Respecting Fanfiction
by Tripleguess
January 17, 2011
There's nothing inherently wrong with fanfiction. Like sex, it's been abused beyond recognition in many or perhaps even the majority of cases; you can flip through an amazing amount of garbage before finding a fanfic whose author has bothered to spellcheck and capitalize proper nouns, and the fanfic with good characterization is a rare thing indeed. But about the concept itself there is nothing inherently evil.
Sadly, bad stories are not confined to fanficdom. Spelling and grammar are generally better adhered to in commercial circles, but that doesn't stop awful stories from being shoveled out by the truckload by paid writers and editors. The difference is that you're expected to pay for the garbage.
Part of what makes the difference between good stories and bad is basic respect. Authors who write for pay and (ESPECIALLY) those who write for love should all pay attention to these basic, oft-ignored areas of respect:
-respect the characters
-respect the canon
-respect the fans
Respect the Characters
Characters are the most basic building blocks of a story. Yet, to view them as mere building blocks is to forget what they are. Most authors acknowledge that, sooner or later, a well written character will begin living and breathing of its own volition. It will make decisions without your leave, upset carefully planned story arcs, fall in love with the "wrong" person.
Like a parent whose kid is growing up, the respectful thing to do is step back and let that character live. A domineering writer will stifle their character, force it to speak and behave in ways that are inconsistent with its past behavior and unexplainable in its present circumstances. The result is a plastic character, a game piece that gets shoved here and there but forgets how to be.
As far as story integrity is concerned, it doesn't matter whether or not you're being paid to write about this character. If it's yours, you've been listening to it all its life; if it's someone else's, you have a great backlog of history to help you tune in to what makes it tick. Either way, respecting the character means not twisting it, not forcing it into choices it would never make on its own, not tritely destroying it or its treasured relationships for cheap shock value.
Respect the Canon
Did something happen in the past? Respect it. If you want to write an AU arc, then by all means do so -- but label it as such. Did a couple pledge eternal love to each other in the last arc, whether by word or action? Don't write them saying "We're just friends" in the next arc unless you have a very good explanation ready. Have certain dynamics been well established, to the point where they're now expected to be ongoing? Don't destroy them just because you think it would be fun. Don't introduce new characters only to use them to stomp all over or destory the relational I.Q. of the canon cast (paid writers are guilty of this too). Don't "forget" key parts of the backstory to make writing the current one easier; that is sloppy writing at best and a betrayal of the story and its followers at worst.
Respect the Fans
Once you've shared a story and it finds a place in the hearts of others, it is no longer only yours. Yours may be the guiding hand and you may always be its first storyteller, but you don't have the petty "right" to destroy it any more than a parent has the right to kill their offspring. It doesn't exist solely to serve you. If you want to quit writing it, that's fine. If you want to put it up for adoption, that's fine. But don't ruin the story for no good reason. Don't write a sequel that makes no sense in light of the first. Don't suddenly change tacks for political reasons. Especially, don't take a story begun in love and finish it with a sermon. "If you want to preach, get a soapbox." I can't tell you how disappointing any of these are to a true fan.
This doesn't mean you have to pander to readers or agree with them on particular plot points; on the contrary, I think you can get very bad results from heeding the fans instead of listening to what the story is trying to tell you. But do remember that you're dealing with a world that others love.
This holds especially true of fanfiction. Fan writers can't even claim "original author" rights, so fundamental changes to any aspect of the canon should be made with care and forethought. Well established "fanon" might also be worthy of your respect, if it doesn't fly in the face of the canon.
In the end, the aim should be to write a good story, one that can be repeatedly enjoyed by many people. If that is truly your goal, you can probably achieve it in spite of (or even through) bending the rules, but consider what you are doing before you go killing off the main character or trashing half of the backstory.