What’s Wrong With Fan Fiction?
For more years than I can personally remember, fan fiction has been a staple element of science fiction fandom. And for just as long it has been looked down upon. Recently the creative element of fandom has been rejuvenated by the advent of the web and easy distribution of their works to other fans. Again fan-fiction was at the forefront of this but still remained ghettoized.
In the last couple of years podcasting and faster internet access has allowed audio dramas, fan made videos and radio shows to develop loyal audiences. Creative fandom has reached a higher level than ever before. Yet fan fiction remains the unloved step-child of this family.
So why does fan-fiction earn so little respect from the sci-fi community at large? Well probably because in all honesty most of it isn’t very good. While there’s certainly no shortage of fan-fiction and more is being written all the time, most if it is amateurish at best and frequently doesn’t even deserve that much of a compliment.
The problem I think is twofold. Unlike audio or video, you don’t need many resources to produce fan fiction. That opens the door to just about anyone with an idea whether they have the necessary skills to follow through or not. Since pretty much anyone can write fan fiction, pretty much anyone does. This situation is made worse by the firm belief in most people’s minds that they are easily capable of writing a story as good as any published work that they’ve read. They aren’t. Even if they had the natural skills, they haven’t taken the time to practice them. Authors refer to writing as a craft for a reason.
Unfortunately this mistaken belief on the part of many wannabe authors is fed by those who maintain fan-fiction sites on the internet. The level of editing and selectivity applied on these sites is slim to none. If you set your entry barriers that low then the inevitable result is that your site will be filled with dross.
The knock on effect of this approach to both writing and publishing fan-fiction is to downgrade it in the eyes of those who read it. There really is nothing wrong with the concept of fan fiction in itself, merely in the way it is usually presented. A fan fiction site that actually applied editorial standards would be a very interesting resource indeed.
Does anybody know of one?
Eoghann Irving is amongst other things the creator and Editor of Solar Flare. He has a life long interest in all forms of science fiction and fantasy and a pressing need to share this interest with anyone who will listen. Find out more at his personal website eoghann.com..
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