What is a "Fanfic"?

Clea Saal <cleasaal@booksandtales.com>

 

Welcome to the wonderful world of fanfiction. Over the past few years fanfiction has become increasingly popular, but it is important to keep in mind that it is not really something new. A "fanfic" is, simply put, a story written by a fan based upon the characters, concepts, premises or events of a TV show, a movie, a book or a comic book.

In the world of fanfiction a TV show is never cancelled and a good movie never ends. Here the fans borrow their favorite characters and play with them for a while. One of the main rules governing the world of fanfiction is that no profit can be made, because, almost by definition, fanfics borrow copyrighted characters (OK, a "fanfic" based on characters such as Dracula or Frankenstein can be sold, because those characters are in the public domain). The fact that no profit is being made does not mean that a "fanfic" is not in violation of copyright laws. So, to make things perfectly clear, fanfic writers are at the mercy of copyright holders. On the other hand, realistically speaking, it is true that copyright holders could drive fanfiction into the underground, but it would be virtually impossible for them to prevent the creation, and to some extent even the distribution, of fanfiction.

One of the best things about fanfic writing is the fact that it is a wonderful stepping-stone for people who want to become writers, because it provides them with a basic plot and some characters, as well as an anonymous audience, to help them test their wings. Since a fanfic is based upon a familiar premise, writers can choose how far and how fast they want to go. Fanfics have a range that includes everything from a short snippet that can be even a missing scene that fits within the plot, to an alternative universe epic that is book-length and borrows only a couple of basic premises, and maybe a couple of characters, from the original show (I will assume that we are dealing with a TV show here, but as I have already stated, this is not the only option). Fanfics also open the door to crossovers, which present an interesting challenge, since they force writers to balance two, or more, different "universes" so that they complement rather than contradict each other. In addition to these advantages, they provide a structure for the writer that allows him/her as much freedom as he/she needs. Fanfics, because they are based on a well-known premise, also provide writers (through the internet) with an audience of people familiar with the basic principles of the story. This access to an "anonymous" audience is invaluable, because one of the greatest obstacles that confront new writers is the fact that those closer to them are reluctant to provide an honest comment for fear of hurting a friend's feelings. Over the internet people read the work of strangers and so they can provide an open feedback without any of these concerns. The fact that the ones providing feedback are strangers also means that this feedback, good or bad, can be considered from an objective perspective.

As a literary exercise fanfics fulfill a series of requirements that would be almost impossible to meet otherwise. They are fun to write. They deal with characters the writer is familiar with, but they enable that writer to come up with new interpretations and new circumstances, they even allow the writer to come up with new characters that fit within a given universe. They also serve to turn a passive activity, such as watching TV, into something more active, and even interactive. Through fanfic writing, the audience takes on a creative role, something that becomes apparent while reading the "virtual seasons" of cancelled shows.

As in everything else, there are good and bad examples of fanfiction, but that does nothing to diminish the potential of this kind of writing. If you want to learn more about this, I would suggest that you choose a TV show (or a movie) that you like, and then look for what other fans have done with it, see in which directions that story could be taken, and if you don't like what others have done with it, well, you can always propose your own alternative. It is true that you cannot write a fanfic for profit, but it could turn out to be the key to meeting other fans that share your perspective on something you like, and, in time, fanfic writing may help you develop the confidence and the skills you will need to write your own stories, with your own characters and your own premises.

 

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