Fanfiction, criticism, kerkuffles

[moscow_watcher]

Recent kerkuffle made me think. About fanfiction. About fandom. About myself.



The more I read the arguments and counter-arguments of the last 10 days the more depressing the whole thing sounds. I abstained from comments in other people's LJs, and I'm glad I did. Instead I'm trying to put my thoughts in order. I'm not as eloquent and erudite as other fans, but I'm afraid I can't keep my mouth shut.

I think the essence of the kerkuffle boils down to 2 debatable questions.

1. Should fanfics follow in official art's footsteps re: characterization or they may argue, develop or just plain ignore it?
2. Should fans critisize other fans or just ignore the stuff they don't like?

I'd love to read people's opinions. Here are mine.

1. I don't have a definitive answer if ficwriters should follow in official art's footsteps or ignore it. I have a friend who is a big Harry Potter fan. And she had never read a single HP book and had never seen a single HP film. She reads fanfics. Her OTP is Harry\Draco, she has enough fics to satisfy her kink and she's blissfully unaware of other stories (including canonical ones) where Harry and Draco are written "in character". Is she right? Is she wrong? I don't know.

Professional writers often write about things they don't care about - they get the assignment, find the information, write a good story and get money for their work.

Should fandom activity be fun or an effort? Or both? I think the rules of the game in fanfiction are a bit different than in professional entertainment. Professional art has certain requirements and to meet them writer has to make a lot of efforts. Fanfiction is about feeding one's own kinks. Sometimes ficwriters find other people who share their tastes, and they become friends. Sometimes it doesn't happen. Should ficwriter try to write differently to please other fans? I don't think so.

Ficwriting isn't work. It's a hobby. Ficwriters produce great stuff only when they write what they're passionate about. (To be fair, they also produce a lot of crap). But usually people who write fanfiction are somewhat unhappy with the canon and want to change it. You have to hanker for happy reunion, or a character escaping the clutches of death or proving himself worthy - you have to yearn for it really hard to start writing your own version of events.

Or your version of a character.

Each fan has his\her own perception of a character. For the majority of TWoPers "the Scoobie in character" is a heroic, selfless, person who never does anything wrong and "the Spike in character" is evil Spike. In Spuffy camp it's pretty much the opposite. Force Spuffy ficwriter compose a fic about happy Buffy\Angel reunion - the result will be either parody or honest failure. Force canon-respecting ficwriter create an AU story with Fairy!Spike, Witch!Buffy and Cinderella!Angel - the result will be the same.

Now, I don't like AUs. I don't read stories where Angel is a famous basketball player, Spike is a rock-musician and Buffy is a budding movie star. They're just not my cup of tea. But I know a lot of people who enjoy these stories with "out-of-character" characters. God bless them. Fanfics are about changing canon. Is it OK to change characters and to adjust them to one's particular needs? If yes, how far you may go? Again, I don't know. It's up to writer's taste, I suppose.

2. The second question is even more delicate. Should fans critisize other fans or just ignore the stuff they don't like?

I read a lot of film reviews for my work - in Russian, in French, in English - and I know that the harshest filmcritics and reviewers are Americans. And, curiously, the best films are also made in America. Partly - because filmmakers know that nobody will cut them some slack. No matter how famous they are and what their previous achievements are, they're as good as their last film is. Cruel? Yes. But effective.

On the other hand, should amateur art stick to these rules? You don't pay to read fanfiction. It's a gift to you from another fan. When a person gives you a gift in real life - could you say to him that his gift is wrong?

I'm really, really torn about this. I usually leave positive feedback when I like the story, or no feedback when I dislike it. Am I afraid to critisize? In a way, I am. I don't want to discourage writers. Even if they write something I don't like. One person's disaster is another person's masterpiece.

Recently I read a story by a new author, loved it a lot, and recommended it on my home board. The author quickly started the next story and I recommended her as soon as I read the first chapter because the premise is great (although I know other stories with the same premise). But in the next chapters the development of the plot slowed down and they don't add anything to the stuff we learned in the first chapter. I still enjoy the story but I start to get impatient. Should I write about it in feedback? But maybe that's exactly the writer's intention - to make me impatient?

Another example. Recently I read a story by a very good writer who wrote Buffy\Angel dynamics as a clone of Buffy\Spike dynamics. Really. They fight, they snark and they are horny. If you change the name of the vamp, the fic makes more sense. I was tempted to point it out to her but decided against it. And I don't know if I was right.

