Comments on: How writing fanfiction can help you become a better storyteller.

By: Does Fanfiction Enhance Appreciation of a Game? | RPG SOBs

Does Fanfiction Enhance Appreciation of a Game? | RPG SOBs — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:29:10 +0000

[...] is therapeutic, not to mention it’s a chance to practice your wordsmith talents. Does writing fanfiction enhance your appreciation of a game, though? In some ways it does. It allows the player to explore [...]

By: admin

admin — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:45:39 +0000

Thanks for coming by!

Unfortunately, try as I might, I am *terrible* at fanfiction! I wish I could be one of those people who can extend and develop existing characters, but maybe my ego is just too big? I don’t agree with Orson Scott Card’s moral stance on fanfiction, but it’s quite hard for me, personally, to play in someone else’s yard.

Maybe I need more practice.

By: Cohlinn

Cohlinn — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:21:22 +0000

This is thoughtful piece. Thanks for sharing it.
I agree. I do use fanfiction to experiment, be it writing style or writing subject,
What I do like about writing FanFiction is that there is ready pool of readers and anonymous websites you can put your work into.
Also, unlike original fiction, you can get feedback to help you develop your writing skills.

By: admin

admin — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:39:02 +0000

Yeah — for some people, somehow being hired to write with someone else’s characters/story world isn’t “fanfiction,” though it is essentially the exact same thing. Many of the best fanfiction writers (that I’ve talked to, which is a small sampling of the whole field) also don’t feel free to write whatever they want. They try as hard as they can to make it seem like it could be official.

Is it true that TV series are written, a lot of the time, by a stable of writers and directors that can change from season to season? I know it’s the same with animators working from someone else’s character designs.

I get the feeling that writers are much more like “islands” than other artists. Way less collaborative, way more possessive of their creations. Maybe because it is possible to write something all by yourself, but multimedia works are cooperative in nature?

I’d freaking LOVE to create a shared universe that people could write in. Then again, I’m more of a game designer type than a linear writer, so there you go.

By: Melody

Melody — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 14:29:51 +0000

Thanks for this, Kat. I’ve written for years in a medium where it’s quite normal to take other people’s characters and use them to tell stories. It’s what happens in every soap and long-running series on telly. Ok, so we’re well paid for it. And it fails the freedom test. (You’re not free to write anything you like). But most of our best known original tv dramatists learned their trade by operating creatively in a world dreamed up by someone else. The day the phone rings and your agent asks you to set aside the play you’re working on to write an episode of Desperate Houswives then you’d better put on you fan fiction shoes and start to dance.

By: Writing fanfiction — why do they care about what you do?

Writing fanfiction — why do they care about what you do? — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 16:10:53 +0000

[...] don’t get that: 1) Fanfiction is actually a great way to hone your writing skills with the right mindset. In martial arts class, we had the option of doing full-contact fighting with our classmates. Our [...]

By: admin

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:09:13 +0000

I always wonder why people care. If they’re not writers themselves, and they don’t feel directly threatened by fanfiction, why should they worry about what other people are doing?

I think I’ll write a post on this.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:40:30 +0000

I guess I’d classify anyone who doesn’t read or write fanfiction as being outside the community, though I specifically meant aspiring pro writers who don’t read or write fanfiction. I’m terribly out of the loop myself and my experiences are based more on observation than participating; I’m more of a lurker than anything in most writing communities and am actually just now try to get back into writing after a few months of being away.

I wouldn’t say I’ve seen rancor but there’s definitely an attitude of why bother, you’re wasting your time, you don’t get anything out of it from some aspiring pro writers, even if a person says they’re just writing it for enjoyment. The thought process seems to be you could come up with an original, publishable story in the same amount of time. And of course some people just consider it right out plagiarism.

By: admin

admin — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 05:06:07 +0000

Vanessa, who counts as “outside the community?” Are you mostly talking about pro or aspiring-pro writers? I’m outside the loop as a passionate, dedicated amateur. In my crit group, we mostly write for enjoyment — there are a few people who want to get published, but generally, we’re a bunch of purists and academics.

I’m sure that some of the older people in my group think fanfic is a bit silly, but they’re very laissez-faire about other people’s writing practices. The only real rancor I’ve encountered has come from random, immature responses on Yahoo Groups or something, and a few outspoken big-name authors.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 04:01:35 +0000

I suppose I’ve been looking in the wrong places because most of what I encountered over the years outside the communities has been negative or at least very cool. It’s been a while since I looked up people’s opinions on the matter, though; eventually I just made a habit of avoiding any writing topic that mentioned fanfiction because I figured I’d hear the same arguments against it.

Glad to hear that it’s better received then I thought.