Sian

Why do I insist on reading fan fiction?  Or, more to the point, why do I insist on reading new fan fiction?  This stuff really should come with a disclaimer--bad grammer, bad writing, will drop you off in the middle of nowhere, may never be finished, buyer beware.  I just got off one of the websites that deals in this stuff, and all three of the stories I read were... unfinished.  Actually, some of it can be good... and intentionally, or unintentionally, some of it will have you rolling on the floor laughing.  Really, though, the reason to read fan-fic is because some very naughty writer made you fall in love with his character(s) and then ran off to sip margaritas while you come to terms with the idea that the next book could be coming out ten years from now, or never.  I won't name names here, but the writer in question has only been coming up with--on the average--one book every ten years.  That's a hell of a long time to wait for five hours worth of brain-candy.  Meanwhile, the ficsters--read, obsessive-compulsive, liberally neurotic, have no life to speak of live, breathe and sleep-it types--come out with thousands upon thousands of pages of work.  Now, most of it is pure shit.  However, find one of these loons with an iota of talent, and a little bit of brains, and you would actually believe you're getting the real deal.

That's life.  If you come up with a character that somehow worms his way into the collective conscience, write, and keep writing, or other people will.  Might as well be the people who love your books most, instead of the people your estate pays.  Face it.  John Gardner took over for Ian Flemming; there have been a god-awful number of Nancy Drew writers; some idiot wrote a sequel to "Gone With the Wind" and even Ann Landers isn't exempt.  If you're doing it right, your characters will outlive both you, and their copyrights. 

I write fan-fic, from time to time, but I never, ever, ever, publish it.  Why?  Because it's a writing exercise like anything else.  If it produces good results, it winds up getting edited into non-derivative fiction, with your characters, etc. cut out, and if it doesn't, I don't really want anyone to see it anyway.  I'm not going to publish anything with "borrowed" characters because the "owner" of those characters may be able to pre-empt the whole dang thing.  How's that for cynical?

posted by: SianNorah at 23:08 | link | comments

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