Why we write Fan Fiction? A nerd's wishes.

[Sparda's rejected son]

Lately I've been working on a original project that I hope to upload to Youtube, become famous and live the rest of my life watching Heroes in spandex fight rubber monsters lol. But it got me thinking, their are a lot of "good" fan fiction writers out their and I wonder....Why don't they use their good writing skills to write original works? Is it easier to write useless adventures where Dante finally beats Mundus than create a original work that has no path?
Is it that FF writers just love putting their anime/manga/etc heroes through different situations ranging from a wacky time loop story to same sex porn?! I was writing a FF and I was like "wait why am I wasting time putting *Insert character name here* through a wacky adventure when I could create my own original work and perhaps make money from it?!" I tossed aside my FF work and started creating my (one of my) original work.
So what causes us nerds to write thousands upon thousands of FF works yet never write a line of original work? What is it about FF that's so "aluring" and yet so "dangerous" that it captures our nerdy attention? Fan Fiction is it holding us back from creating original works?!

To those who write FF on this forum this is NOT a attack on you but rather a honest question about why you write FF. Continue to write FF or else I'll have my Dino-Chicken Chick attack you!

 

[KRSkull]

I am not sure about other people but to me i trying to create an original story. I don't know if i will ever finish it. The problem i am having is describing both appearance and personality.

 

[LordOfDarkness]

I guess in our own minds or at least in mine, I like to create different scenarios and problems for pre-existing characters to have to overcome. A lot of my work is based around the actual canon story-line of DMC. In my own way it kind of feels like I am continuing on the series in a way in which I myself would like to see happen. And when other people read my work and say "Yeah I really like this story and these ideas", it boosts that confidence to write more of it.

Another reason is it gave me a place to start as a writer. In a world where trying to create your own original piece of work and really get it out there is an extremely tough and challenging thing to do. You have to know who you are appealing to as a writer and actually deliver to that audience. And you probably have a lot of work to look up to. In a way I guess it kind of comes down to the question as to what is original? A lot of concepts and ideas have been thought of already, which really makes you think about what is unique now in every day life that we don't hear so much about already. A story of vampires trying to live alongside what should technically be their enemies? A story about a witch or wizard that is magical and overcomes great evil and danger? A story about reality being a lie to us or not as we think? To me it's no different to write a piece of Fan Fiction based on something that already exists than to create a story so similar in style and structure that it may as well be almost copyright fraud to publish.

You may simply want to question that is it entirely essential to create a piece of written work that is original in its own right? And perhaps what inspires us to write more about characters that belong to somebody else is maybe more so because we also enjoy and believe in their world and their story. And we think it in ourselves to be able to add something that we may think is unique in itself and in its own right.

What makes DmC original? There must be a few answers there. Even though DMC existed before it and was basically the soul principal as to why DmC was created. DmC must have sparks of its own originality. I haven't played the game, but there must be something at least.

The Fan Fiction helped me out as a writer. It gave me a starting point, a really strong one. I have tried my hand at original pieces of works. I will probably go back to them at some point in time. I think Fan Fiction can be good for writers to indulge in a piece of work that they are into and to create stories they know they will enjoy reading even purely for themselves. It's a kind of self pleasure I suppose I would describe it. You may not exactly write them to please others but maybe to flex your writing muscles and to enjoy the work you have written yourself because it may be exactly how you want it to be. You create an ending to a story that hasn't really ended in a way you would hope that it would. It gives you some satisfaction and gratification. I would never disregard writing Fan Fiction and would encourage anyone else to do so.

 

[LysseC]

For me it would be the fact that I write ff because I want to see exactly those characters in action, not someone else. For me writing ff is a way to "expand" a world in the direction I would like it to evolve. Kinda like what happens here when someone asks "what would you like to see happening in a sequel for DMC/DmC?".

Another important thing is that I need something to start with. Creating a world out of (nearly) nothing is really complex, while starting from a situation that had already been established is something else entirely.

Moreover ff is not a work. Since I rarely publish them on the net, I don't feel the pressure of finishing them: I just write something when I feel like it, while the work of a writer requires more constance and patience.

 

[Vergil'sBitch]

Nite belongs in the DMC universe, therefore making an original story for her, personally wouldn't work.

I'm not gifted with a great imagination and that's why I stick with writing Nite~Runner stories.

 

[V]

In some cases it's because people are unhappy with the direction of the series and want to keep the old stuff alive, at least for themselves.

Unless you are good enough to be picked up as an official writer for something (it does happen, but not often to hardcore fan fictioners, more to published writers because FFers are focusing their talents in a place where talent isn't really utilized that way) you might as well be doing it for your own amusement.

I think it's good practice for people who eventually want to write their own stuff. A long time ago I started out with some, it is an easy way to learn to write situations when the character personalities and the world is already fleshed out. These days I am aware of wanting to be recognized for my own work however so I don't focus on fan stuff or doujinshi. It has its uses but it isn't furthering me as an artist or a writer any longer.

 

[TerrorA]

I write to create a new universe, familiar yet different.

 

[lorddemolatron]

I write an FanFiction and sometimes mine orginal work called the Legends oF Arcea, and Im happy as Im using FanFics sometimes to improve mine writing so I can make original stories better. Also I write FanFics as Im avid Fangirl of some gaming Fandoms, and I always wanted to do an alternate stories for some characters, when I see ending not wanted by me, or just to have fun, as making unofficial sequels

 

[Sparda's rejected son]

Everybody's answers are simliar, and I like the replys. It gives me a better insight into why we as fans write FF and how it effects our Original work if any.

