Should I avoid fanfiction?

I do enjoy reading some fanfics but some not all either somewhat stupid, shipping fics, hate fics, peggy sue fics and etc. At one time, Iw as into doing that stuff but I never completed it and I really don't know if I want to attempt it now that I aware all to familiar tropes. I wonder if I should avoid writing fanfiction?

I don't think there's anything intrinsically wrong with fanfiction. If you have a good idea, write it; it doesn't really matter what it is.

Would you avoid cooking food because some of the food you eat tastes bad to your senses? In that case I'd actually say the oppossite — you can cook food with the flavor you like. The analogy works pretty much the same except for the fact that fanfiction is not a need in one's life. I hope.

edited 25th Jul '11 10:37:50 AM by SilentReverence

I'm not a fanfic fan myself, so I'd say yes, you should avoid it. But you can do whatever you want, it's your creativity.

Writing is writing.

Do you want to avoid writing fanfiction? Feel free to do so, but keep writing.

Now, just because it's fanfiction. It's not something inherently bad. It's written stuff, one that can have tropes played straight, others that might subvert them and maybe even lampshade. It might be someone's setting, but you're the one doing the writing.

Bare in mind that a lot of writers start off doing fanfiction. It's not a bad thing, in fact there's some fanfiction out there that is arguably better than some of the stuff being published professionally. I guess it really just comes down to a matter of personal taste, really. Just go with what works for you.

...Although my biased answer would be "no, don't avoid it, just because it's fanfiction doesn't mean it can't be good, which is often not the case as there's a lot of awesome stuff out there". So, uh, yeah. >.>

edited 25th Jul '11 10:55:54 AM by Moerin

Just as there are a lot of shitty fanfics, there are a lot of shitty works that aren't fanfics. In any case, not writing something just because there are bad works of its kind is ridiculous.

I'd also say that your potential audience won't be much smaller (in most fandoms, anyway) than if you write original fiction, so you have absolutely no reason to avoid it.

Fanfiction as writing offers a different set of challenges to an author. You do not have complete creative freedom, but must work within the bounds of someone else's canon and characterizations, though a degree of fudging it by altering base principles is allowed, as is the natural progression of adding detail and character development. (Yes I want to murder all In Name Only fanfiction, starting with the High School AU types. Can you tell?) It can actually be a fascinating and worthy challenge if you take it seriously. Of course, most don't, but Sturgeon'sLaw is in full effect here too.

I, personally, made decision four or five years ago to write only fanfic because I find the challenges inherent in it more interesting. And also because attempting to get published seems designed to tax my patience rather than my skill.

As someone who started writing through fanfiction, I say no. Fanfiction is a great way to take a break from normal writing, because it works different things.

Reading wise: Just because SOME fanfics are bad doesn't mean ALL of them are. You just need patience to find the good ones.

Only avoid it if that's what you want. There is no shame in writing fanfiction, and I really wish that people would stop typecasting it as automatically awful.

So what everyone else said, really.

See, I take pride in coming up with original settings (you may have noticed), so I couldn't write fanfiction, I just wouldn't get the same satisfaction, that's just how I am.

But if you're different, you can do whatever you want.

I think it's just up to personal preference. I don't like writing fanfiction because I like only coming up with original works. But I'm not going to bash anyone who does fanfiction because it's a form of writing if you don't want to come up with your own world but you've good writing skills.

It depends. Fanfic can be a crutch, most assuredly, but as long as you use it responsibly, then walking is the end goal. And for some folks, fanfic is walking.

Fanfiction is not a crutch. It is a hobby which people do for fun. Like dressing up as a character from the fandom, you develop the exact same skills needed for making real products and come out with something real. The only difference is that you use preexisting ideas as a springboard for your creative process instead of making up your own, and you don't get paid.

edited 25th Jul '11 1:27:28 PM by Leradny

That last point is crucial. When you don't get paid, you can do whatever you want (legally).

Fanfic is not, by definition, a crutch. But by the combination of having preexisting world and characters and getting immediate feedback, it can be one if you want to write original fiction. One of my favorite Potter ficcers keeps trying original fiction, but so far has only published tie-in novels.

Me, I do it to let off steam and exorcise my self-indulgent asides.

