What is Fanfic and is It Really “Writing”?
As a writer, I’ve been accused on more than one occasion of being in my “own little world.” It can be said that most writers live in their own world so I don’t take it personally. It is in that world that our characters are real people who have real conversations and are amalgamations of people in our “real” lives. Even though my character looks like a famous model, acts like a character from my favorite television show, and plays ball like a WNBA player, she’s still considered “original”. There is, however, a field of writing where authors take someone else’s original characters and craft a story around them. These works are known as “fan fiction” or “fanfic” and its creators are diverse, imaginative, and passionate.
I got started writing fanfic about 5 years ago, but it’s important to note that fanfic has been around since the early 70’s. I hate to say this because my friends, @relda and @geekbtch, will be tweeting in delight over this later today, but fanfic’s roots are said to be buried in Star Trek. Apparently, when the original television series was canceled, there was an actual period of sadness and grief among its fans. With the advent and proliferation of the internet, the writers of Star Trek fic have spawned writers of fanfic for everything from 21 Jump Street to Zorro.
While I’m an avid reader of fanfic from Buffy, Xena, Grey’s Anatomy, and CSI, I write fic for very few shows. I was asked not too long ago why I write fan fiction instead of “real” writing. If you’re a swimmer, you don’t swim the 100 meters once a day, you do laps until you pass out. It’s the same thing for writers. If short stories are what you’re passionate about, that doesn’t mean that you can’t jot down a poem or two. It doesn’t matter what the subject is, what genre it falls under, or who the characters are (if any) – writers have to write. Grocery lists, alternate endings to movies, letters to a child’s teacher, or another chapter in the next best-seller, they all count.
I do, however, understand why people who don’t write are so baffled by the fanfic craze. After all, writers do tend to create characters and revel in the unique traits and cleverly crafted quips they thought up “all by themselves”. So, when a friend asked me about fanfic, I felt it was my duty to explain as best as possible. The conversation went something like this:
Them: Why don’t you just write regular stuff? Like, make up your own characters and stuff?
Me: Well, I do have my own original characters, but sometimes there are plots and conversations and scenes that dance around your brain until they come out. And most of the time, those elements won’t work in the original piece you’re working on.
Them: Huh?
Me: Okay, do you like ice cream sundaes?
Them: Yes.
Me: What’s your favorite topping?
Them: Sprinkles. Oreos! No, wait. M&Ms. No. Wait. What flavor is the ice cream?
Me: See? Any of those would be great, but they’re all popping into your brain at the same time and you’re getting confused! You think you want sprinkles but then you haven’t had Oreos in a while. With a writer, getting those “other options” out of your head is harder than picking a topping. When picking out toppings, you can have a little of every one and it might be great! But not every option in a writer’s head fits the writer’s original story.
Them: Huh? I definitely want pineapple. Final answer. Wait, where are we getting the ice cream from?
Clearly my conversation partner didn’t understand my answer, but I hope you do. I can’t tell you how many times and in how many different ways I’ve plotted the relationship of Sidle and Willows on CSI. Or the number of endings I have written for Xena. But those stories, conversations, looks, feelings, images, etc. just don’t fit into the novel I’m writing about basketball.
Fanfic gives me and other a
uthors the opportunity to go to places we wouldn’t in our “regular” writing. It also gives us a chance to write outside our comfort zone. You wouldn’t believe how much of a challenging thrill it was to write Harry Potter fanfic with Harry and —well…I’ll save that for later.
As for the debate over whether or not fanfic is “writing”, it’s a matter of opinion for most people. Not only do I think it’s a very valid form of writing, to me, it’s harder than writing original characters. For instance, if my original characters suddenly had the filthiest mouths on the planet, no one would blink an eye. They’re my characters. However, if Hermione Granger suddenly said anything worse than “bloody hell”, the entire HP fanfic community would have more than a few things to say! Using someone else’s well-known and widely-loved characters is so much harder than using your own. Those characters have a voice, a personality, and a life. You better bloody well stay true to that plan!
Besides, if there is a difference between “original” writing and fanfic it’s minimal at best. Sure, if Joss Whedon got really mad at me and wanted to sue me for using Willow in ways he hadn’t intended, he could probably make an argument in court against whether or not I have the “right” to use her. But making that determination in the world outside the legal system is pointless. To me, it’s sort of like trying to figure out if receiving $1,000,000.00 is better than receiving $999,999.99. If you ask me, I’ll take the latter; you can keep the damn penny!
Photo Credit: Buffy/Faith screenshot property of Twentieth Century Fox, Joss Whedon, the United Paramount Network, and/or the WB.
Emily Smith is a writer, photographer, and designer who hails from Southwest Alabama. In her spare time she writes fanfiction and adds needless content to her novel.
