Opinions on Fan Fiction

[Into Oblivion]

I know we just had a contest where one category was basically Fire Emblem fan fiction, but I'm somewhat curious about this topic in the eyes of others.

What is your opinion on fan fiction, especially in regards to a valid form of writing? Do you think it is somehow illegitimate or invalid writing just because the characters and setting don't happen to be your own?

Up until recently, I was a fan fiction writer myself. I started about 9 years ago, well perhaps a bit longer, but 9 years this September is when I first joined an actual site for it. Now, at the time, I was using it as training in the hopes of writing something 'real.' You know experimenting with scenarios and styles and the like, so I guess I found it more valid then. Fast forward and I'm not sure I really have the desire to dedicate myself to write something 'real.' It's called life, plain and simple, so writing itself became more or less a hobby. I still did have my fan fiction though, but now, somehow it doesn't seem quite as validating as it was, writing it for its own sake. I wouldn't say I've bought into the stigma of fan fiction, at least not entirely. It's not something I brag about though, especially to family (they'd probably tell me it was a waste of time and 'talent').

Now, I've run the full gamut when it comes to opinions on this. I know a lot of authors are flat-out against it. I know some non-authors have called it the sewer spawn of all written work. But others do defend it as real writing, since, if you care about the work, you're going to put actual effort into it. Plus, fan fiction can be turned into publishable work, even if the most well-known example is complete garbage.

So what's your opinion on this? And it goes without saying, let's be nice about this.

[eclipse]

It's another creative outlet.  You don't necessarily create the characters/setting, but you can use them to power a completely different plot.  With the rules of the universe already made, it's a lot less stressful than building your own world.

[Extrasolar]

I think fan fiction is fine, and I would definitely say it's a legitimate form of writing. Even if one doesn't create the world and characters, it takes effort to plot, keep characters in character, and write well mechanically.

A lot of people don't realize, but we've had what is essentially fan fiction from day one. Pretty much all mythological stories were essentially fan fiction using the same set of characters, except there was no central canon. The King Arthur cycle is a ton of fan fiction from a variety of different authors about the adventures of their favorite knight, all based around the world of Camelot. Later writers added their own OCs into the Round Table canon - until recently I didn't even know Lancelot wasn't part of the original cycle of stories, but was added to the universe in the 14th century by a French writer.

A lot of fan fiction is used to explore facets of a universe and story that canon never touches on, or doesn't touch on enough. It's also used to address lackluster writing/plotting in canon, or putting characters in a new setting or situation and seeing what results (AUs and things).

Fan fiction tends to get a bad wrap on the internet and among older people due to the huge amount of either amateurishly-written fanfics that may or may not feature "Mary Sue" or self-insert characters stealing the spotlight from the canon characters, and the oversaturation of pairing fanfics (especially slash pairings), which often have issues with characterization and plot. I'll admit, it is tiresome reading "Die For Our Ship" fanfics and character bashing fanfic, or fanfics that just don't care about getting characters out of character to justify a pairing or a plot. As someone who's not an avid shipper in most cases, the fact that the majority of fan fiction is shipping alienates me a little bit. And just once, I'd like to read a KH fanfic in which Sora and Riku or Axel and Roxas are best buds instead of lovers

Of course, Sturgeon's Law applies to most fan fiction, and as a result I don't tend to read it as often as I used to way back when, but I can always appreciate the great ones, and especially the rare fan fictions that even exceed the canon work in some areas.

A lot of writers who write original work started as fan fiction writers, including myself. It makes great writing practice, while being somewhat easier than crafting an entire world and characters brand new.

Edited April 17, 2017 by Extrasolar

[Party Moth]

Used to write it more often than I do now. My stance on it is that it is equally as creative or destructive as you make it. If you have interesting things to say in terms of the themes and ideas of the original work, you can choose to use that setting as a way to comment on or expand the original concept. The biggest reasons why fan fiction is generally disregarded is due to the lack of an original setting/characters and the low quality that tends to come from the former already being provided. Original works tend to have editors, extra staff, and general standards through attempting to sell copies, which is a barrier of entry that fan fiction rarely facilitates. However, I have found some fan fiction that has challenged me more than a lot of the new works being put on the shelves in the bookstores.

[Thane]

There's nothing wrong with fan fiction in and of itself; I'd even say it works as a good platform for people to easily share their stories to an already existing audience. However, I never read any unless some kind of quality can be assured, which is usually what fan fiction works and even sites lack. There are simply too many writers who don't really know how to construct a good story, or are just concerned with things like shipping, and that makes it too difficult to find the well written works.

