Back in April of this year, Lee Goldberg brought to light a
fan fiction Star Wars novel called “Another Hope” that was
being sold on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (http://leegoldberg.typepad.com/a_writers_life/2006/04/no_hope_for_thi.html#more).
There is no point rehashing the details of this tale, as there are dozens
of articles discussing this in depth. My concern is with the amount and
accessibility of fanfic these days.
For fun, I typed “Harry Potter” into Google. Within the first
twenty responses was a site that included Potter fan fiction. I took a
look at the story abstracts with included parental ratings. Little Harry
and his friends went on all kinds of adventures beyond those envisioned
by J.K. Rowling.
As I looked at it, I remembered something I heard Val McDermid say at
Wordfest in Calgary a few years back. The producers of Wire in the Blood
wanted to kill Carol Jordan’s cat. Val opposed this move and because
of her contract with the show, it was shelved. One of her reasons was
that readers might be confused when they see the cat in a later book.
Unfortunately in the world of fan fiction, no such prohibitions exist.
For example, I could write a story where Tony and Carol (Val’s characters)
sleep together and then Tony kills Carol because it turns out he is actually
the most prolific serial killer in UK history called “Tony the Terror”.
I can then put my little story up on my personal blog and make it available
to thousands of fans of Val McDermid’s Tony and Carol series to
read. After all, what’s the harm? I am paying tribute to her and
her characters and I don’t make money on it, so why is this a big
deal?
Simply put, the big deal is that these are not my characters and I have
no right to them. Val McDermid created these characters and made them
into living, breathing people for millions of readers worldwide. If I “borrow” them
for my little tale, I am making them my own and take them in my own direction
while leeching off her hard work and success to give myself some unearned
attention. If I
write
the
same
story with Terrance Hillman and Charlene Jackson, it suddenly is much
harder to get the same amount of attention.
I once read an article that claimed some of the best writers out there
are fanfic authors. I disagree. Just as any new writer is strongly discouraged
to not use stereotypes, an author who takes someone else’s characters
with their mannerisms, features and relationships and then writes a story
lacks the two fundamental features that defines a writer: Creativity and
a unique voice. If I can write a story that is worth telling with someone
else’s
characters, then I can write my story with interesting unique characters
of my creation.
I am not saying I oppose fan fiction, but rather that the best way to
pay tribute to an author is to buy their books. Help the characters you
love
continue
by
supporting
the
author.
It is
the most honest way to show your admiration. |
