Fan Fiction Co-writers' Successful Partnership

[Ria Stone]

I was blown away when I read this article:

www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/02/friendship-files-twilight-fan-fiction-new-york-times-bestseller-list/583090/

Essentially, two fan fiction romance writers met online, then met in person and decided to co-write a short story, this lead to writing several successful novels together.

What was amazing was how their approach to the work complemented each other. In addition, to raising their families, they are prodigious writers!

[djmills]

Well, I hope they have a contract in place for when they have a fall-out. :-)

[Ria Stone]

Good idea

[chelsfield]

Thanks for this article. Interesting the comments about how perceptions of fan fiction have changed. There is a lot of positive energy around it that translates to getting people writing. I like the idea of these regular contests, great writing practice. And the minutiae - parkers!

[Ria Stone]

Mar 2, 2019 2:01:41 GMT -8 chelsfield said:

Thanks for this article. Interesting the comments about how perceptions of fan fiction have changed. There is a lot of positive energy around it that translates to getting people writing. I like the idea of these regular contests, great writing practice. And the minutiae - parkers!

I agree Chelsfield, while I was aware of fan fiction, I hadn't paid that much attention to the genre.

[unclegarf]

I applaud anyone making a success from writing, but must admit I never quite saw the point of fan fiction preferring original ideas. That said, somebody here will undoubtedly explain the errors of my thinking. On reflection, I am guilty of fan painting in as much as I endeavor to copy from the masters like De'Vinci, Titian, etc, which means I have to 'see' how the masters achieved what they did. I learn a little bit more technique from each attempt which I then employ in my originals. I'd post a couple of pix of my fan paintings if I could see how but perhaps best leave as is. For me it's all new stuff with the writing, something borrowed from painting.

[Ria Stone]

Mar 5, 2019 6:58:18 GMT -8 unclegarf said:

I applaud anyone making a success from writing, but must admit I never quite saw the point of fan fiction preferring original ideas. That said, somebody here will undoubtedly explain the errors of my thinking. On reflection, I am guilty of fan painting in as much as I endeavor to copy from the masters like De'Vinci, Titian, etc, which means I have to 'see' how the masters achieved what they did. I learn a little bit more technique from each attempt which I then employ in my originals. I'd post a couple of pix of my fan paintings if I could see how but perhaps best leave as is. For me it's all new stuff with the writing, something borrowed from painting.

Hola unclegarf:

Hmmmm, while I understand the motivations behind fan fiction, IMHO fans of X want X to continue, to explore other futures or pasts of various characters etc., The reasons I shied away from reading fan fiction were because the few fan fiction books I picked up (Star Trek) either interpreted the character differently from my imagination and often the writing itself did not capture my attention :-)

[ChrisLAdams]

Mar 5, 2019 6:58:18 GMT -8 unclegarf said:

I applaud anyone making a success from writing, but must admit I never quite saw the point of fan fiction preferring original ideas. That said, somebody here will undoubtedly explain the errors of my thinking. On reflection, I am guilty of fan painting in as much as I endeavor to copy from the masters like De'Vinci, Titian, etc, which means I have to 'see' how the masters achieved what they did. I learn a little bit more technique from each attempt which I then employ in my originals. I'd post a couple of pix of my fan paintings if I could see how but perhaps best leave as is. For me it's all new stuff with the writing, something borrowed from painting.

It's quite simple, really, why folks write fan fiction.  For a starter, I'll pop in this little quote from my recent submission to the Edgar Rice Burroughs Amateur Press Association, my first submission to them.

Once I became hooked on Burroughs, and writers like him, I began to devour everything I could find by those giants in their field, setting me upon a lifelong quest for their works. The list of titles found in the back of books were like a hit-list to an assassin for me. I hunted them down in book stalls, flea markets, garage sales; I mail ordered and drove to the ends of my own little corner of the Earth looking for them.


So, on occasion, I write pastiches for the same reason many do. I didn't want it to stop. Possibly, I got an idea, and wished a favorite author had developed that scenario. But he didn't. So, I did. I've dabbled in Lovecraftian horror, and expanded the adventures of Howard's Conan. I've scribbled my own Barsoom stories, and scratched out a Tarzan or two.

So there you have it in a nut shell.  We write fan fiction for adoration of a beloved author's works. 

Now, some have written it for money, and made good earnings doing so.  Many published authors have written of Conan, or expanded the worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs.  But for hobbyists like myself, it's simply for love of the worlds our favorite authors--those whom we wish to imitate in our own, small way--and a desire to expand on their creation.

I'll end with another quote from my submission, which included a short, Tarzan story I wrote and titled, Tarzan and the Behemoth:

Which brings me to Tarzan and the Behemoth.  The character of Tarzan began my nearly life-long admiration for the works of E. R. Burroughs. Of course, this story isn't an original ERB; it's only my attempt to continue the adventures of a character I adore.

[unclegarf]

Probably not really under the banner of fan fiction, but a few have tried to continue the James Bond books after Fleming died but were, in my opinion, poor in comparison. I was also once a huge Clive Cussler reader until later books were "ghosted" and disappointed. I gave up on Cussler completely after that.
My Mona Lisa (especially the black one with dreads and beads in her hair) will never fool anyone, but I like them.
Whatever floats folks boats I suppose, and if people get pleasure from being creative, go for it.