Fan Fiction is the production of fiction based upon somebody else's work. Usually a television series.
Technically it is a felony. A breach of copyright. Though the prospects of the copyright owner actually summoning lawyers is remote. The costs of so doing far outway the benefits and it would achieve. In effect doing little more than pushing a finger into a breaking dam. It is only fair, however, to ensure that the source of inspiration is noted and recognised.
The reasons why people should wish to write such stories are as varied as the people that write them.
Some write to fill a creative void in their lives, but can't face the challenge to create their own universe.
Others will claim it is because they wish to explore a scene or a relationship, actual or derived, that they have seen, or would like to see.
Still others, because they think the creators have made such a hash of the job, that they can do better and actually explain what is happening in a way that makes sense! (My own excuse)
Though the real reason is probably just personal satisfaction.
Whatever the reasoning, it would be contemptuous to say Fan Fiction is inferior to the real thing. Whilst it is true that there is much rubbish out there, there is also a great wealth of works that in quality of story and writing can challenge the best published writers.
Fan Fiction writers do have major advantages over their professional counterparts. What they write and how, is that much freer. There are no publishing deadlines to meet, ever changing 'House Rules' to follow, or the infinite number of monkeys syndrome of having to match with the work of others and of course, they gain from hindsight. (If you wish to see how restrictive 'House Rules' can be wander over to Pocket Books Submission Guidelines).
On the downside there is little reward for the long hours of composing their prose, except an occasional thank you from an appreciative reader. (If you are a reader that has commented on a work, then on behalf of the writer, whoever he/she may be, I offer my own thanks. You are a Trojan of light in a dark and cold world.)
There are some rules however and
the wise fan-fiction writer should be aware of them:-
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Make certain you know what you are
writing about. It must fall into the scheme of things as generally depicted.
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The standard characters must bear a
relationship to those that people know. (The thought of Tuvok from StarTrek
Voyager becoming a rabid suitor of Kathryn Janeway without a logical
reason, or build up, defies the imagination, but there are a lot of
them out there).
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Always try to bring something fresh
to the fold.
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Don't be afraid of using other characters,
even modelling them on yourself or somebody you know if necessary, but
beware of the 'Mary Sue' syndrome.
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Above all. Please. Tell a Story!
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The Mary Sue is, nominally, a style of story where the writer includes him/herself to the detriment of all else, e.g. Mary Sue gives the order to fire phasors on the Enterprise, whilst Jim Kirk watches in grateful appreciation, because he/she was the only one that could do so (they exist as well). They will always be instantly popular and always get the prominent love interest.
For true 'Rivet Counting' purists it is the lowest form of fan-fiction and they will ignore the story on principle. Which is a pity. Not all Mary Sue's are bad, in the same way as not all 'Canon' fan-fictions are good.
If the writer wants to explain a reaction, or make things happen in a way that could not be achieved by regular characters then additional character/s are essential, no matter how like the writer they may be. The tricks here are:-
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Do not to let your character be obviously
better than the rest, or too perfect.
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Ensure the regulars are 'In Character'.
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And again- Tell A Story.
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For a more learned view on Mary Sue,
try the Writers University
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Fan Fiction comes in many forms. From simple fun with words in the form of Drabbles to major works, like my own Colonel series, that weave a whole alternate universe around a starting theme.
Somewhere in between lay a vast raft of others. The ones mentioned here are merely the more common.
None are inferior, a well written Essay is a far better to read than a poor novel. They may contain bad spelling, atrocious grammar and structure (but then few are masters of the English language), or the subject simply lacks interest to a greater or lesser number of readers.
Drabbles I have already mentioned. Simple and short, for people in a hurry. Sometimes they can be simple scenes, more often they describe a single thought. They are exactly 100 words in length. Personally I find them incredibly difficult to produce. Others seem to find them simple.
Filks are plagiarised songs and poems. The author adapting the words to suit their requirements.
One of the most common are Scenes. Extensions of something that may have been touched upon in the original, but not explored. The limiting factor here, of course, is that the reader must be intimately familiar with the episode in question to have some sympathy for the author who is trying to explain things.
Better are the Essays. The writer accepts that the reader may not have the same knowledge or opinion of a particular show and tries to create a single themed story, involving just the two or three characters in question.
Slash, being rather too common, is basically an excuse to have characters bonking in whatever pairing the writer sees fit. There may, or may not, be a reason or explanation. I find most are depressingly bad.
Not as sordid, perhaps, are MiSTings. These are not Fan Fiction as such, more Fiction Destruction. Somebody takes a piece of fiction and systematically disembowels it sentence by sentence, making glib comments as they go. Often they are excused as a means of critique for the authors or the shows errors. Having been the victim of one such ceremonial desiccation, I am of two minds. For the one I thoroughly enjoyed the result, for the other I could find little of benefit. I was fortunate, the MiST'er actually enjoyed what I had written in the first place and we had some exchange over what he had written. There are some extremely savage examples of MiSTings.
Finally there are the very rare treats. Full scale stories and episodes. They start from something small and not necessarily related, then carefully build into something bigger. Bringing in characters, plots and events into a coherent whole, finally depositing the reader with a sense of something happening. Just as a real story should.
Whatever the style and length there are some tremendously entertaining writings in all of these types.