[Sunwoo]

Fanfiction in theory: it's not an awful thing. It's a good testing ground for people who want to hone their writing skills. A lot of people won't read original stuff, so if they read your fanfiction and point out stuff that is done well or needs improving, then you can take that advice and use it to improve original writing skills.

Fanfiction in practice: the wish fulfillment; the Mary Sues; the shipping; the bashing; the complete lack of awareness on the part of the writer. There is a reason why fanfiction has such a shitty rep.

[Xaos Steel Wing]

There's nothing wrong with fan fiction in itself, just like there's nothing wrong with fan art. It is still a creative activity, even if you are using elements originally created by others.

I mainly write fan fiction as a way to practice. It allows me to use established worlds and characters, and to focus on the mechanics of my writing and getting across ideas and events without having to spend time on creating original characters and worlds every time.

The stigma exists more-so because there's a lot of fan fiction that, to be frank, is not very well written. Lots of self-inserts, mary sue OCs, story rewrites but focusing on adding a romance, shipping fics, smut, silliness, etc. I'm not saying that all such stories are bad; but there's enough not so good ones to give fan fiction in general a bad reputation. There's plenty of fantastic fan fiction stories and authors out there, but you really need to look for them. And it's sometimes hard to find the good ones, as a lot of the more popular ones (views, likes etc.) are not necessarily the best written ones.

I do not feel confident enough in my abilities to write original fiction. I would like to write original stories someday, but for now I continue to write stories based on established characters and universes to practice and develop my abilities, until one day I finally feel ready to create my own truly original works.

[Magical Glace]

It is the most obvious example of Sturgeon's Law there is.  There is some really good fanfiction out there, but it can be hard to find because, well, most of it is crap.

Pity, but eh.

[epilepsyduck]

Fanfic's perfectly alright, in my opinion, and pretty much harmless fun. Sure, there's a lot of garbage out there, but if we're being honest with ourselves basically everything wrong with fanfic is stuff that's wrong with fandom as a whole, hardly unique to fanfiction itself; shipping is a major focus in most fandoms anyway, pointless hostility over petty details is pretty much any given fandom's M.O., and wish fulfillment/escapism is pretty common in storytelling to begin with. Really, I find fanfic is less the corrosive poison it's made out to be and more a barometer of fandom behavior. 

Tbh I think a lot of the bile comes from the fact that a lot of fanfic writers are teens who've never written anything else before, but people engage with it as if it's professional work written by skilled, mature adults. I'm not saying that means these stories aren't bad or that they don't deserve some level of criticism, just that people who call it the death of literature or whatever maybe need to chill a bit.

Do people honestly still use the term "Mary Sue"? I thought everyone agreed it had no real meaning outside of "character I don't like".

[Interdimensional Observer]

As someone who has done a little, I have no problem with fan fiction. It's a form of pleasing oneself, and it's fine so as long as it doesn't interfere living a normal life. It's daydreams put into letters, and daydreams tend to be self-centered.

Now if only I could develop a plot for my dream of a Microcosmic Dark Ages FE.

5 hours ago, Extrasolar said:

A lot of people don't realize, but we've had what is essentially fan fiction from day one. Pretty much all mythological stories were essentially fan fiction using the same set of characters, except there was no central canon. The King Arthur cycle is a ton of fan fiction from a variety of different authors about the adventures of their favorite knight, all based around the world of Camelot. Later writers added their own OCs into the Round Table canon - until recently I didn't even know Lancelot wasn't part of the original cycle of stories, but was added to the universe in the 14th century by a French writer.

So very true. Not to mention every reinterpretation of a story is in a way its own fan fiction. The Tristan and Isolde of Wagner aren't the same as the Tristan and Isolde characters found in Medieval texts.

[Loki Laufeyson]

I dont give a shit if people have fun with their fanfic. What i dont like is when people pass off their headcanons and shipping as if they are canon. Or the big no-no for me: People claiming that fanfic is better or more viable than the canon. I find that really disrespectful of the original artist/author. Video games can be more open-ended about stuff like that, so i tend to be more lenient with that kind of thing than a book series or tv series. 

[Anacybele]

There isn't really anything I could add that hasn't already been said.

I'm a fanfiction writer and I enjoy it. It's another outlet of creativity like eclipse said, so I'm cool with it.

But a lot of fanfiction out there is pretty terrible because it comes from fans who just want to fulfill wishes and stuff and don't have any real writing experience. So as Sangyul/Sunwoo said, it gets a pretty bad rep for that. However, on occasion you can find a fanfic gem out there.

