I found this unfinished article in my usb the other day, under this very title, and I decided to finish it, with a bit of a more 'updated' view point on this matter.
Obviously meaning 'fiction written by fans', I think the question of fanfiction being good or bad varies with each person. Having enouh time to write or read one is another matter altogether.
There are many reasons as to why I think fanfiction is a good thing. Firstly, fanfictions provide a form of entertainment to many people, regardless of whether they like to read novels or not. Many fanfics are short stories, or are long with short chapters. One can occasionally find a long fanfic with long chapters (perhaps Soomp! or Livejournal?) though they aren't very popular, seeing as many fanfics are thought of, planned and posted in a community (for example, Livejournal, AsianFanfics, Soomp!, Fanfiction.Net and Winglin) in less than a month. Longer fanfiction that contain the longer chapters and plot are usually planned over the span of a few months, maybe even years. Depending on the author, fanfiction are quick, easy reads that cover many genres and are free to read online, which makes them very accessible to everyone and anyone, considering the many advancements in technology today (damn it, we should have hover cars by now!). In addition to this, 'one shots' are popular as they can be of any length and focus on only one aspect of a character's story (maybe it's a spin off or an idea that an author wanted to cover, but not in a chaptered fic). They also make very fast reads.
Apart from entertainment, fanfictions provide an outlet for many to channel their emotions through. Writing is an accepted form of 'therapy' and is encouraged throughout our society. I find that one of the many ways of removing anger or hatred from one's self (as said by many self-help sites) have been to write down the specific emotion and reason and either throw it away or dispose of it in a satisafactory manner, may it be via burning, shredding or some other way. As they say, 'out of sight, out of mind'. Many people might question the validity of this, but I can vouch for it's effectiveness as I am a writer who would rather express myself through fiction than through a normal conversation.
Fanfiction allows for creativity, imagination and the improvement of a language. We have arrived at the point in the 'fanfiction world' where writing fanfiction is now a globalised hobby and many do it in whatever time he or she can spare. There have been many fanfiction written in English as it is the language that many are required to learn to communicate with the rest of the world, aside from it being a global language. In saying this, it's also the language many choose to write in as it allows for an author to cater to a wider audience, regardless of being able to read and write English well. This increases the amount of feedback you receive as an author and allows a wider variety of fanfics as a reader. Because fanfiction is so easily written and posted, not having to go through the complication of publishing (although overly popular stories may consider being published) and because access to fanfiction is easy, asking for help with English is no problem. 'Beta readers' is the term we use for an online editor and betas are generally those who have a very solid foundation in the language a story is being written in. Just like an editor, they correct grammar, punctuation, spelling and sentence structure to both increase the level of clarity the story may not have had before the editing and to give the author pointers on where they can improve. Reviewers exist for a similar, but not exactly the same, purpose.Whilst a beta reader is preoccupied with the way an author has written their story, a reviewer looks at the story from a broader perspective, rating many aspects such as title, plot, theme, look (poster, trailer and background, if available) and may only touch on the written aspect of the story. In other words, they rate the overall story on it's likability. Although not as specific as a beta reader, reviewers are still able to offer pointers for the author. Again, I find that reviewers generally have a solid foundation in a specific language; however, many reviewers could also be graphic designers, authors or general readers. Each review varies by reviewer.
When I say that fanfiction allows for the flow of creativity, I mean that in more than one way. As with many novels, fanfiction has grown to the point where we are accustomed to seeing a 'book cover' (more commonly referred to as a poster) or a trailer to go with our stories. Not only does fanfiction help to test our creativity as authors, to try and set out story apart from everyone else's, but graphic designers and trailer makers are 'employed' to help raise the level of attractiveness a story possesses, thus challenging their abilities to cater for a custom made poster. Remember: a story with an unattractive poster or trailer does not limit the author's story to being unattractive and 'bad' too. Not everyone makes their own posters and trailers, though it is becoming increasingply popular to do so. As they say, 'never judge a book by it's cover'. It also allows for authors to find their own style of writing and individual colour, unique only to his or her self.
