Is Fanfic Worth It?

[moonshayde]

I have a lot to do today since I slacked yesterday, but I am going to stop and talk a minute about fanfic (and I'll post those caps when I take a break later). I've talked about this before, but I'm going to again.

Disclaimer: This is just a reflective and conversational post. This is also not a debate on whether people should write fanfic or not. Also, this isn't meant to solicit encouragement or anything. I just like to talk :P



It's no secret I love fanfic. I think I always will. There is something satisfying and comforting in writing fanfic. Fanfic provides a unique sense of closeness to characters we know and love. Everyone writes or reads fanfic for different reasons, but that personal connection remains.

But I sometimes wonder, why should I bother? Is writing fanfic worth it?*

I'm not talking in terms of feedback. I won't deny that I love feedback and I'm disappointed when I perceive something as hard work and I don't get any. But I've been lucky in that aspect. I may have never been a BNF (Big name fan), but in SG-1 fandom I received a decent amount of feedback and recognition. It's not the same with SPN and I whine about it sometimes, but I still receive more than some people can say. And I've written a couple of Sv/Superman stuff, but nothing major. So is my question feedback driven? Likely in part, but not the main focus.

You spend months, maybe, on this complex story that you put tons of effort into. Then you post it online. Done. That's it. So was that time well spent?

Mind you, that isn't much different than publishing. You write a story. Send it to your editor. After revisions and what not, it gets published (online or in print). Done. That's it. Maybe some monetary compensation. But it's over. Time to move on.

So does worth then mean it's just monetary compensation? I'd like to think it's more than that. Most people know writing is not the field to go into if you want to be rich.

It has to be something else, then. I don't know.

I just wonder why? Fanfic is fun. I like it. I've become a better writer from it. And that is a good enough reason in and of itself.

However, I'm a writer in the publishing aspirations sense. While I've had a stories and poems published, I aspire to bigger things. I'm highly ambitious and have my mind set. That's just the way I am wired.

Every moment I sit writing fanfic is time that should be going to profic.

For some people, they can write both fanfic and original fic and pump out tomes of material. With everything else going on in my life, that's kind of impossible for me LOL

I promised myself a couple of weeks ago that aside from fics I owe people and a couple of projects I want to finish, I was giving up fanfic completely. The thing is I don't want to. But I can't see the value or worth in continuing it if, as an aspiring profic writer, it takes time away. Yet at the same time, it is an outlet and we all need outlets to help us manuver through life.

Finding balance would be ideal. I just wonder if I'm kidding myself and just using fanfic as a crutch.

I basically have two arguments in my head: write fanfic in moderation because it makes me happy; happy is a good enough reason vs. cut back significantly because it's getting in the way.

The true answer may be in the middle somewhere. Or, it could be an answer I don't want to hear.

I've gotten better at this over time, but it's still something that nags at me. I've cut back my fanfic writing like in half. Logically, my original fic should have doubled. (It hasn't.) That leads me to believe that fanfic isn't THE problem for me. It's something else. Still, I have to be careful.

Also, I'm not questioning the worth of fanfic in and of itself. (I think fanfic is great.) I am questioning it's worth in alignment with my goals.

I'm opening this up for conversation not just for me but for maybe some of you who might be wondering the same thing. What do you think? Do you have similair or different issues? Is this an non-issue to you? Are you an aspiring writer, a published writer, or 100% fanficcer? We all have different goals and different problems to face. Feel free to talk about them.


*Obviously, this is aimed at myself. People who don't want to write for publication might not have this problem and may have a different set of concerns. Some people might not have this comflict at all or don't care. So I am not generalizing for everyone here.

Comments

[jedishadowolf.livejournal.com]

Fanfic is comfort food to me. When I get stuck on original fic (which happens way too often) I come back to fan fic to get the voices in my head talking again. The ideas start flowing and I feel better about everything so I can get back to my original stuff.

I am an aspiring author, but honestly, I question that aspiration almost daily. Published or not I'll always write. It's my hobby, and I love doing it. But once published it seems like you're no longer a writer for love of the craft/art. You're a Pro - you have to market yourself because the marketing dept. at the publishing house can't focus on you solely, so now you're a writer plus an advertising agent. Then you have deadlines - what if writer's block gets in the way? You miss deadlines and that looks bad. Not to mention the monetary compensation doesn't really add up to the amount of time and effort you put in until you hit the big time and only a few of the many talented writers out there ever hit the big time.

