On Sun, 14 Apr 1996, Ryoga Hibiki wrote:

On Sun, 14 Apr 1996, Ranma al'Thor <ranma@falcon.cc.ukans.edu> wrote:

	I think I probably agree with the above myself.  Trying to create 
a set guideline for writing a fanfic is as moronic as the thought of 
'civilized warfare'.  It looks good in theory, but not in practice.  I 

I suppose you dismiss the entire profession of the Academic study of 
literature then and all of the guides to writing fiction that have ever 
been written as moronic?  (Aristotle must be screaming right now 
somewhere :)

	I never liked Aristotle anyway :)  No, I simply think that it is 
a better thing to develop one's own style rather than use someone 
else's.

Which isn't what you said, before.  You said it was moronic to try to 
create set guidelines for writing a fanfic.

[See above quotation.]

  This is a personal opinion, nothing more.  Do what you wish, it 

makes utterly no difference to me.  But I also think it is wrong to try 
and set guidelines for fiction and ignore the obvious need for up and 
coming authors to write the way THEY want to write. 

Did I say that writers have to be told how to write?  No.
Is anyone saying that they are the sole authority on how to write?  No.

I may have 
misinterpreted your comment above, but from what I'm seeing, you are 
basically telling me that just because the Classics were written by 
people who are long dead, their way is inherently right.  I cannot agree 
with this.

Yes, you are.  I was saying that you were categorically rejecting 
thousands of years of effort to provide help/guidance/etc for writing.
I didn't say you have to accept everything ever written by dead or living 
people.  Some of these people contradict each other, for one thing :)

But I wouldn't categorically reject them either.

 > > 

Or is Fanfiction somehow special and different from other literature in a 
way that renders there no need of assistance for its authors?  If so, why?

	Not 'no need of assistance'.  Just render as little assistance as 
possible, so that you do not interfere with that author's bent towards a 
certain style of writing.

As little assistance as possible would be no assistance.  I can't see how 
offering advice is going to destroy someone's creativity...Which probably 
means we could argue fruitlessly about this until doomsday :)


John Walter Biles :  MA-History, Ph.D Wannabe at U. Kansas         
ranma@falcon.cc.ukans.edu   http://falcon.cc.ukans.edu/~ranma/falcon.html 
                            http://www.dhp.com/~wraven/john/index.html

If you've ever watched the game warden through a gun sight...
     You might be a redneck.