I find fanfiction to be bad in very few ways. One of them is in plagarism. Because nearly every plot is the same on a broad level, yet different on a more technical level, it can lead to two authors having a very similar story. This also applies to officially published novels and I would say it's a universal idea. Some people then mistake this for plagarism, but there is a fine line between plagarising one's story to being inspired by it. To plagarise is to copy one's story word for word and then claim it as your own work. To be inspired is to come up with a piece of work that is influenced by the work of another; be it art, literature, movie, music, or saying. To copy someone's work ans changing the names of the chacters to places the original story was set in is also knwon as plagarising, unless writing a parody. Using a scene from a story with the original author's permission is not counted as plagarism, but is not counted as being inspired if the scene is used word for word. Originality is hard to come by and so I can see where the topic of plagarism stems from, whether it be a legit accusation or a false one. The possibility of having two fanfictions with a very similar plot but different character still stands.
The feeling that one is obligated to update their fanfic or that they have to write something, even if they are not confident in it, is something I don't find a positive trait in. I believe that writing fanfiction is a hobby, not an obligation to someone else. If one feels obligated to update, then one will lose their joy of writing very soon. Eventually this will become a chore to them. Authors such as J.K Rowling, Stephanie Meyer or Suzanne Collins (for example's sake) do not churn out a book every week or release a chapter of a new book every second day. In addition, the peer pressure of having to post something in a fanfiction community when you are perfectly happy with comenting and reading works both ways. It can either quickly discourage the author because their stories aren't as good or popular as others, or it can rope them into wanting to improve and eventually enjoy writing. Everyone writes for their own reason and thus are not obligated to update at certain times just to keep up with a reader's demand of 'update soon!'. Come on guys, the word limit in a comment box is probably somewhere between 1000 to 1500 words, not five. Expand your vocabulary and try to leave a few more words of encouragement, or don't post any comment at all. A simple 'update soon' isn't even a form of encouragement!
The last thing I have to say on why fanfiction is bad is cyberbullying. It's a major issue in our society and the fact that you can remain anonymous or hide behind a username does not mean that anyone has the right to insult a person for his or her writing. If you don't like a person's story, simply move on. Everyone is at different stages of their writing journey. If you don't like the fact that there are so many rated, yaoi, yuri, vampire, warewolf, romance or whatever fanfiction floating around on the net, then don't bother reading them. Why waste your time reading and commenting on something you don't like? What's the point and what do you gain from it? Not everyone thinks the same way and although everyone is entitled to their freedom of speech and to their own opinion, as the saying goes, 'if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all'.
Depending on who you are, fanfiction can be a good or bad thing. I see it as more of a good thing, but as I've said: we all think differently. That's all I have to say on the subject (and I seriously did write out an essay for that - I didn't even realise I was doing it!), but let me know what you think. Writing fanfiction: is it good or bad to you?
Sources: Livejournal, Soomp!, Winglin, Fanfiction.net, AsianFanficsLabels: Opinion, Type: Online, Type: Writing
I'm back! This time with a tip! This is only my opinion on this issue; so if you feel as if these don't work for you, don't stress over it. Everyone has their own ideas and opinions. Do what works for you, and don't do what doesn't! Simple as that.
I realise that many people have stories that they've written, posted and not finished. I'm one of those people who work better with one shots, because when I post a chaptered story, I either don't finish it or rush through it. A lot of the time I've noticed that people don't finish their stories because they quickly lose inspiration for their story. It's either that, or they don't have the time to write, which then leads to abandoning the story (not that I can say much, LOL).
I stick to my belief that to finish a story, you must have some sort of attachment to your story. I also believe that you have to enjoy writing. For me, writing brings about another way to express myself, so I use it as a kind of therapy. It keeps me sane. If you don't enjoy writing, and if you don't have any attachment with your story, why are you writing in the first place? Because everyone else is doing it?
I often read interviews from authors, both online and offline, and I've realised that the main reason online authors give up their stories is because of time management. Offline authors (those who write those awesome novels we read in every day life) enjoy writing. They write whenever they feel like it, not at a certain time of the day. Like this, writing doesn't seem like a chore, but more of a hobby.
Today, I'll share with you some tips that helps me continue with a story. I'm the kind of author who prefers to write my stories until they're near completion before posting anything, and this way, I notice that I work with my stories for a few years, and so I must have some sort of muse to keep me going, right? Right.
1. Enjoy writing.
I cannot stress enough on this. I really don't understand those who write, and not enjoy it. What's the point in writing in the first place? As harsh as it sounds, I think that a good story is written by an author who finds the joy in expressing him or herself in words. I'm not the best person when it comes to expressing myself, which is why I use a lot of description in my fics, but I think that because I can express myself via the characters dialogue or through the description of a certain scene, that it's interesting to experiment with, because there are endless possibilities.