Makes it real difficult for me to step away from the fanfic and focus on the pro stuff when the pro stuff appears more like headache and hassle than love and enjoyment.

[superbadgirl]

It's a non-issue for me. Fanfiction is worth it, because I have no aspiration to be a published author. For me, it's the creative outlet I need without the stress of what it takes to be a pro writer. I would desperately love more feedback, but clearly the lack of it does not keep me from writing. (And, tied to this, it doesn't keep me from griping when people I don't consider all that super speshul amass a basquillion of doe-eyed worshippers. Shoot, sometimes I even wonder why writers I find competent get swarms of feedback and my poor little stories get the sound of crickets chirruping in the background.)

Also, I sincerely doubt any original work I might write would be published, and I frankly can't take even the idea of such mass rejection... I'm a wimp that way.

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

Fanfic is worth it.

It's done for the love of the show and fun of the craft. It's a way to join in with a whole sea of writers and include your stories into the vast ocean of fanfics for a show. You're one of the writers who give reading pleasure to many all for the satisfaction of accomplishment, a pat on the back and knowing you're part of something much bigger.

If you were a professional writer who wrote tons of books, that would be your job, your livelihood. If you wrote fanfic on the side, that would be something fun to do. Fanfic doesn't put the same demands on a person that 'more serious' writing does even though just as much work and sweat goes into a story.

In some ways, I think fanfic gives a writer more of a headstart, perhaps even a leeway, than an independent story ever could. The characters and setup are already established. You're only limited by your imagination and the show itself. An independent story means you establish the setting, the characters, the storyline and you basically lead the reader through something new. Fanfic assumes that the reader is already acquainted with the entire setup. No leading of that particular sort would be necessary.

I also think that writing fanfic is a great way to learn how to communicate more effectively. That can't ever be a waste of time. It's fun, it's a hobby, and it creates a bridge between your imagination and someone else's. You're sharing a part of yourself with the reader. A connection forms when someone reads what you wrote, what you put your heart and soul into, just as it does when we read a great novel.

I think it all comes down to the fact that you have a story to tell, and there are those who want to hear it. Fanfic is a great way to do that.

[shardsofblu.livejournal.com]

Fanfic has always been a source of fun to me, even if I've been reading it less and less these days. And when I did up writing a fic (which are only a couple so far anyway :p) it's more about a particular scene from the canon (the comics, shows) hitting me hard that I just have to write something about it.

[larienelengasse.livejournal.com]

I think that there can definitely be value in writing fan fic, even if you are an aspiring profic writer. Writing is such an ever-changing, malleable process that, in my opinion, whatever keeps the writing gears lubricated and moving is a good thing. It doesn't seem, from what you've said here, that distraction in the form of fan fic is an issue for your profic writing. Since it's not, I think it might be more productive to write fan fic, just so you're writing, than to try to force something to come in the profic arena if it's just not ready to come out.

Fan fic does different things for me than it does for you, because I'm not a profic writer. I write fan fiction and I write literary analysis and theory, and pretty much nothing else. Those two kinds of writing are so different, so far removed from each other that for me, fan fic is an outlet for play. I can experiment and play in ways that I can't do in academic writing. For me too, fan fic has made me a better writer, even academically.

When you write fan fic, do you start thinking of profic? In other words, do ideas for profic come to you when you're writing fan fic? I don't mean ideas in the form of "how can I use this as profic instead," but more generalized stuff.

This happens to me with academic writing. I'll be writing about something, and then suddenly, from nowhere ostensibly, an idea for fan fic pops into my head. There's something about just writing that stimulates the creative centers of my brain. If that makes sense. I'm wondering if this is just me, or if you experience it too.

[gunhilda.livejournal.com]

You made a comment recently that one of your friends mentioned that she worries about you if you aren't writing, and you agreed with that. I think there is truth to the notion that writers write, and the very acting of writing is something that is vital to their soul. I think you fall into this category.

Because of this, I would suggest that for your own personal mental health, it probably doesn't matter so much what you're writing (or for what reasons) as long as you are, in fact, writing. Anything that gets in the way of that is an unhealthy obstacle.

It seems to me that if there is some reason you're resisting writing profic at any point in time (and I don't think you really need to understand the reasons why, just be aware that it's not flowing), you may need to write something else for a while until you're ready to go back to it. OTOH, if the profic is going well, you should stick with it, since that is where you want your success to come.

Just my thoughts, for what they're worth...

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

It's definitely tough when writing becomes a job. Since you are on deadlines, you have to treat it as such. And framing your mind to treat it as fun (while it still is work) can be really hard. I know I struggle with it myself.

