Sometimes I write fanfiction when I find that the direction the creator of the source material has decided to take it is personally unsatisfying for me.
I do know that I sometimes have read or started writing fanfic when there was a long wait for new source material (particularly true in book fandom), and I was feeling antsy for "new" stuff.
Other times, I will admit, that I use fanfiction as a venue to "test" new ideas that I have that I'm not entirely certain about taking into an original venture. If the idea works up into a solid story, then I have the option of taking it out of the fanfic cusp, doing the hard work of the world-building and character creation, and throwing it out there. Frequently, because I'm dealing with different situations and characters, it turns out different than the original test, but that's fun too. If it stayed the same, I would have left it in fanfic form because I am, above all else, LAZY.
I do think that it is easy to fall into that trap, because the characters and world are already there, and pre-built by previous creators, all you have to do is apply some idea to it, and watch it go. There are people I know who aren't really interested in writing outside of the box that fandom creates, and I do accept that, but I'm finding more and more that I'd rather write outside of the box. I do still write fanfic, but I don't publish it on the web anymore, and it's not as often as it once was.
no subject
I do know that I sometimes have read or started writing fanfic when there was a long wait for new source material (particularly true in book fandom), and I was feeling antsy for "new" stuff.
Other times, I will admit, that I use fanfiction as a venue to "test" new ideas that I have that I'm not entirely certain about taking into an original venture. If the idea works up into a solid story, then I have the option of taking it out of the fanfic cusp, doing the hard work of the world-building and character creation, and throwing it out there. Frequently, because I'm dealing with different situations and characters, it turns out different than the original test, but that's fun too. If it stayed the same, I would have left it in fanfic form because I am, above all else, LAZY.
I do think that it is easy to fall into that trap, because the characters and world are already there, and pre-built by previous creators, all you have to do is apply some idea to it, and watch it go. There are people I know who aren't really interested in writing outside of the box that fandom creates, and I do accept that, but I'm finding more and more that I'd rather write outside of the box. I do still write fanfic, but I don't publish it on the web anymore, and it's not as often as it once was.