If you start to find writing a chore, step away from it. Take a break from writing. Do something else you enjoy, like taking a walk, dancing, playing a game - anything that keeps you away from writing for a few hours or days. When you come back to your fic, if you still feel as if you can't write it, maybe take a longer break or stop writing altogether.
I think that sometimes, you should question why you're writing if you feel as if it's a chore. If your answer is anything along the lines of 'because everyone else is doing it', you might as well stop now. I know I've repeated myself a couple of times only at the first tip, but if you're forcing yourself to do something you don't like, what's the point in doing it? You're not going to find it fun, your readers are probably going to be able to see how much 'effort' you put into it, and I don't think you're going to gain many readers.
2. Having a 'connection' with your plot.
I can't say that I have a connection with every story I write, because then I would be lying. But then again, this mainly applies to oneshots. I have a lot of oneshots I've written simply because I liked the idea of writing something like that, not because I have any specific connection with the plot. My Jinchan oneshot, 'One of Those Days', is one such story in which I just wrote it for the sake of writing a story with that kind of narrative (which is so much fun!).
When I say you need a connection with your plot, I mean to incorporate something that interests you into the story. For example, I have fics about domestic violence, forensics, the apocalypse, depression, suicide and so much more. Why? I'm interested in these kinds of things, mainly the human condition. Why is there domestic violence? What prompts someone to resport to this kind of behaviour within their household? How do people recover after a trauma such as rape or domestic violence? How do people change when put under a situation with a lot of pressure on them?
Embed some of your personality into your character. Maybe include some of your daily routines in their lifestyle. If writing about a certain aspect you're interested about doesn't help, include your own experiences into your story to help with that connection. Be careful to make sure it links in with your original plot, if your story doesn't revolve around the experience(s) you put in.
3. Unoriginality?
I don't know if this is such a main factor, but I think some people might give up their stories because it's becoming to unoriginal. I haven't really seen anyone admit it, but hey, shit happens.
Cliché plots are everywhere. It's not unusual to see a plot that is similar to someone elses'. I like to believe that everyone's storyline is unique - unless you completely plagarized from another author. As similar as some plots are, no two plots are the same. Maybe they're both driven by the same kind of idea, but the content between the prologue and the last chapter/epilogue are different. Originality is hard to come by these days, and we all know it. So why not turn a unoriginal plot, into something that's uniquely your own story? Paint some colours onto the bland canvas!
4. Plan your story.
I was once an author who didn't plan any of my stories, thus leading to me writing impromptu everytime I had to update. Now, because I plan my stories beforehand, and prewrite my chapters, I've gotten better with eliminating impromptu updates.
When I plan my stories, I write out a small summary, so whenever I forget what a certain story is about, I can read the summary I wrote for myself and remind myself what I want to write about. When I write stories, I generally know how I want to end it and certain scenes I want to put into it, so I just have to figure out a way to start and bring about these scenes and the ending. It's also helpful to carry around a notepad with you. This just means that when you're out, if you ever come up with a storyline, you can jolt it down and plan it while it's still in your head. For me, I do this on my iPod, because I always carry around my iPod, and I have the Notes app, that's preloaded into every iPod Touch or iPhone.
I've seen many people who've run out of ideas to throw into their story, and so they write in whatever they think will make the story good. Sometimes it just makes the story a little rushed, because you're just trying to finish it off quickly. I don't blame anyone though, I've been there.
5. Time management.
Okay, I stated above, that some people don't write because they don't have the time to. This leads to them abandoning their story, yes? Unless put on hiatus, and they definitely start writing again. For people like me, who write whenver I can and whenever I feel like it, time management isn't a problem. I write when I have the inspiration, I don't force myself to write, and this also comes under the idea that you have to enjoy writing. I treat it as a hobby that I can pick up at any time, and so I do.
But if you're one of those people who want to write, but have no time, then try jolting ideas down into a notebook or making notes on your iPod/iPhone like I do. You can keep little snippets of a story, and then weave them together later. Writing shouldn't be something you're forced to do, as I have said in the majority of this article.
I hoped this has helped you in some way, or has at least inspired some of you to keep up with your story! Find what works for you, and keep at it until your story is finished! Don't give up, perseverance is the key. I know I sounded harsh at the very beginning, but that is my honest opinion - if you don't enjoy it, don't do it. Enjoy life because it's short, don't spend it doing things you don't like (besides for school, you need that knowledge).Labels: Tip, Type: Writing