And you are absolutely right about the marketing part.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

Well, I would hope that last part isn't the reason why you don't want to write profic. It's absolutely your choice, but don't sell yourself short. I've quite enjoyed your fanfic :) You can write.

I think writers who are fanficcers only have different kinds of pressures and problems. I'll admit - and it's a bad attitude for me to have - that I'm "looser" with my fanfic. I'm sloppy? Sometimes I think it gives me more freedom in fanfic and I'm too rigide with my original stuff, but still. It means the product that I post online is normally not my very very very best. I think people who are seriously dedicated to fanfic in the same way profic authors are dedicated to original fic must go insane when they see stuff that is sloppy hits the internet.

I'm not saying this is you. But if it were me, I would get annoyed. Heck, I get annoyed when I do it myself LOL

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

That have to impulse is one of the greatest feelings in the world to me. That means there is something there, some spark.

It totally should be fun :)

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

No, you have some good points here. For me, it's more about trying to recognize when fanfic is helping me and when it is hindering me. I'm a fearful person with low self-esteem. Sometimes I hide behind fanfic. It's safer.

I don't think that is the SOLE reason, though, and a year ago or so I was writing both fanfic and original fic and actively working or schooling. So I'm starting to think fanfic isn't stopping me, but I use it as an excuse.

I just have to figure out what my issues are. I may be boxing myself in with expectations that are too high for myself (in profic) which is stopping me in my tracks.

In short, I have to learn to relax LOL

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

That's why I can't knock fanfic. It's so useful. No matter who you are and whether you want to write profic or not, it's great. I still think it can hinder people, so you have to be careful. it all depends on context.

When you write fan fic, do you start thinking of profic? In other words, do ideas for profic come to you when you're writing fan fic? I don't mean ideas in the form of "how can I use this as profic instead," but more generalized stuff.

To be honest, everything makes think of profic. I watch TV, profic. I watch a movie, profic. I play a video game, profic. Music, fanfic, everything. My world centers on writing.

But yes, ideas are always propping up, even as I write fanfic. However, it's more in the vein of "how can I use it for profic." Not because I'm trying to force something that shouldn't. It's just I'll have an idea and then go, oh! Wait, this could work even better as profic. Or sometimes I will write a fanfic knowing I want to use the idea for profic, but the fanfic is for fun and to let me try out ideas to see if it could work later as something else.

Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

Academic and creative writing are very different. I mean, both require creativity, just different forms. I can testify that I was the most creative when I was writing my MA thesis. Writing begets writing. I totally agree with you there. And for me, academics begets writing. Though, not the stuff I am studying right now LOL

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

I think it all comes down to the fact that you have a story to tell, and there are those who want to hear it. Fanfic is a great way to do that.

Absolutely. I never question that aspect of it. Writing is writing. Any writing is good. Just like reading is reading.

I still think that for some people it can be a crutch or it can be a saftey net, which you know I've been concerned about for a very long time.

For me, at least, I'm trying to navigate through what part of my block is psychological or due to real life concerns. If I throw all my energies into fanfic, then there is no balance there. I'm still trying to discover that balance.

If you were a professional writer who wrote tons of books, that would be your job, your livelihood. If you wrote fanfic on the side, that would be something fun to do. Fanfic doesn't put the same demands on a person that 'more serious' writing does even though just as much work and sweat goes into a story.

To be honest, this is a concern of mine. I wonder if I am runnign from the demands. Hmm.

[captain-tiv.livejournal.com]

I think everyone has to run from the demands from time to time or our heads would explode from the pressure. Fanfic is like taking a vacation from other types of writing.

[tresa-cho.livejournal.com]

I think it's worth it, but I don't write for recognition. I write it because the canonical writers won't. I write scenes I think need to be in the series but aren't. I'm a huge fan of codas to episodes and behind the scenes sort of fics. Something that can easily be inserted into the canon without causing too much of a dent in the plot.

I write fanfic because it satisfies my need to know, to see the scene unfold for myself. It scratches a certain itch that the show started and the neglected.

I suppose you could categorize me as aspiring writer. I write mostly originals now, in hopes something will be good enough to get published.

[superbadgirl]

I'm not entirely certain I've got creative enough of a mind to do original fic. I like the comfort of established characters. Of course, I might just be selling myself on that because I'm too afraid to really try striking out on my own.

