Why do you do it?

[Nittanylizard]

There are lots of people out there who balk at the idea of using another author's characters and setting as a backdrop for your own stories. Why, they want to know, would you waste time stealing somebody else's characters when you can write your own? Aren't you just being lazy, not coming up with your own ideas and developing your own characters?

So let's hear it - why do you write fan fiction? What's the attraction? And what do you think, if anything, you have learned or gained from it?

Here's my deal -

I'm one of those people who has always read a book or seen a movie and spent countless hours imagining what might have happened if this or that was different, or if such-and-such character was (or wasn't) involved. It was never something I wrote down, and when I was a kid there was no such thing as fan fiction, at least not to the extent there is today. Apparently people wrote Star Trek fan fictions, but unless that was your thing, you just didn't hear about it for any other book/movie/TV show/etc.

Eventually, all of this imagining started causing characters, settings, and worlds to combine, reorganize, and evolve into my own original stories that were so far removed from where each little part came from, I couldn't even remember what started them.

When I discovered Outsiders fanfiction, though, I was hooked. For me, it's not only fun to alter things around for the characters, but it allows me to focus on only a few aspects of story writing at a time. The setting is already there, so I need to come up with a plot, and I need to make these established characters come across as the same ones who exist in the original book.

So, I think it's a great exercise in plot and characterization. With original stories, you have more freedom with your own characters, but at the same time, you have to hold them within the standards that you are creating for them. If they do something completely off-base, readers won't believe the story anymore. Fan fiction keeps you focused on staying true to the characters.

One of the things I will say about it is that in the nearly three years since I've started writing fanfiction, I have learned very little about the technical end of writing from ffnet. Many of the friends I initially met were at a similar point as me and were progressing in their writing along with me, and those who did seem to be more knowlegable and could pick out flaws in my stories never actually gave me any useful information. So, for the actual writing, I've had to go elsewhere to learn. That's the main reason I started the "little details" thread, so other newer writers have a resource for some of the most common rules and tips, and will maybe see where they can improve their own writing.

So how about all of you?

[BlindedxxFalcon]

It's like this for me. I read an amazing book (take "The Outsiders" as an example) and I want to write a story like that. Sometimes it becomes too much like that. So I escape in the world of fanfiction. It's the only way I can do that without getting sued!

[Tensleep]

Well, lets see. I write fan fiction for a few reasons. Firstly, I write it because it's so easy. You just boot out whatever you're thinking, post it, and get almost instant feedback. It's amazing how fast you can sometimes get feedback and it just keeps you going sometimes when your original writing is going nowhere. And as I've mentioned a few times on here, someone else has done all the hard work for you. These are established characters that have been offered up to our imaginations. Man, doesn't get much easier than that.

Another reason, I find I have learned a lot about writing. I know, a lot of people don't, but man...were, where, loose, lose, chose, choose...All things I learned along with commas, apostrophes and the like. I guess its the practice and the helpful advice from readers. Honestly, it doesn't seem like I'm listening sometimes, but man, I'm absorbing anything anyone can tell me to help me. I never got a formal writing education (sure, went to school sometimes, took AP English, but they really were just impressed I showed up to class. I'm surprised I ever managed literacy with the expectations I had growing up.) and I've been stumbling along for a while now. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere and the more I practice, the better I get.

So yeah. Beyond that it's all about playing with someone else's toys .

See ya in the funny papers!!!

Tens

[anotherillusion]

I write fanfiction because it genuinely interests me. It is good practice for writing and I can feel myself improving as well, and I enjoy it. I love what if games and if a character stays in my head from a book or film, it's cool to be able to write something about it.
Another Illusion

[zevie]

I like (understatement) the characters, and the book was too darn short. Really good, memorable characters are hard to come by. So, why not cut your teeth on someone else's really fantastic ones first?

