Fanfiction v Contemporary-Set fiction... Hmmm... by Whitefall

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Fanfiction v Contemporary-Set fiction... Hmmm...

POSTED BY: WHITEFALL
UPDATED: Saturday, January 21, 2006 21:26
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Saturday, January 21, 2006 8:46 PM

So, I've been trying to write something, not a fanfic because I'm a "cannonical" sorta guy, but something in that Firefly vein, sci fi with the same sorta morals maybe... but this has got me to thinking...

Why is it that people are rediculed for making a whole new universe for their characters to inhabit, whereas people are applauded and encouraged to make fiction in the real world, having their characters interact with a world that needs no explanation. (example in TV, Firefly vs police procedurals or suchlike) I've come to the conclusion that creating a universe is damn tough, but I refuse to write in a contemporary, modern setting because that isn't the sort of story I want to tell. So that leaves me with fanfiction if i can't make my own universe up. And now to the point...

When you write in someone else's made up world, it's called fan-fiction, but when you write in a world nobody made up, it's called contemporary literature.

Does that seem right to you?

I survived a day in Whitefall and all I got was this lousy signature!

Terrifying Space Monkey of Destiny

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Saturday, January 21, 2006 9:26 PM

REGINAROADIE

That's a bit of a loaded question. If you were to write a story set in, say, Narnia, then it would be fanfic. But if you were commissioned by the Lewis family to create an 8th book in the Chronicles of Narnia series, then maybe it would be considered at least canon if not 'contemporary literature'. I know that Disney, who owns the character of Peter Pan has hired some author to write like an official sequel to the Peter Pan novel, or something like that.

But if you were to create your own fantasy world, then it would be considered an original idea, or fiction. The validity would be in wether or not the work is truly inspired or just another fantasy knock-off.

I don't know if this means anything to you, but I like to think of writing fanfics as sort of a practice run for writing. I'm still in college, but I hope one day to write and direct my own movies. And I find that writing fanfics for this show in particular helps me figure out what kind of a writer I am, what stories I like to tell and my discipline in putting my thoughts down on paper. I don't know if you've read any of my stuff, but I'm different from a lot of fanfic writers in that I'm more interested in what some would call domestic dramas. They're very personal stories that deal with inner conflict that's externalized. THE SERENITY GIG was my first foray into fanfic writing in which I basically wrote myself into the Firefly 'verse by telling a story we all wanted to see happen on the show from an outsiders POV. BLUE HAND BLUES is my hypothetical "River finding a cure" series in which something simple helps her find salvation and inner strength. The two SHOTGUN TAM stories is an examination of the effect that violence has on someone who's never killed before. And my latest story, YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN, is sort of a domestic epic in which the Alliance has fallen and the Tam's have to deal with what happens after the fact.

And I don't worry if it's canon or if it would be something that would have happened on the show if it ran for 7 years like BUFFY. The way I see it, this is my interpretation. All artists take something that's already out there and put their own spin to it. So I say, go for it. The more times you fall flat on your face, the quicker you'll realize what makes a good story.

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"YES!!!I'm a man posessed by many demons....Polite demons that would open the door for a lady carrying too many parcels...BUT DEMONS NONETHELESS!!!! Yes. I have walked along the path of evil many times, it's a twisting, curving path that..actually leads to a charming plot garden, BUT BEYOND THAT EVIL!!!"

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