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Beta Needed for Nora Roberts Offshoot

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PetiteTaurus

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Hey guys, I’m looking for somebody to be a long term beta for a Nora Roberts offshoot that I’m currently working on. I haven’t finished a chapter yet, but I’m in the process of work on the very first chapter. I’m also writing out chapter outlines to see how far and where I am going with the story. I wanted to give you a rundown about what the offshoot is going to be like. I’ll give you an idea of what the book was about that my fan fiction is written after.

The book is called Black Hills and it’s about an eleven year old boy named Cooper Sullivan that is sent to spend the summer with his grandparents while his parents go through a second honeymoon to save their marriage. They pretty much always shove him aside and he is an inconvenience to them. He doesn’t feel love from them or anybody else until he visits his grandparents. They show him the love he was never given by his own parents and he learns to love and respect them. Through the summer he meets a ten year old neighbor girl named Lil Chance that becomes his best friend. The story skips ahead to when they are nineteen and twenty, at this point and time they have been best friends for nine years. They end up starting a relationship even though Coop lives in New York still. As the summer comes to an end and Coop is about to leave, they go on a trail ride and end up finding the remains of a dead woman. Coop has to leave a couple of days later, but it’s something they will have to live with forever. They try to maintain a long distance relationship unsuccessfully. However, Coop is the one to call it off because he wants Lil to have the opportunity to follow her dreams which she would have thrown away for him. So they split up for good. Coop goes on to be a New York cop and then a investigator. Lil heads off to school and ultimately opens an animal refuge in the black hills she’s called home since she was a girl. They go on with their lives. Coop sells his company in New York to come home to his grandparents when his grandfather breaks his leg and needs help. Lil and Coop butt heads because he hurt her and yet he wants a relationship with her again. To help the relationship along they are both involved in a series of events. He goes with her camping when she trail rides up to check a refuge camera that is being faulty. There they trap cougar for tagging, but before they get to it a psycho shoots and kills it. To make it worse, a few days later the man kills a wolf and hangs it from her gate. They he come back and releases one of the tigers at the refuge. While all of this happens, Coop stays with her in her cabin at the refuge to keep her safe. They find out this murderer is the murderer for the woman they found ten years earlier. They also come to find out he’s killed many people from different states. He’s after Lil because he sees her refuge as a prison for wild animals. He has some make believe idea that his Sioux blood gives him the right to kill anybody on the Sacred land of the Sioux and Lil looks like a good hunt. Anyways he captures Lil’s mom to bait her into going into the mountains where he’s been hiding out. She goes, he releases her mother, and they begin the hunt. The police, Cooper, and multiple search parties go after her. However, Coop releases Lil’s favorite cougar to help track her. Coop finds Lil first, the cougar kills the psycho killer, and then the book ends with everybody happy and safe and with Coop and Lil as a couple.

So that’s where my fan-fiction takes up. I’m going to write about their life moving on from that point. It’ll involve the marriage of Tansy(her best girlfriend) and Farley(a man very much like a brother. It’ll include the expanding of Lil’s cabin, the expanding of the refuge, and so on and so forth.

I’ll need help with the following things:

- Grammar
- Comma usage
- Tenses
- Word usage


I’ve been told my writing isn’t so bad to deal with, but I’m looking for somebody that will be an ongoing helper with all of the above listed. If you’re interested in helping me out with my story please e-mail me with something about fan-fiction beta in the title so I don’t delete it. I'd appreciate it if you'd also tell me if you've worked with fan fiction beta-ing before and if you have worked with what I need help with.

E-Mail - [email protected]
 

MacAllister

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Hi PetiteTaurus, and welcome to AW. We don't post or crit fanfic here, actually -- there are many, many places elsewhere on the web for you to do so.

And I don't know Nora Roberts--though by all accounts she's a lovely person--and I have no idea how she feels about fanfic from her work, but I would advise serious caution posting any Roberts fiction derivatives, anywhere. She's been plagiarized enough (and I'm NOT calling fanfic plagiarism, just saying that there's a pre-existing condition wrt her writing) that her publishers are essentially forced to be aggressive and proactive about preventing copyright infringement.
 
