We need a Fan Fiction section - Page 2 - Writers Forum

shadowseer · 11-30-2006, 09:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewart

I would ask the administration team to reject the notion of a fan fiction area. It's a terrible idea and will fill with crappy tales about Lost, Buffy, and Harry Potter.

if you don't like Fan Fic, you don't have to read it. It's not like we'd be forcing it upon you.

i_am_difficult · 11-30-2006, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewart

I would ask the administration team to reject the notion of a fan fiction area. It's a terrible idea and will fill with crappy tales about Lost, Buffy, and Harry Potter.

"Crappy" may be your definition. However, as shadowseer said, it isn't being forced upon you. You needn't read it if you haven't any desire to. In addition, I would like to bring up the point that this arguement doesn't have any evidence to support it. shadowseer presented several logical and viable points, and this is soley an opinion. Fan fiction is a good writing excercise, and while some may frown upon it, it is the authors opinion as to wether or not it is beneficial.

Next, I would have to say that I agree with the plan presented for fan fiction. It would not hurt anyone, and there IS a demand for it, as evidenced by the previously mentioned fanfiction thread.
http://www.writingforums.com/showthread.php?t=53024

Also, because the legal issue seems to be quite pressing, let me quote from FAQ about Fan Fiction at http://www.chillingeffects.org/fanfic/faq.cgi#QID137 :

"In order for a corporation to win a cease-and-desist order against a FanFic author, it would have to prove that it was suffering financial damage, something that is hard to prove since much of FanFic actually helps boost sales. "

Meaning that, most likely, the owrst that would happent was that WF would have to shut down the fan fiction forum. That could also be avoided by obtaining the fanfiction.net list, as has already been suggested, and including disclaimers/author's notes making it quite clear that it is FAN FICTION, not completely original work. Many authors and companies actually encourage fanfiction, knowing that it helps promote the company.

To sum up: I support having a fanfiction thread because:
a) It would not be forced upon other users. It might even attract other users to WF.
b) Legal action against WF is avoidableand unlikely.
c) There is a demand for a fanfiction forum on WF.
d) It is a form of writing and deserves at least a chance on WF.

Caedmon · 11-30-2006, 01:55 PM

I am all for a Fan Fiction Sub-Forum

I am a fan of lots of stories that are obscure here, and would love to try and get the word out about these things.

The Amory Warrior · 11-30-2006, 07:53 PM

I suppose I'm not against it, but I can safely say I'm never going in there. I've read lots of fanfics, and very few were in any way entertaining. What most FF authors (that I've seen) tend to do is take someone else's character, world, whatever, and bend it as they see fit. I've read way too many fanfics in which characters don't act anything like themselves, and where much of it is simply written for the sole pleasure of the author's fantasies.

Hodge · 11-30-2006, 07:55 PM

Think of the children! Won't somebody think of the children?

They'll be everywhere if we open a fan fiction forum!

Pawn · 11-30-2006, 08:12 PM

At the moment I must say I'm not really seeing the volume of support I'd consider a necessity for the creation of any new forum. Having done my best to limit the huge number of forums we have here the last thing I want to do is add one that's underused.

blademasterzzz · 11-30-2006, 08:47 PM

I'm not against the possibility of contemplating the idea of justifying a possible solution towards outside interests of selected members through the suggestion of creating and maintaining an outlet for selected fiction based upon published writing.

Bika · 11-30-2006, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hodge

Think of the children! Won't somebody think of the children?

They'll be everywhere if we open a fan fiction forum!

Indeed, we wouldn't want to see them move out of Debate, would we?
Edit: Out of Debate or out of Lyrics.

huitzil · 11-30-2006, 10:17 PM

The thought of a fanfic forum makes me shudder, then vomit a little, but I'm all for free speech. Go Harry Potter/LOTR/Starwars/Dragonrider the heck out of yourself if you want to.

Okay, I've thought about possible fanfic I'd write, but I always resist the urge.

i_am_difficult · 12-01-2006, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huitzil

The thought of a fanfic forum makes me shudder, then vomit a little, but I'm all for free speech. Go Harry Potter/LOTR/Starwars/Dragonrider the heck out of yourself if you want to.

Okay, I've thought about possible fanfic I'd write, but I always resist the urge.

Precisely- you're resisting the urge to write something that can be a good exercise and improve your writing. For WF to open a fan Fiction forum would help some members improve the writing.

Pawn, you said that you don't want there to be another underused forum. It couldn't hurt to try a fan fiction forum for a month or something to see how used it actually was, and then consider weather or not it was worth it to keep it.

shadowseer · 12-01-2006, 08:34 PM

also, not eberyone comes to this forum. maybe we could open a poll in one of the higher traffic forums, get a response from the other members.

Jolly McJollyson · 12-01-2006, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pawn

To slip, if I may, briefly out of character, I must say that I believe this issue to be ready for a fresh look.

Myself, I am quite impartial. Certainly I do not consider Fan Fiction literature in the same sense as original work, but I do find the label 'improper writing' somewhat bizarre. I for one have no interest in any system of literary classification that is more exclusive than it is inclusive.

While my knowledge of copyright law is not extensive, it is far from entirely uninformed. We have, as some have noted, recently acquired a Published Poetry forum. This forum entails the direct quotation of authors, something which must at least be recognized to as holding parallels to the proposition here discussed. I am not in the least concerned that the site would ever be targeted by legal action as a result. Unless someone has a convincing argument for the legal problems inherent in a Fan Fiction forum, I must consider them null.

The second matter is of course demand. On that matter all I will say is that if you support this move, drop a post in, rally some support. If this is a truly popular suggestion then it should at very least receive the open reception we would give any other.

Remember what the Romantic poets used to do? Take others' poems entirely, improve upon them, and re-publish them as their own?

Byron was a master.

The Amory Warrior · 12-01-2006, 09:59 PM

But that's pretty much plagarism.

Jolly McJollyson · 12-01-2006, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Amory Warrior

But that's pretty much plagarism.

It's entirely plagiarism. In the Romantic-era it was only considered plagiarism if one didn't "improve upon the work."

Besides, those writers stole from people all the time. Like, Wordsworth, for instance, stole nearly all his flower imagery from his sister Dorothy.

Talia_Brie · 12-04-2006, 08:36 AM

Personally I don't see the point of a fan fiction forum here when there are so many other sites that cater for that form of 'writing' exclusively.