And if I did - I'd likely really focus on a market that's not super popular: short stories. I love short story anthologies and think there should be more of them. I'd also love to compile my dreams-as-stories somehow. Because my dreams are super insane and often kind of interesting.

It does, in fact, bother me when it appears people slap things together and post online without any effort at all for editing. (Granted, sometimes I self-edit because I can't find a beta, but I have a decent grasp on grammar. I know then and than are not interchageable.) Easily correctable errors will toss me right out of a story and shake my fist at people leaving nothing but praise for the author.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

I find it interesting your observation that even though you've cut back on fanfic writing, the original writing hasn't perked up in equal amounts.

Perhaps you need to feel the same love for your original creations that you feel for the borrowed ones. With fanfic, you're a few steps removed from the creation process of the setting, characters and situations that are inherent with those characters and settings.

It's interesting-I think a day or so ago, one of the writers on my flist mentioned writing fanfiction based on her own stuff! At first I thought that was amusing, but then I realized, yeah, why the heck not? There's no pressure. You like the characters. It's not work, it's *for fun only*. And it has the added benefit of adding to the background of your own created 'verse and characters.

I think professionalism has been drained of the fun factor for many people. The perception is, oh darn, once I've made it (IF you've made it) you've got all sorts of crap to deal with publishers and bookstores and and and... I think that's a load of crap. That's self-defeating. If you read pro writer blogs, gee, they get to make time to go to conventions, contact other writers, have some fun, live a creative inner life that I don't think many people take advantage in their own heads...so what if it doesn't support you like it used to support writers back in the "good olde days"?

Anyhow. Write a few short fan fics, character stuff. Play with situations. Play with settings. Mix them up with your original characters. Then jump off from there with your own purely original fiction. Use fanfic as a warm-up, as a constructive force. You shouldn't have to give up what you love in order to do another thing that you love (although there is not enough time in the day). I think it's a question of weaving it into your original writing routine, perhaps.

Okay, done with this novel. Then I have to finish my homework.

[suzannemarie.livejournal.com]

In short, I have to learn to relax LOL

It's hard to be at your most creative when you're tense and worried. (Or I should say, it's hard for me. But I think it's a fair statement.)

Fanfic can be a crutch, I think, if you're not careful. I've known some who have given it up entirely to concentrate solely on profic. The ones who do that, do it, I think, because for them it's time to work without a net and make the leap. I understand that, and I think there's merit to that--but I don't see that it necessarily has to be an either or situation.

If fanfic is fun for (the rhetorical) you. If you get enjoyment and satisfaction out of the process, there's value in that. I can see that as a way to relax and have a little fun without having to do the heavy lifting of world-buiilding and character-creation. I would be willing to be that for the most part professional football players enjoy what they do and live for each Sunday's game. At the same time, they probably also enjoy the occasional game of touch football where the only reward is spending the afternoon with friends and bragging rights for whichever side wins.

There's more discipline involved in profic. There's the need to sit down and face the blank computer screen whether you really feel like writing or not. And to do it for a set period of time every day--or at least regularly throughout the week. And sometimes all you may have to show for it is one or two lines of text. Fanfic allows the freedom to be as disciplined or undisciplined as you want. You can abandon projects and come back to them as you choose. The stakes are lower and writing blocks, while frustrating, don't really matter so much.

In the end, I think it all comes down to what you value. Just because there's not a tangible reward with fanfic, doesn't mean that it's devoid of personal value. Hobbies remain hobbies because they're fun, and because they give us pleasure.

And in final word, if you think it's fear that's holding you back with regard to profic, and if profic is important to you, my advice is to face that fear as directly as you can. I'm not suggesting giving up anything else (unless you want to), but that you continue to plug away at it whether you feel like it or not, whether you think you're accomplishing anything or not. Even if it's just fifteen minutes a day of sitting in front of your computer and staring blankly out the window.

Huh. For someone with no professional writing aspirations, I certainly had a lot to say there. If there's anything useful, take it. If it's all chaff to you, just toss it aside.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

You know, I hear this a lot from the fanfic writers I know. C, you are one of the better writers in the SG universe. I don't think it's a paucity of imagination. I think it's the belief.

Have you *read* or skimmed through some of the stuff that gets published these days? If anything, there's very little out there that's truly "original". There are twists on old themes and tropish characters.

I know I've come on strong on my opinions against fan fiction (I think it has its place...but please, folks, let's not grant it the same status as stuff you've borrowed from)...but I think a good many ff writers are perfect capable of writing original stuff, AND finding venues for it or *creating* venues for it. Geez, what are zines, anyway? Created venues that eventually gain some cache amongst a certain audience.

