Yes – I’m going there! LOL
I know there are some pretty (strong) mixed emotions about fanfic out there and I just wanted to go on record as a huge, huge fan of it – and not just because I also write it. 🙂
For those who may not know what fanfic is, it’s when someone takes the characters/universe of a movie, TV show, book or whatever, and writes their own stories about/with those characters/universe. They’re usually romance stories and the pairings (or triplings or quadruplings or, well, orgies, I guess) are basically anyone with everyone. LOL There’s a strong preponderance of slash (i.e., Male/Male romance stories) but there’s basically something for everyone.
I know many people/writers/etc. are firmly against fanfic and I’ve seen a lot of criticism/statements such as “it’s lazy”; “create your own characters/universe dammit”, etc.
Like I said, I’ve read a lot of it, and there’s nothing lazy about it (which isn’t to say some of it isn’t so bad it makes my eyelashes bleed). But, good or bad, we don’t take an aired episode, for example, and simply transcribe it and then change a word or two. We create our own storyline/scenarios for the characters we love. (If you don’t believe me, take a look at this fic I wrote for Star Trek 2009: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/9069138/1/Clementine under my “real life” screen name).
Now, that said, if you’re an artist and you don’t want people to write fanfic about your creations, that’s your right and I respect that, and I make it a point to write only in those fandoms that have either explicitly given permission or have remained silent on the issue. I personally hope someone will write fanfic about my characters (although I’ll never read it until I’m finished writing about them myself) because it’s a sign of investment and engagement on the part of the fans. Seriously: the amount of time it takes to write a well-crafted, well-written fanfic is huge, and it means somebody loves what’s been created so much, they’re willing to invest their own time – without pay! – to play in my particular sandbox. I think that’s awesome – and I’d probably squeal so loudly the whole world will wonder what the hell just happened – LOL.
Victoria Bernadine's Author Blog 