To Fanfic or Not

Harry and Bjorn have been going back and forth in my comments section of this last past re the value of fanfic and whether one should spend their time on other writing endeavours than fanfic. Granted, Harry and I have known each other a long time - we're SE alum together - so I've heard this from him before :-) but it was interesting to hear Bjorn's point of view.

So why do I write fanfic when allegedly I could be working on my novel or the third story in my Nocturne series? Good question.

Maybe it's instant gratification. Since SE went under, I've lost the base of people who I relied on to help me with my original short fic, not to mention moving to another town absolutely killed my weekly writing group meetings. Granted, I still keep in touch on a regular basis with Tracy and Tracie, it's just not the same as posting and hearing from these people regularly. And yes, I admit it - I need the motivation from others to keep writing - and I feel lost without my writing group and the SE folks.

With fanfic, there's this whole other community of people out there who are eager to exchange ideas, help out with writings and soothe your ego when you're feeling down. They send you their WiPs and you send them yours. You get insta-FB from these betas - they tell you when you've fallen short of the mark, they tell you when you've nailed. I don't think necessarily that I need 'hand holding' when it comes to writing, but it sure makes it easier and more fun to write, even if it does mean you go off into strange directions you never expected to before. (I hereby refer y'all to the lawsuit recently filed in the Supreme Court of Fanfic Matters titled "Seema vs Rocky...").

Does this mean I've given up on original fic? No, I haven't, but the muse comes quicker when it comes to fanfic. I see something on television and all of a sudden, I'm thinking, "What if..." and suddenly, I'm sitting down at the computer, typing away at the expense of doing other more academic pursuits.

Fanfic also helps with 'stretching.' I've experimented with things in fanfic that I've never tried in original fic. Second person, present tense, alternating POVs, pronoun vignettes, etc. I feel like there is a safety net there when I 'stretch' - ie a beta is going to tell me, "Whoa, girl, start over" or "Okay, this works." In original fic, I don't get that, so it's harder for me to want to experiment.

Plus fanfic is just incredibly liberating. You're writing in this imaginary universe, embarking on this weird virtual life (which, btw, is completely cut off from RL for a variety of reasons) and when you're in fandom, you show up "and everyone knows your name." Well, mostly. I'm just feeling all warm and fuzzy from zendom - which is just more fun than I thought it would be (see Lori's comments on zendom). And Harry, if you're reading this - zendom feels like the SE felt when it was first started, where it was like coming in, flopping down on a couch and just knowing that everyone respected what you had to say, even if they didn't agree with you. So how can I pass up the opportunity to talk about writing with people who want to talk about writing? Even if it is fanfic?

Okay, is fanfic derivative? Yes, maybe. Does it have any less value? Not in my mind. Does it mean that it's not as "hard" as original fic? No, that's not the case at all. There have been amazing entries in the world of fanfic written by amateurs/professionals masquerading under various nom de plums and we do it all in the name of good fun. We are running around in own little cliques (zendom comes immediately to mind as a successful multi-fandom clique - can I pimp this list enough?), enjoying the company of crazily creative people with quirky senses of humour and it feels comfortable. A connection has been made, even if it is only fanfic.

My original fic has been online longer than the fanfic and other than SE alum, it's been next to impossible to make connections with people who aren't fanfic writers. I get the feeling that for the most part, fanfic writers leave their egos at the door, they have no expectations of publication - nor do they necessarily desire success in publication - nor do they have the driving motivation to "be the best in fandom." Rather, they are more interested in nuances and doing the best they can in putting out quality fic in a manner that makes them happy.

I have read fanfic that is of exceptional quality and I've read fanfic that has made me want to go dunk my head in a bucket of Clorox (Hey, Lori, how are we doing with the Clorox inventory?). The same goes with original fic - mostly published on the shelves of Barnes & Noble fic. So why strive for that level of incompetence when you can go online, find a group of writers utterly devoted to what they do, and who have high expectations and a desire to get better? I don't think you can compare original fic versus fanfic. It's not the same thing, not at all.

Just my two cents on the subject...