Take out a copy of The Writer's Manual (what is that book called, has all those publishers listed in it?) and look through it. There's a HUGE number of venues available to send original fiction to.

::slaps forehead::

Okay, sorry for yet another novel.

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

I am going to come back to this in a bit because I think there is some extremely beneficial advice here not just for me but for other writers.

But I *HAVE* to write like right now or I'll make excuses. I have deadlines.

*must make this more fun*

[angst-driven.livejournal.com]

For my part, feedback is a nice bonus, but not the driving force behind my writing. I started writing fanfic because I had an idea stuck in my head after watching a show I absolutely loved, and I couldn't get it to go away and let me focus on other things until I had put it down on paper. My imagination has always worked like this. There's hardly a book/show/movie that I have enjoyed that hasn't produced some kind of scenario that I have to play out in my head. I'd love to be writing original fic. (I have an entire trilogy bouncing around in my mind, as well as a couple other story ideas.) My problem, however, is that at about the same time I started writing down both my original ideas and my fanfic I began a three year Masters program. Now I feel guilty writing down anything that isn't class or thesis related. I just keep telling myself "two more classes and then you'll be able to write whatever you want!" I just hope that's true...

[shiawmeimei.livejournal.com]

As a published author who started in SG fanfic, I have a soft spot for fanfic but I don't have time to write it anymore. And even if I did, I'm not sure I would. I wrote Stargate Jack/Samantha ship and Jack/Daniel slash. Now I write erotic romance, mostly gay, and I find I enjoy playing with my own characters more than someone elses. Even when I wrote fanfic, I loved creating original characters.

However I come back to fanfic a lot. To me it's the only thing I read for relaxation. Books I read for research--what publisher is buying what, what are they looking for in this line or that. I don't enjoy books as much anymore because my inner editor is always critiquing. There is no market for fanfic; no editors. I don't expect perfection in grammar and structure. I'm free to enjoy it! And I revitalize my love of original writing by reading fanfic.

I'd say if you still get satisfaction and enjoyment from writing fanfic, then make time for both. The simple enjoyment it brings makes it worth it.

[twasadark.livejournal.com]

If you enjoy it, definitely keep it up! Every moment spent writing is worthwhile, whether it's fanfic or pro-fic. You may even get more readers with your fanfic stuff! I know some of my original fic that's been published is on little tiny sites that probably don't get many visitors - I'm sure it's probably the same for you.

I know what you mean about feedback. I'd definitely like more of it myself. But oh, well. I guess that's how it goes.

[lastwordslinger.livejournal.com]

I know I'm late and this was SO ten minutes ago, but I have two cents to share!

Basically, I have the same problem. I want my focus to be on original work, but fan fiction is very distracting. Fan fic is easier, because not as much is riding on it. At least that's been my personal experience. I obsess over my original stuff and want it to be perfect, whereas I eventually become satisfied with fan fics because they aren't "serious". That's not the word I want to use, because I take everything I write seriously, but it's close enough for government work. There's no pressure to write for fandom, but there is pressure to create for myself as well as I can, and that seems daunting sometimes. I don't know if you feel that way necessarily or not, but I think that's my major malfunction, LOL!

[moonshayde.livejournal.com]

Psst. This is exactly it. Part of being a perfectionist who sets herself up to fail :(

[autumnrae89.livejournal.com]

I love fanfic. Now that's out of the way, let's discuss. :P

For me as a reader and writer, I feel that I get many (pleasurable) feelings from it. In reading, it's an escapism from mental doom of a monotonous existence. If we're being serious. ;) As a writer the feeling I get is -- satisfaction. I love the feeling I get when I write a particularly funny line or I write a paragraph that screams SUCCESS!

But I also get despondent when I lack feedback, it's not me being a review whore (Apologise for the language) I geniunely enjoy/need the feedback. If I'm truly honest, I've always had problems with my English (It's no secret that I was special needs) so I seek the approval of my fellow writers/readers to validate my improvement. Shallow, I know and it's that shallowness that makes it hard for me to be a fic writer.

But would I give it up? Never. It feeds my imagination, it comforts me and allows me to create in ways I never thought possible. I do have the intention of being a writer eventually, but I'm young(-ish) and I think this is helpful prep. (but not gospel)

So what I'm saying is; do what you love, otherwise you'll never be happy. Don't force the original work because it's like a dog, it will never come if you call it. :)