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This Will Earn Me No Friends
May. 14th, 2010 09:37 amSo here's my version of that meme that's going around:
WHY [PEOPLE] WRITE FANFICTION
1. To explore themes that [they] don't get to see in mass media using characters [they] love.
2. Because it's fun.
3. Because mass media does a crappy job of representing [diversity of] race and sexual orientation.
4. Because [they] can get more people aboard [their] ship writing a story than a manifesto.
5. Because TV science-fiction doesn't explore its science-fiction premises in enough depth.
6. Because it's a gift [they] can give a stranger and know they will enjoy it.
7. Because [they] resonate emotionally with the characters [they] read and watch, and want to find out why by writing about it.
8. Because every tale is a universe, often with fascinating nooks and crannies that the original author never explored.
9. Because [they]'ve made some of [their] best and dearest friends through this very wacky hobby.
10. Because the world the creator made is vast, and [they] want to see more of it.
11. Because writing as a communal experience is amazing.
12. Because [they] can.
13. Because [they] get so much enjoyment from reading fan fiction that [they] want to contribute to the community by providing enjoyment for other fans.
14. When [they] become interested in particular actors and/or characters, sometimes [they] want to explore them in different contexts than their canons would ever allow.
15. [They] enjoy writing but feel ambivalent about trying to get published; writing fan fiction frees [them] by removing the pressure to sell from consideration.
All true. But:
WHY I PERSONALLY DON'T WRITE FANFICTION (ANYMORE)
1. Because life is short, mine's a third over already, and I'm doing something else now.
2. Because I just don't think wanting to be published/make money for the work I do is morally suspect, and I never will.
3. Because, increasingly, I find the idea of "having" to constantly color outside the lines yet also always look for a specific set of lines to color outside exactly as restrictive as other people say they find the established boundaries of "canon".
4. Because, increasingly, I find I disagree with almost every baseline assumption of the people of I've spent the last ten years hanging/playing around with. And that saddens me.
So, yeah. File that one away, I guess. Oh well.
And now: I have wasted far too much time thinking about all this, in general. Back to my real life.
WHY [PEOPLE] WRITE FANFICTION
1. To explore themes that [they] don't get to see in mass media using characters [they] love.
2. Because it's fun.
3. Because mass media does a crappy job of representing [diversity of] race and sexual orientation.
4. Because [they] can get more people aboard [their] ship writing a story than a manifesto.
5. Because TV science-fiction doesn't explore its science-fiction premises in enough depth.
6. Because it's a gift [they] can give a stranger and know they will enjoy it.
7. Because [they] resonate emotionally with the characters [they] read and watch, and want to find out why by writing about it.
8. Because every tale is a universe, often with fascinating nooks and crannies that the original author never explored.
9. Because [they]'ve made some of [their] best and dearest friends through this very wacky hobby.
10. Because the world the creator made is vast, and [they] want to see more of it.
11. Because writing as a communal experience is amazing.
12. Because [they] can.
13. Because [they] get so much enjoyment from reading fan fiction that [they] want to contribute to the community by providing enjoyment for other fans.
14. When [they] become interested in particular actors and/or characters, sometimes [they] want to explore them in different contexts than their canons would ever allow.
15. [They] enjoy writing but feel ambivalent about trying to get published; writing fan fiction frees [them] by removing the pressure to sell from consideration.
All true. But:
WHY I PERSONALLY DON'T WRITE FANFICTION (ANYMORE)
1. Because life is short, mine's a third over already, and I'm doing something else now.
2. Because I just don't think wanting to be published/make money for the work I do is morally suspect, and I never will.
3. Because, increasingly, I find the idea of "having" to constantly color outside the lines yet also always look for a specific set of lines to color outside exactly as restrictive as other people say they find the established boundaries of "canon".
4. Because, increasingly, I find I disagree with almost every baseline assumption of the people of I've spent the last ten years hanging/playing around with. And that saddens me.
So, yeah. File that one away, I guess. Oh well.
And now: I have wasted far too much time thinking about all this, in general. Back to my real life.
