ext_33427 (![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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fandomsecrets2007-09-06 03:21 pm
degrees.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomsecrets2007-09-06 03:21 pm
[ SECRET POST #244 ]
⌈ Secret Post #244 ⌋
Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.
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Notes:
Secrets Left to Post: 02 pages, 036 secrets from Secret Submission Post #035.
Secrets Not Posted: 0 broken links, 0 not!secrets, [ 1 ] not!fandom.
Next Secret Post: Tomorrow, Friday, September 7th, 2007.
Current Secret Submission Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.
#7 and #28
28. While I sympathize with your frustration when non-fans dismiss the work that goes into writing fanfiction, I absolutely disagree with your claim that "Fic authors work just as hard as the 'original' writers out there."
You are right in saying that when you write fanfic you have to stay in character, avoid cliches, and deal with criticism--but these are things writers of original fiction have to do, too.
With fanfiction, everything is already laid out on the table for you to use. The characters are established and the world-building is already done. On top of that, you have a built-in audience of readers who know the source material well enough to fill in a lot of blanks. You can open a PotC fic with a scene showing Jack and Elizabeth in conversation and your readers will already know who these characters are, what their story is, and what to expect from them. You can skip all the development stuff that writers of original work have to do because the creator(s) of your fandom's canon have already done all that work for you.
With fanfic, most or all of the tools you need have already been created for you, by someone else. You may have to modify a few of them (if there isn't enough information in canon), or you might even decide to bring along some of your own (in the form of OCs, new settings, different kinds of magic, etc.). But the toolkit is already there.
With original fiction, you have no choice but to make your own tools. Even if you borrow a few from other writers, you still have a lot of re-shaping to do before you can use them to create your own work. Otherwise, you'll just end up writing derivative shit like Eragon.
When it comes down to it, writing original fiction is a hell of a lot more work than writing fanfic. I've done both, and there's simply no contest. None. Not only that, but finding an audience for good original fiction is a hell of a lot harder than it is for even the crappiest fanfiction--and you'll meet with much harsher criticism along the way.