Hi!
(First of all, I want to apologize, because English is not my first language and maybe I don’t write ir well at all)
I really liked your post. I’m a fanfic writer about, well, two years maybe, and though I realised that fanfiction is another genre of writing, a little diferent from the others, I knew that if I had the conversation you said up there, I could’t explain why sometimes I prefer fanfics rather ‘original’ writing.
So, when in the future someone ask me about this, I’ll take them here. So maybe they will understand :)
I am humbled and honored. I hope I did the genre justice. *bowing* Thank you for your kind words.
(And you did fine with English!) :)
I think a lot of people don’t consider it “real” writing because you can’t make money on it. Unfortunately that’s how many people define “real” art. But I see writing fanfic the same as being a staff writer on a tv show. You’re writing characters that were created by someone else but it still takes a lot of talent to get those character’s voices right.
I have confirmation from ah…a pretty…um..reliable source that one can make money writing fic. ;-)
Staff writer on a TV show…that’s absolutely genius! I wish I’d asked you for an analogy when I was writing this! LOL
Wonderful write-up indeed. It is nice to see someone taking up and talking about fanfic. It is definitely a niche that is driven passionately. And as you so brilliantly pointed out, it is so much harder to write someone else’s characters than your own. Having read some Buffy stories where the characters voice didn’t quite fit made the read difficult and at times undoable.
Brilliant? You’re just being kind….and it’s working! ;-)
Nothing worse than reading Buffy!fic where Buffy is more Hannah Montana than Buffy! ;-)
Thanks for this!!! I’ve fallen into the trap of not considering fanfic real writing– not when I hang around novelists and people who write articles for a living. I’ve often found myself saying ‘I need to finish this so I can do some real writing.’
I do agree, so much, that fanfic is harder than original fiction in some ways. You’re limited to characterization established by someone else and though you can veer slightly in your interpretation, you can’t go too far or anyone who reads you will protest. You can’t have a beloved character turn evil, unless you do it very very well.
I imagine authors of original fiction have the same issue if they write a series– one of my favorite authors John Lescroart uses the same Chief of Police and Attorney in all of his books. If Dismas Hardy suddenly becomes an S.O.B. and decides Abe Glitsky ISN’T the same friend he’s been for the past 20 years, I’m totally not reading Lescroart anymore because he’s ruined previously established characters.
Anyway, thanks for this article, very well written on such a relevant topic.
Novelists do, indeed, consider fanfic the red-headed stepchild of “real writing”. But I challenge any of them to write Harry Potter slash! ;-)
I have been addicted to fanfiction for about two or three years now, and i think that it is a great tool for improving ones writing when you don’t have your own characters and story lines yet. I see it as a step towards becoming a published writer one day, putting out stories which other people can read and give me feed back on. and it gives me a great sense of pride when people enjoy what i write!
And i most certainly agree that it is not at all easier than creating your own characters. I love trying to capture an already existing character and using little quirks and traits I know they have in my stories.
I very much enjoyed reading this article. it was quite interesting, raised some good points and was over all amusing, especially seeing as I was worried at first that it was going to be attempting to disprove fanfiction as a real form of writing.
Thanks! Check your email! ;-)
Fanfic is the shit. That’s pretty much all I have to say.
Love to read/write/do a happy dance when an author updates – everything.
Fanfic has definitely helped me develop my writing skills and has advanced my vocabulary and because of that I’m kicking ass in my english class. It’s fabulous.
I found a talent from being obsessed with a TV show (AN AWESOME TV SHOW) to the point where I youtubed the crap out of it and wrote a comment about how two characters should hook up. It’s amazing what the internet can do for you.
I’m totally with Elise. I got her hooked and now we’re addicted.
Fanfiction is fabulous and because of the anonymity people are able to post without having the fear of someone they know judging them. Most of the people who review are writers themselves so they’re not going to sit there and textually berate you for something. They give you constructive criticism and definitely boost your confidence/self esteem.
High five for fanfiction. What would we do without you??
Thank you for the comment! Psst…check your email! ;-)
Thank you! I’m SO going to force my friends to read this, it explained so f**ng well what I’ve been trying to tell them for ages! As I am very much a fanfic-lover (or fanfic-addict), I really enjoyed reading this! It’s hard enough being a writer, but writing fanfiction is… well damn, I can’t even count the number of times I’ve been accused of having “no life” and the likes… :3 Not that I care, of course, but it’s still frustrating, you know? Oh well, I’m getting of topic :P It’s just that this really triggered my entusiasm as a fanfiction-writer ^^
A world without fanfiction would be… shitty, to say the least! ^^
Joss Whedon is a great director, most of the science fiction series that i love are created by him.,”.