Fan Fiction
Fan Fiction is perhaps the worst category of fiction. Respected authors hate it and accomplished readers avoid it like the plague. Of course, there are dedicated fans who love their particular fiction franchise and they occasionally read fan fiction.
Why do so many people despise this genre? The largest source of disdain comes from the perception that respected works are trashed by the creation of a fan story. For example, if a person wrote a Star Wars story about Luke Skywalker having a twin brother. This is a perfectly valid storyline, however, the creators of Star Wars and the fans of Star Wars would denounce this work. Of course, this twin brother story would clearly not be canon. Meaning the creators would not consider a twin brother storyline to be part of the actual story.
Well, there are Star Wars comic books, novels, TV cartoon shows and other plots that stray far away from the original story. I bet one of them might explore a twin story. True. However, the creators make honest attempts to keep these alternate works in line with the original story.
The allure of writing fiction is very powerful. This is because the story has been well established, it has a fan base and it’s fun to write in this well-loved world. A writer can simply go in any direction. “James Skywalker knew he had a gift at an early age…” Anybody with Star Wars knowledge can continue that a twin brother storyline on a magical tangent.
The efforts to crush fan fiction are very powerful. The franchise owners have massive legal teams that go very far to thwart any creative efforts. Of course, there are sites that will host fan fiction stories but even they have rules. Generally, they try not to diverge too far from the original work. This makes it quite restrictive to write in this arena.
In truth, I have come up with a story that is set in the Star Trek universe. Of course, I can never put my story to paper because I would be violating copyrights and trademarks. It is also difficult to submit Star Trek stories to the franchise owners. They have strict rules, the publishers/owners get a huge percentage of the profit, and people perceive stories of this type to be a small step above fan fiction. I could put my story on a fan fiction site, but that would be a lot of effort and I see no benefit other than an expression of creative freedom.
Well, why don’t I turn my story into a script? Apparently, they do have a new Star Trek show called “New Beginnings.” I have never watched it and apparently, it’s not popular. However, I’m sure the Star Trek creators are always on the lookout for a great script. Scripts are difficult to write and they require an inside person to promote them. For now, I’m going to keep my fan fiction thoughts rattling around in my head.
Well, I certainly wrote up a contradiction. I started this blog with the thought that fan fiction is terrible and end it with my own fan fiction that’s too good for television. Yeah, that is a bit of a paradox. Fans write fan fiction because they like to be part of something big. They write with the knowledge that they will never make any money or get any interest. This is probably the ultimate form of devotion.
You’re the best -Bill
April 24, 2019
Why do so many people despise this genre? The largest source of disdain comes from the perception that respected works are trashed by the creation of a fan story. For example, if a person wrote a Star Wars story about Luke Skywalker having a twin brother. This is a perfectly valid storyline, however, the creators of Star Wars and the fans of Star Wars would denounce this work. Of course, this twin brother story would clearly not be canon. Meaning the creators would not consider a twin brother storyline to be part of the actual story.
Well, there are Star Wars comic books, novels, TV cartoon shows and other plots that stray far away from the original story. I bet one of them might explore a twin story. True. However, the creators make honest attempts to keep these alternate works in line with the original story.
The allure of writing fiction is very powerful. This is because the story has been well established, it has a fan base and it’s fun to write in this well-loved world. A writer can simply go in any direction. “James Skywalker knew he had a gift at an early age…” Anybody with Star Wars knowledge can continue that a twin brother storyline on a magical tangent.
The efforts to crush fan fiction are very powerful. The franchise owners have massive legal teams that go very far to thwart any creative efforts. Of course, there are sites that will host fan fiction stories but even they have rules. Generally, they try not to diverge too far from the original work. This makes it quite restrictive to write in this arena.
In truth, I have come up with a story that is set in the Star Trek universe. Of course, I can never put my story to paper because I would be violating copyrights and trademarks. It is also difficult to submit Star Trek stories to the franchise owners. They have strict rules, the publishers/owners get a huge percentage of the profit, and people perceive stories of this type to be a small step above fan fiction. I could put my story on a fan fiction site, but that would be a lot of effort and I see no benefit other than an expression of creative freedom.
Well, why don’t I turn my story into a script? Apparently, they do have a new Star Trek show called “New Beginnings.” I have never watched it and apparently, it’s not popular. However, I’m sure the Star Trek creators are always on the lookout for a great script. Scripts are difficult to write and they require an inside person to promote them. For now, I’m going to keep my fan fiction thoughts rattling around in my head.
Well, I certainly wrote up a contradiction. I started this blog with the thought that fan fiction is terrible and end it with my own fan fiction that’s too good for television. Yeah, that is a bit of a paradox. Fans write fan fiction because they like to be part of something big. They write with the knowledge that they will never make any money or get any interest. This is probably the ultimate form of devotion.
You’re the best -Bill
April 24, 2019
Follow me