And I myself admit to wish fulfillment being part of what I write. I wanted an Ike x Elincia scenario, so I wrote that. It's not the sole thing that fuels my fics, as I also like creating some of my own characters and worlds to add to the FEverse or Zelda universe or whatever, but a little wish fulfillment is fine imo.

 

[BillyFunkyChile]

Copyright infringement and a story being a story are two separate thangs. If it's got a beginning middle and end, it's a valid story, no matter what. Just the matter if the story is good, and if you can make money off of it. Which you can't with fan fictions unless you got a fetish for getting sued and eager to see big bubba. 

[Hero_Lucina]

As a fanfic writer, it's mainly another outlet for me, like if I'm having a bad day, I can write a quick oneshot or fanfic to vent my feelings and no one else could tell unless I tell them.

13 hours ago, Anacybele said:

There isn't really anything I could add that hasn't already been said.

I'm a fanfiction writer and I enjoy it. It's another outlet of creativity like eclipse said, so I'm cool with it.

But a lot of fanfiction out there is pretty terrible because it comes from fans who just want to fulfill wishes and stuff and don't have any real writing experience. So as Sangyul/Sunwoo said, it gets a pretty bad rep for that. However, on occasion you can find a fanfic gem out there.

And I myself admit to wish fulfillment being part of what I write. I wanted an Ike x Elincia scenario, so I wrote that. It's not the sole thing that fuels my fics, as I also like creating some of my own characters and worlds to add to the FEverse or Zelda universe or whatever, but a little wish fulfillment is fine imo.

 

Point proven here. I write to fufill some wishes (mainly Fates related. I can write a whole rewrite if I had time, and some ships I have but mainly scenarios) I don't write to get this published, I write to feel good.

[Cute Chao]

I've written over 3000 pages of Xmen fanfic over the course of the last decade. It's become my own world, full of mary and gary stus, but I don't force it upon others and write it for the one person that matters to me... me! I use it as a creative outlet, and this lasting piece of fiction has got me through some difficult times. I can retreat to a world already created, populated by my own characters, and just have fun without caring. 

My Xmen fanfiction has helped me in the course of writing my own original fiction. Whether it's good or not, again, I only write for me so I don't care, but I am as proud of my fanfiction as I am of my original fiction. It's no more or less valid to me as my own creation. 

I do think people are correct, though. I don't often read fanfiction not written by myself or my friends 'cos a lot of it does seem badly put together (not saying ours isn't, either, 'cos I don't know or care how my own stuff holds up), but it makes reading it difficult and hard to get into. That being said, some pieces have stuck with me and I often go back to them and pray that the author has suddenly decided to continue. 

BAGS - Bishies Against Glompers was an amazing piece of absolute fun and just makes me happy whenever I go back to it. 

Pegasus Attack Triangle of Love - a story of Kent and the two pegasus sisters with whom he can support. A joy to read and sadly discontinued. 

There were a few more that struck me in my favourites list, but those two come to mind every time. I would love to do more than just say I LOVE THIS!!! to the authors, because they have given me a joyous read - even more than many published books, despite comparative length (sadly, short and without an end). 

So yup, fanfiction is a good read, a good way to continue something, and I'm now thinking of going back to ff.net to see if I can find any more gems. Last time I checked, it was mostly about avatar worship and that's when it got a tad dull...

[Godhand]

Personally, I think it is a perfectly valid form of writing, and I'm not sure why there are certain prominent authors like GRRM who criticize it. The most common argument is that you're not creating anything new and that you are not building your own skills because you are using other people's work, but that argument makes no sense. You're still creating scenarios by yourself, and though you are using an already established franchise, you still have to find ways to have those characters and universe interact with each other in the scenario you choose in a way that makes sense. It takes a lot of skill to put characters in new scenarios but still have them maintain their identities.

I don't really write fanfiction since I would be terrible at sticking to a schedule, but when I do, it is usually just to practice my writing skills. It's definitely good for that much, at least.

[tumut]

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, it's good to do for fun if you like it. I just don't ever take it too seriously since its fan-made. I don't think I've read any good fanfictions but i'm sure there's a few out there. 

[wheelsonfire]

As other people have said fan fiction gets such a bad rap because there's some immature or otherwise bad writers around. But what people don't seem to realize is that you can find bad writers everywhere, even professional authors.

