I'm posting this response some two days after the original thread.
Gomen ne ^^;
From: "Richard Lawson & Joseph Palmer" <sterman@sprynet.com>
Subject: [FFML] What Kind of Fanfic Should an Author Create?
Date: Tue, 17 Mar 1998 19:05:56 -0600
"What kind of fanfic should an author create,
and how true to the original should it be?"
_______________________________________________________________________
by Richard Lawson
The art of writing is one of self-expression. Something moves us,
something interests us, we become intrigued and even fascinated by an
idea, and we write it on paper (metaphorical or not). Because the paper
is blank, we have no limits to where our minds can take us.
So why do we write fanfics? Two reasons, I think. One: much of the
hard work has been done for us. The characters have been created, the
background developed, the situations put in place. No longer do we have
to create the shy ESPer or the irreverent spaceship captain - this has
been done for us. We don't have to spend time and effort to develop
these things before plunging right into the plot - our readers already
know these things.
Which leads into the second reason we write fanfics: a ready audience.
People are much more willing to read a fanfic about an anime or manga
series of which they're already familiar than somebody's original story
with characters they don't know. We write fanfics because we know an
audience is already out there, waiting to read.
So then, you're going to write a fanfic using someone else's characters.
What rules are there?
My answer: there *are* no rules.
It goes back to what I said right at the beginning: writing is an art
of self-expression. We want to express something, and even if we use
other people's characters to express it, we shouldn't limit ourselves.
Only by experimenting with your writing will you grow as a writer.
<snip>
________
By Joseph Palmer
The best kind of fanfic for an author to write is not a fanfic at all,
but a work with original themes, settings and characters. Original works
are free from the entanglements that cause us to place 'legal
disclaimers' within our fan-fictions, and come with economic rights and
copyright protections recognized throughout the world.
<snip>
When we write fanfics, we venture into this moral twilight and legal
darkness. We have been granted no right nor license to use these stories
or characters.
We are uninvited guests.
My gut reaction to the question: "What Kind of fan-fiction Should an
Author Create?" is that we are guests, and we should act like guests.
To me, this means we should strive to make our stories true to the
'nature' of the original. It wasn't until I recently consulted my
dictionary that I was finally able to put words to my long and deeply
held beliefs.
<snip>
To put my feelings into twenty words or less:
"As fanfic authors we should celebrate and
protect the things that distinguish this series
from other works."
To do so protects the artistic rights of the creator, for if we remain
true to the nature of the series, we are unlikely to dilute the
essential qualities that drew us to the series. We also protect the
creator's economic rights, since we are unlikely to affect our readers
feelings in a way that would tilt them away from future purchases of the
artists works.
It is from behind these thin battlements that I both urge other
fanfic authors to remain true to the nature of the series they have
chosen to write within, and point out the total freedom available to
them in original fiction.
I might note that both of these gentlemen bring
together very valid points about fan-fictional writing.
I guess that a subsequent question might have been:
when is a fictional work (fan-based or original)
continued to be a 'fan-fiction' ? I have often thought
of much of what I was reading under the 'guise' of
'fan-fiction' to be something of another form. What I
mean is that under the definition offered by Mr.
Palmer, alot of what is available as 'fan-fiction'
certainly would not be 'true' to its' character.
Although I haven't been able to read a large quantity
of Ranma � 'fan-fiction' or Tenchi Muyo! or other
fairly popular Japanese anime/manga based stories, I
have had a fair amount of exposure to Sailormoon
'fan-fiction' and I would base my responses to this
discussion on that basis: I can honestly say that I've
read close to five to six hundred different BSSM/SM
stories -- all of the material that's been posted to
the three major web archives and also the R.A.A.C
archives as well.
Mr. Palmer mentions the 'economic' rights of the
creator, and I would tend to agree with his view
towards 'poor' writing that may be affecting a future
decision to purchase subsequent works. I can point out
that even though I have not read alot of works based
upon the world created by Takahashi Rumiko-san, of the
ones that I _have_ read, it has sparked an interest to
see what else she has created; in due fashion, I have
managed to purchase a copy of Rumic World Trilogy #2
TPB and was enthralled by the stories that she has
written. Similarly, for Tenchi Muyo, it was only
_after_ reading several Tenchi Muyo 'fan-fiction'
stories that I decided to purchase the 'No Use for
Tenchi!' TPB. Fan- fictional writings can work both
ways, I purchased the original BSSM tankobun because I
really liked reading 'fan-fiction' that had strong
links to a world filled with Sailor-fuku-ed Senshi.
We can view 'fan-fiction' works as a feedback cycle:
either positive or negative depending upon our
exposure. I've tended to regard my own reading habits
as to have been a 'positive-feedback-cycle.' If I may
present an example:
Tim Nolan's Awakenings 1 and 2, as well as
Obligations mentioned several minor threads that were
part of the BSSM manga storyline. In the same stories,
he also had cameo appearances of Natsumi and Miyuki
from You're Under Arrest, as well as Urd and Skuld from
Oh My Goddess!, both by Fujishima Kyosuke-sama.
He also mentioned the writings of Mr. Chris R. Davies
in his end-notes as having been a source of 'friendly
competition.' Well...that in and of its own may be of
no significance. But, I did a 'follow-up' reading to
Mr. Davies works, which subsequently lead me to the
works of Mssrs. John Biles and Jeffrey Hosmer...and
those in turn have led me to other anime series, i.e.,
Mobile Police Patlabor, Tenchi Muyo and Ranma, as well
as Neon Genesis Evangelion...
