What is fan fiction and how did the term come to be in the first place. From the phrase that nothing is new under the sun and the idea for fan fiction is as old as literature itself. Fan fiction can come in many shapes and forms and sometimes even make the Hollywood screens. It permeates the very fabric of literature sometimes being made into very successful books or pieces of contemporary stories. The term fan fiction was not coined till 2004 and ultimately became what is known as the largest archive of fan fiction stories. Fan fiction may come in a variety of shapes and sizes and come in a broad range of topics. Fan fiction by and large is a relatively small community with some exceptions and without the hustle and bustle of the big publishing houses. How could fan fiction be so important to both the past and modern life and that it is discussed so well that it does not seem like fan fiction at all. Take a look at all the
Hollywood movies and find the words “Based on a…”
Fan fiction’s true origins are unknown and it goes back as far as the oral traditions will allows it but every time something was added onto an existing story thus making it historical fan fiction. While some people are completely against it in every way shape and form and want it to be completely eradicated. They view it as a crime against nature and the author. Can we truly get something that has been since the beginning of history and if we can what should we do about books like the Canterbury Tales or Aeneid by Virgil. Should those be gotten rid of as they are now considered classic as well as prehistoric fan fiction. Famous classical play writes are not exempt from being considered fan fiction including Romeo and Juliet, a beloved tragedy story, this particular work is based on a preexisting story from Italy. You do not have to look hard for it and a story or play that is based off another story that could be the basis for fan fiction.
While Fan fiction has many enemies’ including publishers it has many allies that are there promoting fan works in general but what are fan works and why do they have so many people against they. While people are for and against these pieces of work, what is it and why is it a somewhat of a hot issue.
Fan fiction can be broken down into a brief history starting in the age of computers and what I would like to call the prehistoric age. Fan fiction may be a relative new term but it has always existed. In the prehistoric age of fan fiction is has been discussed very well if at all concealed from the naked eye if you do not know what you are looking for. The original works about fan fiction are some of the most beloved classical stories and tales. William Shakespeare is one of the most famous fan fiction authors and play writes as he wrote several of his plays based on existing stories and plays. If this does not say fan fiction then nothing else would. Virgil is another rather famous person who wrote a fan fiction story and it made fame. Virgil was a famous Greek play write and his piece called Aeneid is basically a continuation of Homers’ Iliad.
While both of these authors may be famous and talked about today then why are they not referenced as some of the greatest fan fiction writers of all time? It is because it has been covered up and hushed on what they were based off of. Some of the greatest fan pieces are not from the Dark ages and renaissance but the age of enlightenment. During the age of enlightenment the writers of that time looked back to the Greek and Roman age as the best of the best in writing and tried to imitate them. One of these works is called Phaedra and it is also a classical work as well.
While fan fiction has many people who are against its writing and distribution the voices are scattered and not clear on why and how they area against it in the first place. When you ask the question to them on why they are against it, it seems as if you get the same three responses over and over again. Three of the responses can be paraphrased as ‘I am against it because it’s immoral, I hate it because it takes away from the authors real work, or It’s unethical and plagiarism.’ All I have to say to theses is really; you truly believe that the writers of fan fiction think they own any part of the real book other than a copy of it. Some authors actively encourage the writing of it taking it as the biggest complement that they could ever get from a reader. To authors that hate the writing of fan fiction they are missing out on the new generation. Many series that young readers read now some of them have heard the name from fan fiction and are reading the real story. Fan fiction is shameless advertising on the reader’s parts of their favorite story. For the arguments that fan fiction or fan works are immoral and unethical is that I have to somewhat agree with that statement and say that some fan fiction is immoral only with smut or pornography. Other than the perverts who write the smut is it immoral other than that a lot of fan fiction is relatively clean to read and probably find it on the street corner book shop if we could sell it.
