Thoughts on Fan Fiction

There is a common stereotype about fan fiction that it is all done by hacks. I suppose that could also apply to writers whose stories are not published by real publishers, but are actually published on their blogs. 

Honestly, I don't see much merit in the argument. Could I be making money from a story I write? Well, maybe. I don't know. I know I'm nowhere near where I want to be. I know I need to try harder and write more and write everyday. 

But I write for fun. When I'm not having fun I don't really write. It's that simple really. I write stories that friends might want to read when they are bored or whatever. I wrote stories to kill time in school. Those stories are the best, I think, because the plot doesn't matter and the grammar police won't harass you if you screw up. As long as it is fun then it is good. 

However, writing is like a fine wine and it does get better with age. 

That is why I think the story I'm working on might be my best. I started on it today. I'm terrible at promising stories so I won't hazard a guess when it will be finished, but I zoomed through 14 pages today. That might be a personal best for me. 

The only problem is that the story is fan fiction. Now before anyone decides that they want to pelt me with tomatoes, please hear me out. 

I think it is fun to step into the shoes of our heroes and try to walk around for a bit. But what would make anyone want to read it? I admit that even I yawn a bit when I hear about someone writing fan fiction. And they (writers of fan fiction, I mean) always seem to travel in circles together telling each other how great their stories are when the stories are actually pieces of shit and these people who are giving their opinions are just glad to see a favorite character again so they lower their standards and accept it for the piece of shit it is. The Godfather Part III and Dragonball GT have that same effect, I think. Although DBGT is much closer to fan fiction while The Godfather Part III is really just Puzo and Coppola fucking around with a masterpiece and getting paid for it. But the first two movies and the book are still right on my shelf, unharmed by The Godfather Part III. 

The fan fiction I am writing is a continuation of the Trigun anime. I love the series and I wanted it to continue, but not in that fanboy fervor some folks have. I feel that there is a truly interesting concept that could be created without pissing on the show. It is a concept that the show could easily have explored, but did not for whatever reasons. Time constraints, I guess. 

Of course, the show itself largely disassociated itself from the manga it is based upon. So I don't think what I am doing is that much different or too heretical. 

I'm using the same characters from the show (the ones that were left alive anyway) and I've only made up one who fits perfectly into the Trigun world. His name is Maxwell Snyder and he is a much older and wiser version than the one who appears in another story of mine. Of course, he is still a bloodthirsty psycho. While you don't need to read anything I've written to enjoy this story you will definitely need to watch every single episode of the anime or else you will be completely lost. Or you might want to give it a try anyway just for shits and giggles. 

What I am doing is not going to ruin the show in my eyes or any other. But I want anyone who reads the story to say that the story I'm working on could have made the series that much longer without diluting it. That is my goal. 

But ultimately my thoughts on fan fiction isn't that different from my thoughts on regular fiction: if the story is good then people will read it and most will like it. 

So this is my final warning: prepare for fan fiction from me sometime in the future. Avert your eyes, batten down the hatches, and call your local exorcist if you need to. 

Remember that I warned you.