Is fan fiction plagiarism?
This may be a silly question to pose to the readers of a website with an entire fan fiction archive, but nonetheless; what’s your take on fan fiction?
Is it plagiarism or homage?
Laurell K. Hamilton, the writer of the ABVH series, loathes fan fiction.
As does J.R. Ward.
As does Anne Rice.
As do most published authors, seemingly.
I’m not entirely qualified to comment, because I’m never going to be a published writer and it is a long time since I wrote fan fiction, but it seems kind of ungrateful to me, for writers to condemn all fan fiction.
After all, is it not a sign of huge respect and admiration, and a sign that readers truly love the characters?
What’s a bigger gesture of love than the adoption of someone else’s character as your own?
Most of the aspiring writers whose blogs I read, or who I follow on Twitter, have said at some stage that they would be delighted and honoured if someone wrote fan fiction based on their work.
So, at what level of success does the change occur? When do writers stop being honoured by fan fiction, and start feeling plagiarised?
I know that most of you will read or write fan fiction regularly, so I’m wondering if any of you can see where the writers are coming from.
After all, it must be irritating to create your own characters entirely from scratch and have other writers put them in situations you’d create (to be fair, quite a percentage of fan fic is…ahem… erotic).
Fan fiction seems like a brilliant writing exercise, particularly for writers who have no problem developing characters, but struggle in other areas.
The fact that I enjoy reading fan fiction doesn’t negate the quality of the canon, the original work, but are writers concerned an amateur may outdo them?
After all, writers don’t seem to have an issue with fan videos or fan art.
For me, fan fiction is a great treatment for the withdrawal shakes and violent mood swings I get in between installments in my favourite series.
It would be completely wrong for any writer to profit from fan fiction, in my opinion. But posting it online for readers to enjoy for free, there’s no harm in that.
I respect an author’s right to object to fan fiction, as does everyone else on this site- you won’t find fan fiction of the Black Dagger Brotherhood series on this site, for example- I just don’t fully understand the rationale behind it.
Good article. Fanfic can get such a bad rap. Recently a book blogger compared a poorly written book to fanfic, which was not deserved. There is some awesome fanfic out there.
As a fanfic writer, I often worry about getting “too close” to the characters, but I think that is part of what is appealing about it as well. You read a book, relate to the characters, and stories start to form in your head. I think that happens to most readers. Fanfic authors just write them down.
It’s a great way to concentrate on other elements of your story, when the characters are already fleshed out, so it is a good writing exercise.
Thanks for a nice article on this topic.
My next column kind of addresses this part of your comment:
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I agree with your comment. And unfortunately fan fic does get a bad rap. Just because it’s derivative, doesn’t mean it’s awful and just because something is published doesn’t mean it’s a best seller. There is a lot of really great fic out ther and lot of really crappy books. *lol*
I think, as a general rule, people don’t write fan fiction with nefarious intentions…unless maybe you’re this woman. Most of us are just looking to spread our wings and hone our craft as well as get more of the characters we love.
This really get’s your brain working. I love fanfiction and I love the author’s that inspire the stories. I think it’s a great compliment for us fanatics not wanting to let go of a character.
I have read a great many wonderful stories that if they were a “book”, I’d buy them. So much talent in the fandom.
Very diffilcult to know which side of the fence to stand on.
Great article, really got me thingking.
This is definitely an issue that I think will always cause very different opinions to be voiced. I’m of the camp that as long as the author is okay with fanfiction being written, then it’s okay. If the author has come out with a public stance against it, then I respect the author’s position and avoid any fanfiction of that particular universe. I’m not sure why some are opposed and some aren’t – because like you I see it as a huge form of flattery and as long as it’s not for profit it only drives more people to the original stories. At least that’s what I think. I’ve come across fanfiction for books I’ve never read and it made me curious enough to pick up the original story therein generating more sales for the author.
Perhaps, Sue is onto something with an author’s fear that a ff writer will stumble across a future book idea and then copyright issues could come up, but I still think the authors that loathe it so vehemently are misunderstanding the intent behind fanfiction. It’s not meant to replace the original – but rather continue with a story the reader loved so much they didn’t want it to end. They don’t want to give up those characters even when the author’s story is at an end. Is that so awful?
Honestly I find it kind of hurtful when authors like JR Ward get so nasty about fan fiction & she is one of my 3 favorite authors. I feel like if I were published it would be an honor. The reason I could see it for an ongoing series is if the author were to happen to use a storyline similar to something a fan had written they may be afraid to lose the rights to their own work by being persued by that fan for infringement. Otherwise I don’t see the harm in letting fans run with your work but then again I have written both original & fanfic. A lot of fanfic writers move on to write their own work later too. I see fanfic as 1- a way to continue to enjoy a series after it has ended or to add your own what-if to an ongoing series 2- a way to change a turn you didn’t like or change a pairing (which may bother some authors) or 3- practice writing or 4- use fanfic to tide you over until the next book. Essentially I think fanfic is harmless & often just a readers want more of a world & that’s really the best way after a series has ended or while you anxiously await that next installment. To authors who dislike or flat out loathe fanfic I think you may be looking at it wrong- you’ve created a world that inspires others. A world many just can’t have enough of & isn’t that what we all hope for? To create a world readers can lose themselves in & escape from reality?
So I just asked my mom who also writes & she said it would be an honor until I mentioned some fanfic breaks up couples etc & slightly she changed her mind. She also mentioned being a control freak haha.
I agree with you on most of these points, but I will have to stick up for my buddy J.R. here. She’s never been nasty about her stance on fan-fiction. Last October, she told me and Saluki that she thinks it’s a wonderful medium as long as the original author is okay with it. She just happens to be one of those who is uncomfortable with it due to the fact that she writes 2 different ongoing series.
If you want to see an author getting nasty about fan fiction, check out this post from Diana Gabaldon’s blog, where she compares Fan Fic writers to theives, adulterers and child molesters: http://www.freezepage.com/1272981552JSODQCWOZU
THAT is being nasty about fan fic. *lol*
However, I think fan fiction is awesome, and it’s a great way to build skills. I made tons of friends through fan fiction, but I think if I were a published author the will I/won’t I question woulnd’t be so cut and dry.
Well, I will say that J.R. doesn’t necessarily loathe fan fiction, she just doesn’t want it done with her characters. She’s a big supporter of fan-fiction writers-as long at the author of the source material is okay with it. But there are a fair shake of authors, Diana Gabaldon (author of the Outlander series)for instance, who hate it. Ms. Gabaldon even posted a rant on her personal blog that likened people who write fan-fiction to rapists, so I think it’s safe to say she loathes it as well.
For most authors, they just don’t want the plot of a future book/character guessed by a ff writer because it could turn into copyright issues. Karen Moning, for example, was okay with fan fic based on her Fever series, but only after the final book was published.
I don’t think it’s plagiarism as long as the author hasn’t come out against it, but it’s highly disrespectful to publish it online (free or not) if the author is against their characters being used.
Thanks for the thought-provoking article!