[Keira]

Most people know that I haven't truly WRITTEN in a long time, but I stilll love love lovelovelove fan fiction. When I first started to write fan fiction, I had no interest in writing my own stories. Fan fiction gave me an excuse to expand on my favorite characters and have someone else see my ideas, and vice-versa. I was extremely timid at first, and really not good at all. But then I started to see the art in writing, even if it was fan fiction. Then the fanfic world completely consumed me for a few years and I felt like I couldn't write enough.

Anymore these days, I still love reading fan fiction, as well as originals. My focus, though, has switched more to the proofing/beta'ing of stories. I continue to dream up situations and other worlds in my head, but right now, I don't have the drive to write them down. Hopefully some day I'll get back into that, but for now I'm happy doing what I am, being an observer.

[Tensleep]

*Pokes Keira* Uh huh. You are lazy. I am going to start poking you more. *poke*

[Keira]

*pokepokepokeback*

Yes. Lazy does sound like an operative word we could use here.

[latch22]

Fan fiction is a challenge. With any writing you have to stay within the parameters of a story, but with fan fiction the scope is narrower.

Also, it's quite a bit of fun; I like the people that I've met through it; and it's great practice and I've certainly learned a lot.

When I can't get something out of my mind, when the story isn't over for me, when the characters interest me very much -- then I write, or at least imagine, fan fiction.

[Tensleep]

*smacks away poking hand*

I do agree with Latch. I love the people I have met through the site, even if they do poke you constantly. Honestly, it's a good place to get some friendly interaction as well as experience.

If you want a December challenge, make a friend on the site. It's not hard, and if it doesn't work out, you can just ignore their e-mails.

[sharpshooter]

For me, it's a great way to relieve stress, and to escape to another world. Not that I have a bad life or anything, I just get bored easily and if I don't have something to do I start thinking and become depressed. -how many darn times do I have to ponder over human existence?!-
And, as Tensleep said already, it helped me realize the differences between words like there, their, they're. Who woulda thought there was so many words that sounded alike but had different meanings and spellings...

Hunh, I dunno, guess I am just to lazy to create my own characters, plot, and etc....

[Keira]

I love all the people I've met through fan fiction, too. I have the most amazing friends, even if they do tend to get a little abusive... ... ... *Poke*

No, but really, I have to second Sharpshooter, in that I am far too lazy to create my own characters, outside of the Outsiders world. I've attempted a few originals and none of them have gone anywhere. I do love reading other people's, though.

I also get so wrapped up in a single story that I have a hard time letting go. Before I discovered The Outsiders, I read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and it's sequel, and I was all over those characters like you couldn't believe. I still love them dearly, though, it's safe to say I never had the desire to write fan fiction about them. There are a few other books like that for me, just not really worth going into, lol.

[sharpshooter]

Off Topic;You know how many people I've met who say they love that book? -runs to library to read Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry- I can't be left out of the loop!

[Des]

I do it because I have no life other than work and my brothers.

It gives me a chance to work on my original stories some, too, by inserting my own characters into the Outsider's world and seeing if I can make them fit in with the canon characters.

I love a challenge and getting my OC's to obey my commands is quite a challenge for me....and it beats playing Free Cell while I'm waiting on a file to upload.

[Laughing]

I was always the one who didn't talk for about a half hour after finishing a book or movie, because I was still caught up in the world I just saw. I was imagining things that happened either after the plot ended, or during, but was left out. I even wrote a few scenes that I guess were fanfiction without my even knowing it. Anyway, after I actually found fanfiction.net, I wrote stories mostly as a way to get rid of writer's block. If I couldn't work on my original stuff at the moment, then I could do a little writing exercise by writing a story that already had developed characters and plots, and I tried to stay true to those. Also, I learned a lot grammatically and technically. I learned things about the time period of The Outsiders, and will always be thankful to whomever it was (Marauder Q, maybe?) who pointed out that '"Writing is tuff." she said.' should be '"Writing is tuff," she said.' No one had ever told me that before, and I was so embarrassed that I'd been doing it wrong for so long.