Fail and fiction
Jul. 6th, 2010 10:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
citrinesunsetI disagree with the idea that fan fiction is the wrong medium to explore difficult or deep topics, or is incapable of being "serious" or telling a genuinely good story. I think that attitude underestimates what derivative works can accomplish. I don't know, maybe I give fandom too much credit.
But I think other people have made it pretty clear that the biggest issue is how you handle it. Research and sensitivity are important. So is avoiding romanticism, appropriation, and hurtful stereotypes. It's important to listen to people, especially people who know your topic better than you do. I'll add that I think it's a good idea, as writers, to think about what we're trying to accomplish and why we want to write about something. It's important to consider what's necessary for the story and avoid needless sensationalism. I think this is a good idea in general, but it becomes especially important when you're writing things are real parts of peoples' lives and histories.
I do think that fan fiction has some concerns that differ somewhat from original fiction. Chiefly, the appropriateness of the canon can make a big difference. There's a difference between writing a fic about something that was dealt with in canon or that could be reasonably connected, and putting characters in a setting that's totally unrelated. With the former, it can be easier to write an organic story about it. With the latter, I think you run the risk of appearing like you chose the setting flippantly, or like you set out to write a story with a message and view the characters are secondary. It's not hard to see why the former is offensive to many people. In regards to the latter, I might be showing my own tastes as a reader, but I'm not a fan of stories that set out to preach or send a message, or that use tragedy in an attempt to be deep. I think readers can resent it when they get the impression that a story exists only to tell them how horrible something is, especially if they think they already know. The human element of a story is important. When the characters don't fit or aren't a part of it, that can be a problem.
But I think other people have made it pretty clear that the biggest issue is how you handle it. Research and sensitivity are important. So is avoiding romanticism, appropriation, and hurtful stereotypes. It's important to listen to people, especially people who know your topic better than you do. I'll add that I think it's a good idea, as writers, to think about what we're trying to accomplish and why we want to write about something. It's important to consider what's necessary for the story and avoid needless sensationalism. I think this is a good idea in general, but it becomes especially important when you're writing things are real parts of peoples' lives and histories.
I do think that fan fiction has some concerns that differ somewhat from original fiction. Chiefly, the appropriateness of the canon can make a big difference. There's a difference between writing a fic about something that was dealt with in canon or that could be reasonably connected, and putting characters in a setting that's totally unrelated. With the former, it can be easier to write an organic story about it. With the latter, I think you run the risk of appearing like you chose the setting flippantly, or like you set out to write a story with a message and view the characters are secondary. It's not hard to see why the former is offensive to many people. In regards to the latter, I might be showing my own tastes as a reader, but I'm not a fan of stories that set out to preach or send a message, or that use tragedy in an attempt to be deep. I think readers can resent it when they get the impression that a story exists only to tell them how horrible something is, especially if they think they already know. The human element of a story is important. When the characters don't fit or aren't a part of it, that can be a problem.
