I've never read fan fiction. I've only heard about it and how some authors have turned their own version of other writers' stories into a fortune.
I've come to this post because of another blogger's post: JeffO. Jeff has some qualms about it. I don't share his worries. I'd be excited to see my characters take on new lives. I'd be flattered by it. Would I want a piece of the pie, should the author achieve monetary success with it? No. More than likely the fan fiction would probably entice new readers to read my stories. If not, oh well.
Characters in stories, movies, whatever, become public property, so to speak. They belong to everyone. Readers conjure up in their own minds while they're reading a story what characters looks like, who they are, where they're from, what their motives are, so on and so forth. And each reader has a slightly different view of a character. And that's probably where fan fiction originates, from a desire to see the characters in that reader's fantasy world.
One of Jeff's concerns is originality. Piggy-backing off another writer is not being original. But don't all of us writers piggy back off of what we see and read. Someone said there's nothing original under the sun and that the Greeks said it all. So we're just retelling old stories, sort of. I know, when I'm reading a novel, I often imagine a different scenario for what's going on. So, that scenario becomes my story, should I decide to write it. That's probably what fan fiction is.
Anyway, I have no problem with it. I think it's a fantastic way of viewing the world.
5 comments:
I think it's great that you'd like to see your characters in fanfiction.
I personally haven't ever read or written fanfiction. I can't see the appeal.
I have also never read fan fiction, though I have heard about it.
Wow, now there's a dream eh? Can't wait. lol.
Interesting perspective, Richard. You are right. We all have different interpretations and thoughts about a story. By the way, I saw the movie "The Painted Veil". It was good... but I would not like to be in any of the characters' shoes. Thanks for the recommendation.
Many writers start with fanfic and move on to originality. Others turn to fanfic after writing their own tales. And then there are those who write it exclusively or never at all. I toyed with the idea of continuing the tale of a movie I watched that should have spawned a TV series, but never did. Never got more than a couple chapters into it though.
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