On Tue, Dec 17, 2002 at 12:19:50PM +0000, Fides wrote: > > > pddb at demesne.com wrote: > > On Mon, Dec 16, 2002 at 10:43:46PM -0600, David Dyer-Bennet wrote: > > > >>Fides <fides at kludgeco.com> writes: > >> > >> [snip] > > And finally, good fan fiction doesn't rehash. It transforms, > > it sheds light in dark corners, it subverts, it brings out > > or invents subtext and nuance; it can be alternate history or > > revisionist history or both. > > What he said. Who he? > I've also thought recently that > > one reason I like fan fiction is that I find TV and movies > > compelling and even addictive, but ultimately lacking in what > > I like most about fiction. Fan fiction, by turning their universes > > into prose, translates those universes into a language I can > > appreciate. > > For me I think it is the fact that most TV shows are much more > constrained and 'bitty' that books. Because of the way TV shows (series > anyway) work they tend to have many writers not all of whom write the > characters exactly the same, they have a time limit so they must > necessarily leave bits out and unless they are totally planned in > advance (like B5) they have to limit the amount of carryover from > previous episodes. Now admittedly some are a lot worse about this than > others but it means that there tends to be a lot more cracks in TV shows > (especially) compared to books. The books are much more one persons > vision and so tend to more more cohesive and don't leave loose ends > lieing around so much. I think for the most part fan fiction flourishes best with a flawed show. This does mean that sooner or later an author who wants to be faithful to canon will end up wrestling with intractable stupidity and dopiness. This is not quite as true of history, though it certainly is of mythology or fairy tales. > > This would also explain why I really do not care at > > ALL for fan fiction based on original prose fiction. That's > > already in the right language for me and very few writers, whatever > > their basic caliber, can successfully (by my standards) write > > in the universe of a writer I love. > > I don't have anything against fic based on books, but I agree it is a > lot harder to find any good ones (Grand total of 5ish in three fandoms > and, incidently, all from the same fandom). Or possibly just that, on > the whole books, are a lot better than cheesey TV shows so the > difference in quality between the original and the fanfic is less > noticable ;-) My reaction to such book-based fan fiction as I've tried to read has been almost allergic in nature; it just feels WRONG. So I don't read it. I suspect your point about quality may be relevant, however. > > The difficulties are very real, and I'm sure there could be > > fan fiction written based on my work that I would want to burn > > three times, just to be sure. But I think it can be just > > as creative as historical fiction, mainstream fiction, or any > > kind of imaginative fiction that is not set in wholly invented > > worlds. > > And at least you know they are doing it for the love of your universe > (however misguided) rather than to make money out of it. Fanficcers > aren't doing it to make money out someone elses work. Zines are like > academic publishing - the writer doesn't get any money for it just the > kick of doing it. This is getting into a different area than whether fan fiction requires talent or is creative. I don't know, I might be more put out if somebody's fan fic was more interesting to readers than the original than I would by somebody's making a few dollars on it. Love doesn't really conquer all. And anyway, I've written fan fiction, and with me there was, mixed with the love, a serious exasperation, a sort of you-have-got-to- be-kidding quality, a you-screwed-up-but-I'll-make-it-right impulse that was not in fact flattering to the original. I would not at all, personally, appreciate a critique expressed in the form of a piece of fiction. I'm just saying. > But I agree you are going to many that are so aweful > they need to be staked and buried at the cross-roads or have just > totally missed the point or hideously mangled the characters. And > probably just to rub salt into the wound those will turn out to be the > ones at are really popular ;-) I think that the author, if living, should get a say in such matters. Copyright law doesn't help out with that at all, however. -- Pamela Dean Dyer-Bennet (pddb at demesne.com) "I will open my heart to a blank page and interview the witnesses." John M. Ford, "Shared World"