Loliver is so thats not important right now.

Has anyone read mine on Hannah Montana board on IMDB. The link is in my OP.

veinglory · Jul 15, 2007

Self promotion is limited to the announcements subforum.

Stijn Hommes · Jul 16, 2007

Jamesaritchie said:
Just remember than publishing fanfic is illegal unless you have the permission of whoever owns the copyright, and some writers and publishers can get extremely nasty when you take it on yourself to steal their universe and characters. Odds are you won't get caught and blasted, but it can and does happen.

Writing fanfic might be fun, but it is nearly always useless, and it is stealing someone else's universe and characters. Many seem to think it should be an honor to have fans write fiction based on your work, but it isn't. It's a pain in the ass.

Yes, there's quite a lot of potential legal issues, but I've been lucky enough to write fanfiction for characters and universes the owners of which actually encouraged the practice.

PattiTheWicked · Jul 16, 2007

The problem with writing fanfic as a "writing exercise" is that half the work is already done for you. There's a prebuilt world with existing characters, all you have to do is write new lines for them to say and put them in some new situation. You don't have to worrry about worldbuilding or character creation.

It's kind of like using a Betty Crocker mix to make a cake. Yeah, it's still cake, technically, but you really have no idea what's in it except the eggs and the oil... and yours tastes pretty much the same as everyone else's who used the same mix.

Anthony Ravenscroft · Jul 16, 2007

PattiTheWicked said:
It's kind of like using a Betty Crocker mix to make a cake.

Yes, that's it exactly.

Fanfic is potentially fruitful, but in the end it must fight every step of the way to avoid being assembly rather than creativity.

Sure, it's an easy way for beginners to get off the ground. It provides a template for them to trace around & maybe embellish a little with their own cut-outs & glitter, but in the end it's still an embellished tracing.

And, as at least one author (Adam-Troy Castro) has said, you still own your own fiction, whether it gets published or not... unless it's in someone else's universe, in which case you'll never own it.

Well, heck -- here's the link to the full article/rant:
http://harlanellison.com/heboard/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1821

MelodyO · Jul 16, 2007

Pepperlandgirl, I've totally read your fanfic! It's nice to see you doing so well. ::fangirls you::

As for the seemingly endless arguments for and against fanfic, all I can say is that if I never wrote fanfic, I would unequivocally not be writing original fic now. So needless to say, it sure wasn't a waste of time for me.

Bartholomew · Jul 17, 2007

scriptwriter91 said:
I know the title might sound a bit weird, but stick with me. Fanfic (fanfiction) is a fictional story made up up by fans of a TV show about charachters from a TV show. I have witten one on the IMDB message boards about the popular Disney Chanel show Hannah Montana.

If you would care to read it click here. This is a cool way to practice you're writing styles on others and get their reactions. Pick a show and write a fanfic about it.

-sw91

Write what you want to write. It's your hobby; don't let anyone tell you what you can or can't do with it.

Stijn Hommes · Jul 17, 2007

PattiTheWicked said:
The problem with writing fanfic as a "writing exercise" is that half the work is already done for you. There's a prebuilt world with existing characters, all you have to do is write new lines for them to say and put them in some new situation. You don't have to worrry about worldbuilding or character creation.

True, it doesn't make for good practice with regard to character creation and world building (unless you create a lot of characters of your own - I know someone who does). But all the other stuff is hard enough to get right as the failed plots with Evil Editor show.

jedimaster107 · Jul 17, 2007

Each person has their own opinion on writing fanfic. As for me, I love writing it. I currently have 2 stories i wish i could finish but i'm busy doing other things. But i still think about my stories and read other fanfiction.

http://www.fanfiction.net/u/188597/Jedimaster10

Here's my stories i wrote at Fanfiction.net. I have one over on adultfanfiction.net. It's the same as one of the ones at fanfiction.net but chapter 4 is the full version. If you read it, you'll know which one i'm talking about.

ZannaPerry · Jul 27, 2007

I use to write fanfic for a popular TV series back in 1999 that was cancelled. I wrote it at the time because the series had so much more potiental and I wrote my own ways of how things should have gone.

But I am threw with that, and now I write my own stuff.

I will post my stories on my livejournal.

ZannaPerry · Jul 29, 2007

Here is what I will do...I will go back and rewrite all of my fanfics (and there are a LOT) and makeup my own characters because it would be pretty sad if none of my work of fanfics got noticed by anyone other than the fans of the television show. I think I will go back and revise most of them, and then see about sending them into companies.

Celia Cyanide · Jul 31, 2007

pepperlandgirl said:
I'm always a little baffled by the "waste of time" argument. I write it because it makes me happy.

Speaking as one who does not write or read fanfiction, I agree with you completely.

If you enjoy what you're doing, who cares? Some people even write regular fiction and poetry because it makes them happy. No reason why they shouldn't.

Fanfic

scriptwriter91

RED SOX FAN 'TIL DEATH

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

pdr

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

pepperlandgirl

American Aquarium Drinker

Ol' Fashioned Girl

Hand? What hand?

Jamesaritchie

pepperlandgirl

American Aquarium Drinker

veinglory

volitare nequeo

scriptwriter91

RED SOX FAN 'TIL DEATH

veinglory

volitare nequeo

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

PattiTheWicked

Unleashing Hell.

Anthony Ravenscroft

Scribble, scribble, scribble

MelodyO

Waiting for love on the web

Bartholomew

Comic guy

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

jedimaster107

ZannaPerry

^ Just Me & a Sharpie

ZannaPerry

^ Just Me & a Sharpie

Celia Cyanide

Joker Groupie