Apr-14-2011, 04:57 PM (UTC)
(This post was last modified: Apr-14-2011, 05:17 PM (UTC) by Farseer.)
Hmm...therapeutic...that's an interesting take on things, Mervi, and not a reason for fan fic that I would ever have thought of without input from someone else. Thanks for sharing that!
I do hate fan fic. I am of the opinion that it's theft and it's as black and white as that for me. Of course, I could see the benefits or reasonings behind others possibly going down the fan fic road for therapy but, yes, personal issues could (and should!) be worked through via so many other different means without having to resort to placing other people's characters in these circumstances eg see a therapist; write your own short story, novel or poetry (with or without a view to ever having it published for public viewing, or requiring feedback from others); write a journal or diary; read or watch something that's already been written by someone else that mirrors, or is similar to, your own experience etc. As Mervi mentioned, these "delicate" themes are not limited to fan fic but are explored within 'literature', and elsewhere, in a wide variety of genres.
Having been working for some time on my own novel, using key issues that I have directly taken from my own childhood, I don't believe an awful experience in life, no matter how terrible, gives anyone permission to directly use or follow on from a story or characters that have already been created. Certainly, there are many similar plots and characters, even in 'literature', that are based on true life or even pre-existing storylines or characters eg biblical or religious themes, historical people or locations etc, but...that's different!
Who is to say that the original author has not written their work as their own form of therapy, and someone else has come along and destroyed this therapeutic device by twisting it into another fan fic tragedy for their own therapeutic reasonings? This hijacking of another's works not only ruins the original plot intentions of the author but it also has the potential to undo something therapeutically important and possibly add a hugely emotional drain on the author's personal progress.
Another thought is that those who place characters into certain situations, particularly sexual ones, must realise that, though they are for the most part fictitious, certain aspects of those characters are often founded in 'truth' and may possess features of the author's loved ones or cherished friends. An example of this would be if I wrote a character into my story that used bits from or reminded me of my father, only to then have someone place him in a sexual situation which would be completely out of character for him...well...I would be homicidal!
Just some of my thoughts though.
Crikey! It says TWELVE new posts have been made while I was typing
so I'll leave it there and check out what else is being said!!!
No new posts, least of all twelve - must have been a tiny glitch to get me excited at that potential discussion level!
I do hate fan fic. I am of the opinion that it's theft and it's as black and white as that for me. Of course, I could see the benefits or reasonings behind others possibly going down the fan fic road for therapy but, yes, personal issues could (and should!) be worked through via so many other different means without having to resort to placing other people's characters in these circumstances eg see a therapist; write your own short story, novel or poetry (with or without a view to ever having it published for public viewing, or requiring feedback from others); write a journal or diary; read or watch something that's already been written by someone else that mirrors, or is similar to, your own experience etc. As Mervi mentioned, these "delicate" themes are not limited to fan fic but are explored within 'literature', and elsewhere, in a wide variety of genres.
Having been working for some time on my own novel, using key issues that I have directly taken from my own childhood, I don't believe an awful experience in life, no matter how terrible, gives anyone permission to directly use or follow on from a story or characters that have already been created. Certainly, there are many similar plots and characters, even in 'literature', that are based on true life or even pre-existing storylines or characters eg biblical or religious themes, historical people or locations etc, but...that's different!
Who is to say that the original author has not written their work as their own form of therapy, and someone else has come along and destroyed this therapeutic device by twisting it into another fan fic tragedy for their own therapeutic reasonings? This hijacking of another's works not only ruins the original plot intentions of the author but it also has the potential to undo something therapeutically important and possibly add a hugely emotional drain on the author's personal progress.
Another thought is that those who place characters into certain situations, particularly sexual ones, must realise that, though they are for the most part fictitious, certain aspects of those characters are often founded in 'truth' and may possess features of the author's loved ones or cherished friends. An example of this would be if I wrote a character into my story that used bits from or reminded me of my father, only to then have someone place him in a sexual situation which would be completely out of character for him...well...I would be homicidal!
Just some of my thoughts though.
Crikey! It says TWELVE new posts have been made while I was typing
so I'll leave it there and check out what else is being said!!! No new posts, least of all twelve - must have been a tiny glitch to get me excited at that potential discussion level!
"I am the Catalyst, and I came to change all things. Prophets become warriors, dragons hunt as wolves."
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