The problem is that I don't know how this or that writer will react. I've never been critisized for my fanfiction, although I've often been mocked and attacked for my shipping preferences. I think I developed pretty thick skin during shipping wars, and after several accusations of being a "rapist lover" who "shouldn't be allowed to have children" I'd just snicker if somebody says my fics are crappy. I know they're not masterpieces. I know they're are fluffy and out-of-character. I tried to write serious stories but I quickly realised that I suck at being a serious writer. And I'm OK with it. But many people are sensitive to criticism.

Just a thought. Maybe people who don' mind criticism should create a community where they could cross-post their fics and discuss them without reservations?

Anyway, I'm open to any criticism. If you disagree, it's OK.

And I want people to read awesome post by shadowscast 5 Reasons Why Writing Fanfic Is Good For Me. She rocks. She's my hero.

Comments

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

Interesting thoughts!

1) Should fanfics follow in official art's footsteps?

Well, because this is a voluntary hobby, I don't think there's any 'should' or 'must' about it. We do this for fun... and usually too for the gratification of receiving recognition and feedback. But from my own perspective, the answer is clearly 'yes' - because that's what makes it fanfic instead of original fiction. If you're going to just use the characters' names, but make their situations and personalities completely different to what's shown in canon, why are you even bothering? Why not just write original fic?

Having said that, I've got no problem with stories that build on hints in canon (about relationships, plotlines, etc) and turn them into full-fledged storylines. Nor with AU stories which change one specific element, but keep the others the same, as a deliberate stylistic device. That's transformative art, which is what makes fanfiction artistically valuable in its own right: showing familiar things through a new lens.

2) Should fans criticise other fans or just ignore the stuff they don't like?

Unfortunately, I can only really answer for myself here, since I know my view on feedback will be different to many other peoples. And it's influenced by several factors:

Firstly, my job involves writing (brochures, press releases, etc) which are then reviewed, corrected and criticised by several other people, and I have to incorporate the revisions into the draft - or argue my case as to why my original wording is better than their suggested change.

Second, I come from a Usenet and web-forum background where challenging someone's posts and arguments is par for the course - if anything, it's a compliment; it shows that your essay/meta/review/etc was interesting enough to provoke a discussion.

And thirdly, I'm male, and thus socially and hormonally conditioned to be competitive and not back down from confrontation. ;)

All of which means that I've got no problems with receiving constructive criticism. I wouldn't say I would welcome negative feedback - nobody likes someone being harsh about their baby, and my first reaction would be to defend what I wrote rather than accept the other person's comments. But I hope I'd be able to get over that and listen to what they had to say... and deep down, I'd be glad they took the time to give that feedback. It would be far worse if nobody at all commented, after all. :) And it may be trite, but it's still true: if you're not pushed to get better, then you don't.

That said, there are of course ways to give negative feedback that are less painful to hear. :) The old "point out the good things first, before you raise the negatives" one. And phrasing the feedback as your own reactions and opinions, rather than an objective fact: "I didn't really understand what was happening in chapter 2" rather than "your plotting and dialogue in chapter 2 were awful". Be specific about things that didn't work, rather than making sweeping statements. And, obviously, avoid personal insults like calling someone a rapist lover...

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

First of all, thank you for a detailed, thoughtful feedback. I love reading people's thoughts.

If you're going to just use the characters' names, but make their situations and personalities completely different to what's shown in canon, why are you even bothering? Why not just write original fic?

I think writing is therapeutical and it helps people to overcome their frustrations. It's natural to write about the stuff you're frustrated with and to suggest your own spin on events. Sometimes the only thing that frustrates the author is the absence of a happy reunion or miraculous escape so s/he doesn't deviate from the canon much and makes only slight changes. Sometimes the author thinks that everything in canon is wrong. The only thing that matters is characters' pretty faces. Why not put them in totally different milieu?

At least, that's how I see the mechanism of fanfic creation. I may be wrong, though.

And it may be trite, but it's still true: if you're not pushed to get better, then you don't.

I read and I agree with every word, but can't keep from thinking that it's an opinion of a professional writer.

