With famous authors, such as the esteemed fantasy guru George RR Martian, barring their work from fan-fiction, and referring to it as "the lazy way out." it's easy to see why so many would be authors, scholars and fans would be discouraged from the art form.
Martian's biggest argument against fan fiction, is possibly the most relevant and valid one I have ever heard: “My characters are my children, " He says, "I don’t want people making off with them, thank you. Even people who say they love my children. I’m sure that’s true, I don’t doubt the sincerity of the affection, but still… No one gets to abuse the people of Westeros but me.” 1
Let's face it, dear readers, there is quite a lot of fan fiction out there that (to put it plainly) SUCKS. The writer borrows chunks from the world, and then takes characters and totally revamps them. A lemon between brothers who never engaged in incest (while sometimes well written) can be constructed as abusive to the author. I am sure if he allowed his work to be used in fan fiction, George would find many Mary-Sues running rapid through Westburros, wielding long swords and having threesomes with a pair of shirtless Starks. With that in mind, one cannot really blame George for his choice.
That being said, fan fiction does not have to be the devil. For many authors, it is a beginning, a way to hone their craft with "the training wheels on", so to speak. By using already developed characters and worlds, a young author can learn to work with in the constraints of world and character, focusing on consistency, style and voice.
Many fan fiction sites, such as the ever popular fanfiction.net, offer a review feature, which can be both constructive and deconstructive to the budding author. There is no better confidence buster than to be told you are wonderful, or to be compared to your favorite author. Such praise keeps the young author motivated.
On the other hand, it can overinflate the author and cause them not to try and grow and hone their craft. When they try to publish their own work, it can lead to a major breakdown.
Flames can also be detrimental to the author. If a work is criticized without any word of it being constructive, then the author can either become completely discouraged or fail to take the review seriously. I have seen many authors reply to such reviews within an author's note and refer them to trolling and bullying)
A well balanced review, however, can be the best thing in the world for a young author. Most college writing workshops encourage their students to review their peers works with both positive and negative comments. There are many fan fiction readers who do the same. The upside to having this happen in a fan fiction setting is that there is an air of anonymity. Authors and readers are known by user or pen name. An author is not judged by who they are, their age or gender. A serious author also does not have to worry about being associated with an art that, while useful, is so frowned upon.
Not all famous authors are so against fan fiction. Many authors started writing using fan fiction as a medium; some even write it still today. Some of these authors include: Neil Gaimen, SE Hinton, Meg Cabot and Cassandra Clare...” 2
So how do I know so much about fan fiction? I have been writing fan fiction for roughly nine years. I read the book "The Outsiders" 3 by SE Hinton and found out that I could right stories about it. I started going on fanfiction.net and writing.
I had always loved storytelling but it was not until I discovered fan fiction, that I really took the time to write. I began writing all day, every day. At school, I was always carrying a notebook (writing fan fiction when I should have been taking notes) and coming home and clicking away at the computer keys. I read reviews and took them to heart. I became a reader and read and reviewed other works. Soon, I found myself improving as a writer. Today, I am a graduate of UCF's Creative Writing program and am writing my own stuff. Fan fiction allowed me to discover my love and talent for writing.
In future posts, I will give some advice on writing fan fiction that will not send the original author running for the hills and give some advice to those who want to make their fiction their own. Who knows, I might even give out my non de plum
1 Check More Out at http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/68332629.html
2 Check More out at http://www.dailydot.com/culture/10-famous-authors-fanfiction/
3 Get your own copy here
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