 

[Shadow]

I write both, and have for a long time. The thing is, fanfiction is simply more fun to me. In a way, it's less work because I don't have to start a world from scratch. But, it's also more work because you're working with characters and environments that have already been created and that people already have opinions on. It's a rush for me to create a good fanfiction and to impress people with it; sorta like the rush of jumping off something high and landing safely. There's danger involved, but that's all part of the fun. I also work on it to get better as a writer in general. There are things I can do in fanfiction that original fiction simply wouldn't allow which helps me creatively with plotting, characterizations, and description. If I can write something totally off canon and make everyone believe it: it's a job well done. If not: back to the drawing board. (Also, I should point out that I've been continuously campaigning to get a job as a novel writer for different games; fanfiction is kinda essential if I'm to get the job.)

As for original fiction, I enjoy it, but there's no real thrill. It's boundless research being used at a very slow pace. I can't just take liberties and assume everyone knows Vergil's working for Mundus because he fell deeper into hell and lost a fight, I have to spell it out. Seeing as that's the sort of thing you have to cover in the first couple chapters of an original story, it makes me uninterested, usually, with my originals as a whole. (Seriously, if you look at my FictionPress account, you'll see the only stories completed are the one shots, others have been sitting there for ages with barely any work on them.) It's also hard for me to view my characters and plot as original. I get inspired by games, so say my MC has Lara Croft's intelligence and know how, Reaver's arrogance, Vergil's skill with a weapon, and comes from a world similar to Skyrim, but facing a zombie apocalypse like in Dead Island, and they run a gang like in Saint's Row, it doesn't feel original anymore. (Not that'd I'd ever make a character like that, but you get the idea.)

Then, of course, there's the fact that original fiction doesn't get as much attention online as fanfiction. It might seem silly, but reviews really do help writers write. It's that little push that says "hey, you're doing great! keep it up!". While FFN seems to be full of trolls, there are tons of publisher-worthy fanfic writers out there ready to give support. If you're good enough, you might even be frequently mobbed by them. On FictionPress? It's rare. The lack of support and the lack of interest makes it chore-like to update, for me, and it makes the trolls that much more painful. Not to mention that getting published offline is hard. Very hard. For instance: I was chatting to an agent a while back who told me she'd like to take me on and help me get published. She gave me her card and told me to call or email her. I emailed her shortly afterward and I never get a reply back. She never called me (though she got my number from both me and my mum, who she also talked to about being published). And that's not the first time that's happened. Publishers, agents, and readers are fickle. You might have the best idea in the world, but, without lots of luck, you aren't going to get anywhere in the business. (I hate to sound b*tchy, but it's true.)

In case that was too long to read: I like fanfiction more because it's less stressful, but that's pointless, because chickens will inherit the earth.

 

[lorddemolatron]

I write both, and have for a long time. The thing is, fanfiction is simply more fun to me. In a way, it's less work because I don't have to start a world from scratch. But, it's also more work because you're working with characters and environments that have already been created and that people already have opinions on. It's a rush for me to create a good fanfiction and to impress people with it; sorta like the rush of jumping off something high and landing safely. There's danger involved, but that's all part of the fun. I also work on it to get better as a writer in general. There are things I can do in fanfiction that original fiction simply wouldn't allow which helps me creatively with plotting, characterizations, and description. If I can write something totally off canon and make everyone believe it: it's a job well done. If not: back to the drawing board. (Also, I should point out that I've been continuously campaigning to get a job as a novel writer for different games; fanfiction is kinda essential if I'm to get the job.)

As for original fiction, I enjoy it, but there's no real thrill. It's boundless research being used at a very slow pace. I can't just take liberties and assume everyone knows Vergil's working for Mundus because he fell deeper into hell and lost a fight, I have to spell it out. Seeing as that's the sort of thing you have to cover in the first couple chapters of an original story, it makes me uninterested, usually, with my originals as a whole. (Seriously, if you look at my FictionPress account, you'll see the only stories completed are the one shots, others have been sitting there for ages with barely any work on them.) It's also hard for me to view my characters and plot as original. I get inspired by games, so say my MC has Lara Croft's intelligence and know how, Reaver's arrogance, Vergil's skill with a weapon, and comes from a world similar to Skyrim, but facing a zombie apocalypse like in Dead Island, and they run a gang like in Saint's Row, it doesn't feel original anymore. (Not that'd I'd ever make a character like that, but you get the idea.)

Then, of course, there's the fact that original fiction doesn't get as much attention online as fanfiction. It might seem silly, but reviews really do help writers write. It's that little push that says "hey, you're doing great! keep it up!". While FFN seems to be full of trolls, there are tons of publisher-worthy fanfic writers out there ready to give support. If you're good enough, you might even be frequently mobbed by them. On FictionPress? It's rare. The lack of support and the lack of interest makes it chore-like to update, for me, and it makes the trolls that much more painful. Not to mention that getting published offline is hard. Very hard. For instance: I was chatting to an agent a while back who told me she'd like to take me on and help me get published. She gave me her card and told me to call or email her. I emailed her shortly afterward and I never get a reply back. She never called me (though she got my number from both me and my mum, who she also talked to about being published). And that's not the first time that's happened. Publishers, agents, and readers are fickle. You might have the best idea in the world, but, without lots of luck, you aren't going to get anywhere in the business. (I hate to sound b*tchy, but it's true.)

In case that was too long to read: I like fanfiction more because it's less stressful, but that's pointless, because chickens will inherit the earth.

For FFN trolls that are existing in that site: Just ignore them. I had some encounters with them when I started sharing mine FanFics on that site but I never given up, and just ignored them to the point they all forgot about me and allowed me to do what I liked, and that was been writing fanfics and sharing them.