The other thing is that people complain that fan fiction is not creating one's own work, but with some in stores other than mimic others, what work is truly original anymore? Furthermore, fan fiction is similar to being given a prompt and being asked to write with it. The prompt is not the person's own, but they're writing a story using anyway. In this case, the prompt is much more detailed when include characters and worlds.

As for fan fiction being better than the original works, I have no problem with it. As I mentioned, there are professional authors who write badly, so there's no reason there can't be a fan fiction writer writes the same series well. Some of these fan fiction authors fix the mistakes in the series or continue in the way professional authors never did (or couldn't). Others fill the blanks that the authors left behind, and they do a good job.

It's just finding the diamonds in the rough, if you will.

[Sunwoo]

I just wrote up an essay to how I feel about OCs in fiction, and OCs in fanfiction are definitely one of the major issues I may have with it -- since most people cannot write OCs well.

https://serenesforest.net/forums/index.php?/topic/71215-original-characters-in-fiction/

[Shoblongoo]

There's sooooooooo much bad fanfiction.

Recycled self-inserts, word-for-word novelizations, masturbatory fantasies, "AUs" that just have absolutely nothing to do with fire emblem except that the author put fire emblem names of the characters attending their fictional high school or talent agency or w/e, and just downright bad writing.

But there are gems. IF you wade through enough shit-fics, you will find them.

And what they add to the fandom is--pretty amazing.

Like I have legit read fics that permanently change my head-canon, and forever alter the way I play the game because I just can't look at the characters the same way after accepting what was written as part of their backstory.

"Wayward Son" by Gunlord--a VERY long and VERY detailed fic about Renault's history as a mercenary, is probably the best one out there (who am i kidding...probably. It's the best one out there. Not even close. Nothing else touches this fic in scope of ambition, finished work product, and raw quality. A must read for any fan of FE7)

There's a really good farina/hector one that I read a while back--blanking on the name right now, its somewhere in my favorites list--and its one of those fics where the backstory it gives to Farina just completely changes the way you view the character of Farina.

...There was "Feral." A really good Tellius fic following the premise that Lethe gets captured by Daein and taken to their Laguz murder-tower and turned into a Feral One. That one was dark. But really, really good. By VelkynKarma, I think.

I've written some that I'm proud of. And some that I'm not so proud of. I daresay "The Grandmaster"  holds up. (I'm proud of that one)

Tomorrow I'll go through my favorite list and see if it jogs any old memories.

...thats a good cross-section of fics to start out with, if you just want to see how good fanfiction can build upon the series rather than shame it.
 

Edited May 18, 2017 by Shoblongoo

[Shoblongoo]

Ohhhhhhh...Tales of a Hero and a Half Dragon.  I remember you. Ike and Soren wind up on Elibe somehow.

The King and the Empress.  Comedy and fluff for all you dirty Naesela/Sanaki shippers out there (Guilty).

Fourteen Days. Holy hell--this fic is twelve years old already. This was the one that made me a believer in Erk/Rebecca (don't laugh. it works.)

Yeahhhh. There's some good ones out there. Especially during the GBA era. Maybe I'm biased, but I feel like all the best talent went into writing FE7.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Shoblongoo

[Fala]

Fanfiction is fine. It's another medium where people can express themselves although they're confined to something akin to a sandbox.

[Shoblongoo]

2 minutes ago, Fala said:

Fanfiction is fine. It's another medium where people can express themselves although they're confined to something akin to a sandbox.

ohhhhh you're only confined if your one of those crappy novelization writers that just follows the canon.

If you can come up with your own scenarios and write your own dialogue; its full creative license to do pretty much whatever you want.

[Fala]

Just now, Shoblongoo said:

ohhhhh you're only confined if your one of those crappy novelization writers that just follows the canon.

If you can come up with your own scenarios and write your own dialogue; its full creative license to do pretty much whatever you want.

Uh, not if it doesn't make sense either character, setting or plot-wise.

[Kahvi]

I personally write both original and fan fiction and there's definitely both pros and cons to fan fics. There's of course a lot of really bad fan fics out there but people often forget that there's also really bad original stories as well. Bad fan fics are just easier to find online. Of course people are more likely to search online for fan fictions for established franchises than for original fiction. It's easy for more inexperienced writers to find fan fic websites. If I would've used internet more at a younger age perhaps I would've ended up writing bad fan fiction instead of writing bad original fiction in my diary (and those stories were baaaad). If it makes the writer happy and it doesn't hurt anyone, I can't see a reason to complain too much about it.

Also, the musical Wicked (and the book it's based on) is basically a fan fiction of Oz and just look how that turned out.