Let me try to explain. The first writers weren't professionals. Homer hadn't been paid for his stories; he was telling (singing) them to small groups of like-minded people who appreciated his efforts. (I wonder if he had been also critisized. :) Since his times art had made full circle and today ficwriters also tell their stories to small groups of like-minded people who (ideally) appreciate their efforts. No, I'm not comparing modern ficwriters to Homer talent-wise; I just want to say that we're witnessing a unique process in creative world: going back to the beginning. Fanfiction is a new phenomenon with very old roots.

It's natural that professional writers who who perceive fanfiction as art, judge it from professional standpoint. But many ficwriters aren't professional writers. They come here to play. To satisfy their kinks. To relax. To do what they want to do, not what other people tell them to do.

I only try to look at the situation through the eyes of both sides - because the other side doesn't take part in this discussion - which is a pity.

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

Sometimes the author thinks that everything in canon is wrong. The only thing that matters is characters' pretty faces. Why not put them in totally different milieu?
How much can you change and still remain fanfic, though? You can write a story where Angel behaves as if he's had a character transplant from Spike, and it's still recognisable. You can put him in a relationship with (picks name at random) Lindsey, and it's still recognisable. You can make him a human opera singer from Milan, and it's still recognisable. But if you change all those things, how does anyone know you're even writing a Buffy fanfic, and not, say, a story about Harry Angel from Angel Heart?

If you're writing purely for your own satisfaction and enjoyment, as you suggest, then it's no problem. But if you want other people to read and enjoy your work, I think you do accept certain obligations towards them - if only because if you don't give them what they expect, they'll complain. (Or just not leave any feedback...)

Maybe you're right that I'm seeing this as a professional writer, at least in as much as I'm concerned with how the audience will react rather than my own experiences. Even so, I want to be proud of what I write, and if I think it's not up to the best standard i'm capable of, I'll feel disappointed.

Oh, and are you sure Homer wasn't a professional? Not in the sense of getting paid a salary, of course, but if he supported himself by reciting his poems and receiving food and money in return - or was maintained by a patron - then he was a professional poet. The only alternative would be that he was an independently wealthy landowner or similar who made up poetry as a hobby.

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

How much can you change and still remain fanfic, though?

Another *very* debatable question. Fanfiction isn't just text. It has a visual baggage. You write "Buffy" and your reader will mentally see Sarah Michelle Gellar without further descriptions of her eyes, lips and hair. It's like you imagine Buffyverse actors playing together in some movie.

If the authors and their readers both agree that their AU stories are fanfiction and are happy with such definition, I think it's their own niche with their own rules. OTOH, the lines are very blurred here. I know that some canon-respecting ficriters later re-wrote their Buffyverse fics into original fiction.

Oh, and are you sure Homer wasn't a professional? Not in the sense of getting paid a salary, of course, but if he supported himself by reciting his poems and receiving food and money in return - or was maintained by a patron - then he was a professional poet. The only alternative would be that he was an independently wealthy landowner or similar who made up poetry as a hobby.

You've got a point. Homer isn't a good example. But I only wanted to say that writing became a profession only - when? - three? four centuries ago? Medieval monks who wrote their treatises, aristocrats who composed plays for their home theaters, knights who wrote poetry to impress their beloved - they did it for a very limited (often target) audience and they didn't get paid.

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Hi Lena! I've been reading through old entries here on your LJ and I can't resist posting something here. You might not even see this comment but ah well...

Emily Dickinson wrote her poetry for herself alone and often times burned her pieces so that no one else could read them. The poetry we do have of hers is considered to be some of the best American poetry in the nation's relatively short, literary history. Just a better example of how excellence isn't necessarily linked to obtaining feedback nor being a professional nor even interacting with others who read your works.

Btw, your LJ is a really fascinating read. I'm going through all your old fanfic recommendations. Thanks for being so thorough and thoroughly interesting!

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Hi, Emmie!

Yes, I've got the notification of this comment and I'm thrilled and flattered that you read my old entries.

Emily Dickinson wrote her poetry for herself alone and often times burned her pieces so that no one else could read them.

Excellent example about Emily Dickinson. Indeed, sometimes very talented people wrote just because they needed to channel their feelings. AFAIK, Hobbit had been written purely for fun; Tolkien didn't plan to publish the story, he only wanted his friends to read it.

I'm going through all your old fanfic recommendations. Thanks for being so thorough and thoroughly interesting!

If you're interested, I posted my recs of classic Spuffy fics here:

http://www.fuzzyshark.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=947&start=0

It's the cream of the crop, the best of the best (in my opinion, of course). :)