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PetiteTaurus

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Hey there, thanks for the heads up. I was basically just looking for somebody that would be willing to help me out with a fan-fiction that I plan on posting on another site. I do understand that I need to be careful with the writing, however I don't see how I could possibly get into any trouble for writing a fan fiction that I'm not making any money off of. I've heard that she doesn't like people writing fan fiction based off of her work, but I don't see what the harm is because it's not like I'm selling it. I'm just posting in on a free site for people to read for free.
 

veinglory

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Money changing hands is not what makes unauthorised fanfiction illegal, "distribution" is. So I would suggest researching this more before you post any material where the general public can see it.
 

PetiteTaurus

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People write thousands of fan fictions all over the web every single day and I've never read anywhere that anybody has ever gotten into any trouble for writing fan-fictions. Wouldn't it be illegal for site like FF.Net and AFF.Net to allow users to post stories?
 

M.R.J. Le Blanc

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FF.Net has a list of authors who have made it clear they do not wish to have fanfiction of their work posted anywhere, and FF.Net makes it clear that any fanfic based on those authors' stories is not permitted on their site. Technically it IS illegal, but most authors turn a blind eye to fanfiction. Authors like Anne Rice, George R.R. Martin and by your own admission Nora Roberts are not amongst those authors. She's said she doesn't like it. Saying 'well I'm not making money so I'm going to do it anyway' is a little disrespectful to those wishes.
 

Nya RAyne

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People write thousands of fan fictions all over the web every single day and I've never read anywhere that anybody has ever gotten into any trouble for writing fan-fictions. Wouldn't it be illegal for site like FF.Net and AFF.Net to allow users to post stories?


I'm a fanfiction writer on FF.net and AFF.net, and it is true. Unless you or the website you're going to be posting to has permission from the author/company who owns the copyright it is illegal to recreate a copyrighted world.

That sucks, I know.
 

Georgina

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People write thousands of fan fictions all over the web every single day and I've never read anywhere that anybody has ever gotten into any trouble for writing fan-fictions. Wouldn't it be illegal for site like FF.Net and AFF.Net to allow users to post stories?

It is illegal, but it's largely uninforced so long as no money is changing hands. Fanfiction based on books, tv shows, movies, etc is copyright infringement. Most creators turn a blind eye (some with a wink, like Joss Whedon) but there's a handful who do not.

Wikipedia has a decent summary: Legal issues with fan fiction.

I don't know of anyone who's been sued over fan fiction, but Fox did threaten the major X-Files fan fiction archive with a lawsuit in the mid-'90s if they didn't shut down. (They did.) Most media corporations seem to have given up the idea of stopping fan fiction these days, but there are still some individual authors who get very upset about it. Again, the Wikipedia article has a list.

Cheers.
 

Cyia

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It is illegal, but it's largely uninforced so long as no money is changing hands. Fanfiction based on books, tv shows, movies, etc is copyright infringement. Most creators turn a blind eye (some with a wink, like Joss Whedon) but there's a handful who do not.


Nora Roberts, however is NOT one who turns a blind eye. She's on the VERY short list of DON't WRITE authors on FFn.

FanFiction.net said:
FanFiction.Net respects the expressed wishes of the following authors/publishers and will not archive entries based on their work:

  • Anne Rice
  • Archie comics
  • Dennis L. McKiernan
  • Irene Radford
  • J.R. Ward
  • Laurell K. Hamilton
  • Nora Roberts/J.D. Robb
  • P.N. Elrod
  • Raymond Feist
  • Robin Hobb
  • Robin McKinley
  • Terry Goodkind

(emphasis mine)

This is a bad idea all together. Ms. Roberts is not an author who allows fanfiction of her stories to be published, even for free, online. IMO, you should probably cease and desist before you get the request from a lawyer.
 

havefaith22

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I feel like a complete idiot for asking this, but can someone tell me what Fan Fiction is? The definition on Wikipedia just confused me...
 

Kateness

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Fanfiction is where you take a work written by another author...in this case, Nora Roberts.

Then you use that same world and/or characters to write your own story.

For example, if you wrote a Harry Potter fanfiction, you could decide that you wanted to see a story where Draco and Hermione end up hooking up, and write it yourself.
 

Deleted member 42

Fan Fiction violates copyright because it is a derivative work.

