Because I want to avoid my NaNovel just a little longer:
I agree with caitlin as to the reasons for writing fanfiction. It's also an expression of love for the work being ficced, though. I generally don't fic in a world I don't have any emotional attachment to. I just can't do it.
What is a valid form of expression compared to an invalid one? How can a medium be itself valid or invalid? It's like asking whether paper is more valid than papyrus. One may be more useful or valuable than the other in whatever context they exist, but the issue of validity just doesn't apply.
Like I said above, fanfiction is simply another way to express love for the original work. It also helps give fan communities something to bond over since it's usually shared with other fans in one way or another. I was never a more rabid fan of Ranma 1/2 until I started ficcing it. It helps to reinforce the fan identity in a sort of communal way.
I think an author has a right to say s/he doesn't want people writing fanfiction about his/her work and have it respected, but I also think it's a douchey thing to do. Just because you have a right to do something doesn't mean using that right is a good thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand being strongly attached to your world and your characters; I almost always get that way myself. But if you don't want to see the nasty perverted things people think about your characters, or see people do something with your world that goes completely against your vision of that world, then don't read it. It's not hard. We're all reasonable people, able to control what we choose to consume or not. But banning fanfiction doesn't stop people from thinking about or writing them, just from sharing them, and it alienates one of the more devoted demographics of your fan base. It's just shooting yourself in the foot.
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Date: 2009-11-27 09:18 pm (UTC)I agree with
What is a valid form of expression compared to an invalid one? How can a medium be itself valid or invalid? It's like asking whether paper is more valid than papyrus. One may be more useful or valuable than the other in whatever context they exist, but the issue of validity just doesn't apply.
Like I said above, fanfiction is simply another way to express love for the original work. It also helps give fan communities something to bond over since it's usually shared with other fans in one way or another. I was never a more rabid fan of Ranma 1/2 until I started ficcing it. It helps to reinforce the fan identity in a sort of communal way.
I think an author has a right to say s/he doesn't want people writing fanfiction about his/her work and have it respected, but I also think it's a douchey thing to do. Just because you have a right to do something doesn't mean using that right is a good thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I completely understand being strongly attached to your world and your characters; I almost always get that way myself. But if you don't want to see the nasty perverted things people think about your characters, or see people do something with your world that goes completely against your vision of that world, then don't read it. It's not hard. We're all reasonable people, able to control what we choose to consume or not. But banning fanfiction doesn't stop people from thinking about or writing them, just from sharing them, and it alienates one of the more devoted demographics of your fan base. It's just shooting yourself in the foot.