A response to "The rules of fan fiction"

I'm not even going to bother to try and add a link to the original blogpost. It's not worth the effort.  The Twitter peeps know exactly what this is about.  And in case you're wondering - yes, I signed this.  I don’t hide behind anonymity. 

Disclaimer:  I’m not an authority on the subject and I don’t pretend to be.  These are just my views. 

1.       Come up with a completely original idea.  These are available on a website.  How original.  Newsflash – everything has already been written.  Ask any writer.

2.       I’m not “allowed” to pick and choose my characters?  Well, it’s my story and I’ll ‘cast’ whoever I find interesting and who works for the story.  If the reader gets bored, he or she can read something else.  There are millions of other stories out there, as you’ve pointed out.  No one forces anyone to read a story.  The rule is simple:  If you don’t like it, don’t read it. 

3.       Personally I agree as it’s not my taste, but if someone wishes to do so, why not? 

4.       Do your homework – yes definitely, but “know the plot of the story, as you’ll be using it in the story”? – Contradictory to point 1, unless I’m missing something.

5.       The main purpose to fan fiction is to entertain the fans.  Period.  Be creative.  Copying the show/movie/whatever simply into the written word – talk about boring the readers.  And again, how does this point relate to point 1 and 4?  This point is contradictory and repetitive.

6.       Nobody is perfect.  Yes, proofread, use a beta or maybe two, but you can only do your best.  To err is human.  Take your first sentence for example – you have one typo and one out and out grammar error.  I probably have several, but I didn’t see the need to saddle my beta with this.

7.       Why?  Fan fiction is a free service.  It’s a way of paying tribute to the fandom you love.  Why would I waste time on one I don’t?  I have a life, as do all the other fan fiction writers.

8.       The whole idea of fan fiction is to change the story to suit your own desires, and those of the readers, otherwise they won’t be reading.  AU’s aren’t an excuse, poor or otherwise, for anything.  Personally, I won’t read the post on this point (I’ll apply the rule in point 2), but I’m not going to tell you not to write it. 

9.       Agreed.  What’s the point of writing fan fiction if you’re not going to stay true to the characters?  That doesn’t mean you have to box yourself in though.  Give the characters different jobs, put them in different scenarios.  Who (with the proper authority) said wish fulfillment isn’t allowed?

10.   The only point I completely agree with.

The bottom line is that the majority of fan fiction writers are amateurs.  If they weren’t they’d be off somewhere at their book signings.  Anyone who gets joy from writing, good or bad, should be free to do so, just like the readers are free to choose what to read.  It is a free world after all.

One final point – don’t ever call another writer’s work junk.  That’s disrespectful and downright rude.