Jan-03-2020, 08:06 AM (UTC)
(This post was last modified: Jan-03-2020, 08:08 AM (UTC) by mistrali.)
I have no issue with it, personally. I consider it just (most of the time) a silly, harmless, fun thing. Reading (or writing) fan fiction will rarely stop me from enjoying the author’s original works, except in a few rare cases where I’m so unhappy with the way canon went that I feel compelled to read fix-it fic. If anything, it’s adaptations which tend to ‘ruin’ canon for me.
Moreover, although the majority of fandoms feature OOC porn, I belong to one or two rare fandoms whose fics are mostly G-rated, gen and slice of life.
I can understand RH’s stance on fanfic writers attaching her name to - basically - porn and OOC characters and plots. But I think that most people are aware that, say,, fic in which Harry becomes best friends with Draco is *not* synonymous with HP by J.K. Rowling, or Aragorn/Boromir slash diverges widely from the text as written by Tolkien. That doesn’t mean they bear any ill will towards the author. Most people, reading Little Women, for example, are disappointed that Jo March gets married. Notwithstanding that Alcott herself regretted that decision, this sort of thing is what causes Laurie/Jo to be such a popular ship. I think readers are entitled to continue the story, even in their heads. And if anything, the fact that so many talented writers write stories for free should be testament to how much they love the work. Yes, there are excellent writers in fanfiction, although they may be in the minority.
And - well - as for the common criticism that writing fanfic is a poor way to showcase one’s creative writing skills and the majority of fanfic is much worse than the majority of published literature, I happen to agree (for the most part). Even the best fanfic out there will never be on par with writers such as Robin Hobb or Vikram Seth, let alone the literary greats, such as Faulkner or Patrick White, who take their prose to the next level.
But I, for one, am not an aspiring writer and have never claimed to be able to turn a phrase. I just write it for fun. Are there more productive uses of time? Absolutely - but one might make the same criticism of video games, reading fiction, watching Netflix or nearly any other such hobby.
To avoid any misunderstanding, I mean no disrespect to RH or other anti-fanfic authors and am not advocating that we stage a mass revolution at A03, or anything. I’m just voicing my own opinions on fanfiction in general and responding to some common criticisms (some of which are referenced in RH’s AMA response as quoted above).
Moreover, although the majority of fandoms feature OOC porn, I belong to one or two rare fandoms whose fics are mostly G-rated, gen and slice of life.
I can understand RH’s stance on fanfic writers attaching her name to - basically - porn and OOC characters and plots. But I think that most people are aware that, say,, fic in which Harry becomes best friends with Draco is *not* synonymous with HP by J.K. Rowling, or Aragorn/Boromir slash diverges widely from the text as written by Tolkien. That doesn’t mean they bear any ill will towards the author. Most people, reading Little Women, for example, are disappointed that Jo March gets married. Notwithstanding that Alcott herself regretted that decision, this sort of thing is what causes Laurie/Jo to be such a popular ship. I think readers are entitled to continue the story, even in their heads. And if anything, the fact that so many talented writers write stories for free should be testament to how much they love the work. Yes, there are excellent writers in fanfiction, although they may be in the minority.
And - well - as for the common criticism that writing fanfic is a poor way to showcase one’s creative writing skills and the majority of fanfic is much worse than the majority of published literature, I happen to agree (for the most part). Even the best fanfic out there will never be on par with writers such as Robin Hobb or Vikram Seth, let alone the literary greats, such as Faulkner or Patrick White, who take their prose to the next level.
But I, for one, am not an aspiring writer and have never claimed to be able to turn a phrase. I just write it for fun. Are there more productive uses of time? Absolutely - but one might make the same criticism of video games, reading fiction, watching Netflix or nearly any other such hobby.
To avoid any misunderstanding, I mean no disrespect to RH or other anti-fanfic authors and am not advocating that we stage a mass revolution at A03, or anything. I’m just voicing my own opinions on fanfiction in general and responding to some common criticisms (some of which are referenced in RH’s AMA response as quoted above).