Other voices for those who are against the writing of fan fiction are mixed up with these large crowds that do not support the writers. Some of their voices raise a more valid point such as it is addictive and you will fall into a pitfall and never come out of it if you continue. This may be a valid point for some readers but others read both real books and fan fiction stories and the only thing that separated fan fiction stories from full length novels is copy write. Fan fiction authors know what they can and can not write and some do not even try to post their stories on various sites.
While fan fiction in general has many people who are against it they can not deny it is a growing problem in their eyes and that it cannot be stopped. Too many people around the world both read and write it with various cultural exchanges going on every day threw the internet.
Ideas are being exchanged and those ideas being exchanged are the basis of the new cyber world that has been growing like a weed over the past 20 years. On the internet everything is accepted and the printed word is not as accepted in the growing number of people who do everything online. Gone are the days of ordinary dungeons and dragons and here are the days of multiple online adventure games and Role playing games. Gone are the days of people going to each other’s houses to play video games and now people can talk to other gamers around the globe in matter of seconds. Seconds pass and hours go by and technology will keep going faster and faster.
While I may be for Fan fiction and all fan works to be main stream instead of forced to be only on the cyber world I do think that some fan fictions need to be restricted a bit. It may be the writer’s prerogative but there are some writers who have word counts on some of their stories that are under 100 words for the entire story. Little drabbles like these do not have or have barely anything that a story should have and have very little content inside of them.
Fan fiction can be divided into a few main categories that most people like to write in and most of them are alternate universes or AU for short, drabbles these works are normally under 500 words and some of the times are extremely horrible, cannon stories these stories are normally short and talk about things that are in the original story and just about a remake of the original with a few details changed, and the crossovers stories that go to another story as well.
While the types of fan fictions are small most of the stories that anyone will read are mostly AU or drabbles, cross over stories are unusual and most of the time not something a reader would read unless that author knows what he or she is doing. With the cross overs they can be very difficult to write and a daunting task to make. The close to cannon stories are the rarest of them all but if done right can be a good read. Several great authors have made attempts at writing them but have most of the time failed in writing them. While most of the time I will write AU with some of the cannon or original story intact, I would have to decide how I want the charters to act and to be lik
e.
Charters will come in all shapes and sizes and fan fiction is no different from any other writing style except that is taking other person’s works and customizing it to make there own. Characters will come in two main varieties in fan fiction and those are the Cannon charters and the out of cannon characters. The cannon charters or CC for short are people taken directly out of the original story and act like how they normally would act in the original story. The out of
cannon characters or OC for short are writer based charters usually taking a 2d character in the original story and making it a 3d character or making the main character from the ground up and this happens to be most of the time.
A fan fiction writer will go threw everything a normal writer would in terms of thought and sometimes an author of fan works will go on to become a great writer of many different topics most of the time being their own fiction. Most writers who are up and coming now a day’s do not really care if people write about their works on the various fan fiction communities. They see it as where they started out and why would they say something is a bad thing if they themselves did it. It seems very hypocritical and not to mention wrong on their part to stop something that would happen anyways. Most authors are flattered by other people writing about their stories and some of the times actively encourage it. I know I would if I did write a book and people wanted to write their own stories about it.
If the “real” authors encourage it then why it is still debated somewhat and talked about well it’s more of a generational thing and some of the older authors hate it to the extent to where they will burn anything that has to do with the said fan fiction. From what studies have shown a majority (over 50%) of people either read or write fan fiction. I can say that I am a proud writer of fan fiction and if I do get a story published I know that I would love for people to write about my stories. The generational gap may be getting smaller and smaller and fewer and fewer people are having a problem with it at all. The name fan fiction may only have been around for less than
a decade but remember a story or a movie that you have seen and thought of your own story for like how certain characters got to where they were or were disappointed that the hero id not get the girl and made an alternate ending for it. Well this is what fan fiction is all about and there should be no shame is saying that “Ya I write it so what.” I believe that fan fiction will forever change literature online and tell the new upcoming authors what is popular and what people will want to read. Shameless advertising in saying that you were or are a fan fiction writer as well as a real time author would only benefit the author in the long run.
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