Please note that the post which first used the word "crutch" also qualified it by saying "can be".

Not "is", "can be".

edited 25th Jul '11 5:10:18 PM by Madrugada

I keep thinking that I should start on fanfiction, at least I think I should as I had yet to find any focus on starting an original story. I wanted to this project for awhile but it never got off the ground, I am still thinking about it and I have no idea qhat direction to take it. I still don't know fi I should but I hope working on some fanfics would help me with it as well as addrees my writing weaknesses. What do you think?

If that's what you want to do, go right ahead. For some people, fanfic works. For some, it doesn't. The only way you can find out is if you try. How to get out of a writing slump is subjective; like many other things in writing, only you can figure out what works best for you.

Depends. Want to have fun? Sure. But if you want to develop your skills as a serious writer, or someday pursue a publishing contract, it’s best to work with your own material. While writing fanfiction can be enjoyable it only allows you to refine your style. You’re given a crutch through important elements such as character, world building, and plot. Building off of or basterdizing someone else’s work doesn’t give you the experience you need to really develop fully rounded skills as a writer. It’s HARD to get published. You have to be both an excellent writer and capable of coming up with unique, fully developed ideas to stand even the smallest chance of seeing your work on a bookshelf. But if you’re looking for a hobby, sure, why not.

edited 31st Jul '11 7:57:36 PM by starmoonberry

If you're the kind of person who gets hung up on worldbuilding and planning (like me), doing fanfiction on the side can help you with the technical side of things, especially if you're not relying on random reviews for criticism.

For instance, doing Azumanga Daioh fanfiction helped me to get better at juggling ensemble casts and writing distinct voices. I'm not an expert by any means, but that's something it wouldn't have even occurred to me to work on if my Azudai stories hadn't put the challenge before me.

edited 6th Aug '11 4:43:52 PM by Durazno

Lol... oh, I'm sorry, but that was funny. You think much too highly of the publishing establishment, starmoonberry. Still, everything else they said was more or less correct. Need a time sink? (Blasphemy) Then go for it. Want to get something real done? Make your own stuff up.

For every Twilight that got published, there were about 1500 rejections of a similar story of probably better quality. (I'm not making that number up; that's literally what I was told three or four years ago in some writing workshops.) I flirted with the publishing game back in college, and the truth is it's remarkably selective, though selective on what nobody actually knows.

If you only want to write continuations without much thought, okay, maybe what Starmoon said is true. But write an Elsewhere Fic or an involved AU and it's a very poor description indeed. The interpretation of existing evidence to create expanded background is possible even with a continuation; often, because there's not much detail on things the original never touched on, you do a good deal of your own worldbuilding. A quality work in any medium will end up throwing out some or all of the crutches. And a quality writer presented with existing characters, will study them and develop an a careful, nuanced interpretation of their own that will require filling in many blanks; even those crutches you are given, you often have to assemble for yourself. All of the skills from writing non-fanfiction works can be exercised or developed in the writing of fanfiction. Unless you simply don't care to try.

Mmm I agree. A lot of stuff that gets published is trash, I won't lie. But most trash is generally the work of non-first time authors or has been deemed potentially profitable by a publishing house. (Ever taken a walk through the teen section and seen all those twilight knock-offs? Regardless of quality, someone's buying them.) On the other hand, if you're unpublished, and have no connections or credentials, it's very difficult to break into the market. Having a set of well polished skills and creativity gives you an edge. There are exceptions, of course, but keep in mind that books are published to sell, and a first time author is a risky investment. Publishers don't want to be bothered with an unproven writer. You have to give them a reason to do more than fling your work into the slush pile. And yes, having worked for a publisher for two years, I do give them a lot of credit. They work hard, and for the most part, they know what they're doing.

edited 1st Aug '11 7:27:00 AM by starmoonberry

Personally, I would say that whether you start writing through fanfiction or not will make something of a difference - I've noticed that I've made significantly different writing mistakes then people who did start by writing fanfiction - but it doesn't mean that one is a better way to begin then the other.

As for whether you should read it or not, I generally don't, but that's personal preference - I don't think there's anything wrong with fanfiction in general. As one of the previous posters noted, it's a really broad spectrum of works - you can't really make sweeping statements here.