Fan Fiction posted on Web sites counts as publishing per the DMCA.

Also?

Writing fan fic based on the work of an author who has specifically said please do not do this is reprehensible in the extreme.
 

havefaith22

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Hmm.. I can certainly see why it would tick off authors. Is it illegal to publish? The only reason I ask is that I'm a huge Wuthering Heights fan and own a book by Lin Haire-Sargeant called Heathcliff: The Return to Wuthering Heights, which explains what happened to Heathcliff the time he was away. This story uses the same environment and characters, so how is this different from Fan Fiction? Just curious... :Huh:
 

Said The Sun

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Hmm.. I can certainly see why it would tick off authors. Is it illegal to publish? The only reason I ask is that I'm a huge Wuthering Heights fan and own a book by Lin Haire-Sargeant called Heathcliff: The Return to Wuthering Heights

I thought I was the only person in the world who read that book :)
 

havefaith22

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Ha! You'd never believe where I found it. Someone was selling used books outside a Friendly's Restaurant. Not only did I buy that book, but four navy blue "pleather-bound" Agatha Christie books. What a find!
 

DeleyanLee

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Hmm.. I can certainly see why it would tick off authors. Is it illegal to publish? The only reason I ask is that I'm a huge Wuthering Heights fan and own a book by Lin Haire-Sargeant called Heathcliff: The Return to Wuthering Heights, which explains what happened to Heathcliff the time he was away. This story uses the same environment and characters, so how is this different from Fan Fiction? Just curious... :Huh:

I'm not familiar with that book, but if it was written after the copyright expired on Wuthering Heights, then the characters and everything was in public domain and fair game for a sequel to be written.

Fanfic is only illegal during the lifespan of the original copyright. At the moment, that's the lifetime of the author plus about 70 years.

Of course, if the owner of the copyright authorizes the work of another writer, then it's not fanfic either.
 

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Hmm.. I can certainly see why it would tick off authors. Is it illegal to publish? The only reason I ask is that I'm a huge Wuthering Heights fan and own a book by Lin Haire-Sargeant called Heathcliff: The Return to Wuthering Heights, which explains what happened to Heathcliff the time he was away. This story uses the same environment and characters, so how is this different from Fan Fiction? Just curious... :Huh:

In one way, it is fan fiction. More importantly, both this book and fan fic are derivative works.

The crucial difference here though is that Wuthering Heights is long out of copyright. It is derivative, therefore, but not illegal.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys is another Bronte derivative work. So is Sharon Shinn's SF novel Jenna Star-Born.
 
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Bartholomew

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If I ever get a fairly popular series published, I've always thought I'd encourage fanfic. Maybe my tune will change, but I'd be absolutely flattered if someone liked my characters and world enough to be compelled to write about them.
 

Susan Coffin

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To be honest with you, and no offense to anyone, but I don't understand this thing about writing fan fiction. Why not just make up your own world, characters, etc., and then try to sell it?
 

Cyia

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To be honest with you, and no offense to anyone, but I don't understand this thing about writing fan fiction. Why not just make up your own world, characters, etc., and then try to sell it?


For some, it's a hobby. They have no intention of ever being a professional level or novel length writer. They connected with the characters and want to explore the universe in which those characters live.

For some, it's their first venture into public creative writing. Sort of like a practice run where they can test their voice and style skills.

For many (*cough* teenfangirls *cough*) it's an expression of OMG I luv [insert name of actor portraying MC here] and I'm so much better for him than [insert name of actress playing skank/slut/heroine who obviously isn't right for said actor] and I'll prove it by writing myself into the story... as a character, not myself of course... no one will notice.

And honestly, the instant gratification can be addictive.
 

Susan Coffin

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For many (*cough* teenfangirls *cough*) it's an expression of OMG I luv [insert name of actor portraying MC here] and I'm so much better for him than [insert name of actress playing skank/slut/heroine who obviously isn't right for said actor] and I'll prove it by writing myself into the story... as a character, not myself of course... no one will notice.
Not real healthy, since guys in stories are...well...not real.

That's a whole 'nother discussion, and I am not sure we need to have it--yet again--here.

Oh alright! I withdraw all my questions and comments on this subject. ;):D
 
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