But I have digressed in describing my ventures into
the realms of Japanese anime and fan-fictional writing.
Even as I have read this vast variety of 'fan-fiction'
that is available on the 'net, I have certainly not
lost sight of their original basis. I have gone to my
comic shop and purchased what is available from Viz of
both Neon Genesis Evangelion, Mobile Police Patlabor
'translated manga,' as well as the TPB's of Tenchi Muyo
and Ranma. A similar journey has been undergone for
Dark Horse's Oh My Goddess! 'translated manga' and the
two TPB's which are available. I have even managed to
purchase the YUA TPB that Dark Horse has put out. In a
way, I can say that had I _not_ read various 'fan-
fiction' stories that featured said storylines, I do
not think that I would have gone out and purchased the
TPBs or the 'manga comics' which are out on the market.
"Definitions, Objective and Subjective"
_______________________________________________________________________
<snip long discussion by Richard Lawson>
Joseph Palmer
Those of you who've read my works you'll know that I choose my words
carefully, and in this case "guest" perfectly describes what I mean. It
allows for latitude, yet carries the cultural baggage of visits to your
great aunt's doily-filled house. The implied question is, would the host
invite that guest back? The answer depends both upon the behavior of
the guest, and on the expectations of the host. I've read fan-fictions
that are pure Emily Post, and others that are the moral equivalent of
burning the record collection and chucking cherry bombs down the
plumbing. I know who I'd invite back.
<snip>
Richard Lawson
Joseph talks about how the behavior of a guest might vary, but still
fall within what the host finds acceptable. The problem here is that
the host - let us use Rumiko Takahashi as an example - has given us no
boundaries, no indication of what or what it not acceptable behavior for
her guests.
<snip some more>
_______________________________________________________________________
"The Blank Paper"
_______________________________________________________________________
Joseph Palmer
When we write fan-fiction, we do not start with blank paper. It comes
fully equipped with stories, characters, images, and fans (Or as Lawson
puts it; "the hard work").
Our readers are intellectually aware that our stories are not part of
the original series, but fan-fiction, particularly if it is well
written,
can leave a profound impression in the heart of the reader. If that
impression is negative, we have taken both from the series creator,
(since they may lose sales) and our reader, since they may be
disinclined to seek out the rest of the series.
If we keep to the spirit and nature of the original series, and we
write good stories, we are likely to encourage our readers to seek out
(and buy) more of the series to which we ourselves have been attracted.
I say as fanfic writers we should paint from the same pallet as the
creator, so that if our work were taped to the 'paper' of the original,
(as it is seen by the reader) they might see it as a part of the
original.
Even as we write about the stories that 'diverge'
from the 'canonical' storyline of the original creator,
we must consider the prospect of there being more than
one 'host' so to speak. Not only may we consider the
original creator, the 'host' of the world that they
have created, we may also look at the reader as being
another 'host.' Primary impressions of the story may
either 'influence' the reader to find out more about
the 'original' series, or else, we may end up disliking
our first impression of the story so much, that we turn
away from future stories that are based upon the same
'series.'
I've noted myself that after reading an intriguing
'fan-fiction' story, I've been able to go and seek out
more about the series...A good 'fan-fiction' work may
end up drawing more readers/viewers/consumers to the
original work, but of course, this works both ways. I
have often read stories that have seemed utterly out of
'touch' with the original storylines, and thus, my
interest in the storyline has declined and the
possibility of purchasing something of the original,
i.e., a tankobun, or a TPB, diminishes as well.
<snip>
Richard Lawson
<snip>
I see the net effect of fan-fiction's impact on the original works as
zero or plus, myself. The creation of fan-fiction is more likely to
interest people in there series on which they're based. The existence
of sharp contrasts are more likely to make us appreciate the original
characters more.
<snip>
Joseph Palmer
We have no right to these characters at all, so we certainly can find
no right to rewrite a character to "provide contrast". Contrast means
'To set in opposition in order to show differences.' Recasting the same
character in opposition to their "quintessential qualities" is self
defeating, since it demonstrates that those very qualities are not so
quintessential after all. It is this dilution of the essence of the
original story that I find the most disheartening. The message, (whether
intentional or not) is 'See, this series wasn't so special after all, I
can recast these characters into the same banal plots of crime, violence
and hate we get every night on television.'
Having written all that, I can recall a number of good stories that
successfully provided contrast, (for example the good Kirk - bad Kirk
Star Trek episodes) but they do so by providing an unbroken connection
and a positive return to the original characterization, and a plot
device to explain the abnormal behavior. The slightest flaw in that
connection damages that character forever in the mind of the reader.
I would beg to offer a different perspective towards
'contrasting' characterization. In the same Tim Nolan
stories that were mentioned above, there is a focus
that is placed upon Aino Minako (Sailor V/Sailor Venus)
that was rarely seen within the anime _or_ the manga.
Fan-fiction does not always need to 'contrast' a
character in order to create an appreciation. I don't
think that 'damage' is the term I would use to
illustrate a change in the character's portrayal. I
read of a fairly long thread on the a.f.s-m newsgroup
about the 'character' of Tenoh Haruka (Sailor Uranus)
and I have also read of some 'fan-fiction' with Tenoh-
san as the main character, I don't believe that a
different perspective towards characterization need be
seen as 'flawed.' Certainly, _good_ 'fan-fiction'
would provide another aspect towards the character and
their presentation but even bad characterization is not
all entirely 'bad' since it may lead back to the reader
considering, *what* is the original character?
<snip the rest of this long document ^^;>
Helen :)
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