Dissenting opinions on the merits of fan fiction

I love it… look it up now

I love fan fiction. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, I suggest looking it up. You may find very interesting (and some shocking) results, but if you’re truly fascinated in figuring out what this community is about, it’s worth further investigation.

Now, the ‘why’ is what you’re looking for here: Why do I love fan fiction? There are many reasons. The biggest one is that I’m a writer, specifically of fiction, and there are many benefits to participating in this community. And Emily is right, there is a certain level of obsession that goes into reading and writing fan fiction, but I see it this way: Obsession can be another word for exploration.

Usually fan fiction is character-centric, meaning that fans will take a beloved character and add to or change his or her story or circumstance. So in this way, fan fiction can actually be a pretty cool exercise in character development, because you literally will read every version of that character – from “Dear lord, I hope I never write my character like that,” to “How in the hell can I write my character like that?” And there are more benefits from the writing perspective, such as peer editing, exposure to different writing styles, and even developing an eye for poor writing (you really hone this skill, let me tell you).

Also, fan fiction is just fun, man. Imagine pulling Rick from “The Walking Dead” and putting his character in a universe where he’s rebound dating Kourtney Kardashian after her breakup with Scott Disick – hilarious, right? Fan fiction writers explore these type of scenarios all day long, and it’s pretty darn cool. I always stick to the belief that if a lot of people are collaborating in a creative activity such as this, we should support it. Kudos to them!

Recommended Fan Fictions:

1.  “Luminosity” by Alicorn – Twilight fan fiction where Bella isn’t stupid, and Edward isn’t a stalker.
2.  “The Paradigm of Uncertainty” by Lori – Harry Potter fan fiction set nine years after the last book, following Hermione on a new journey.
3.  “The Spaces Between” by Min Daae – Thor/Marvel fan fiction following Loki as he travels through alternate universes of his life.

My brain’s too small…

I know I’m probably the only person on the planet who loathes fan fiction. So, spare me the insults – even though I probably deserve them.

Actually, loathing probably isn’t the right word for it since I’m sufficiently apathetic to most of the popular fan fiction stuff and nearly everything on Tumblr. The only thing I actually loathe is the sexualization of things that were made/written for children. Can you not ruin my childhood, please and thanks? I’ll appreciate that. Moving on… the underlying problem I see with fan fiction is obsession. I know as humans we are inclined to obsess over things, but as I age, I keep having to throw away some things I have an obsession for. Maybe this is just me, but my cranial capacity isn’t large enough to hold everything I adore and everything I need to know to “pay my bills”, so to speak.

Fan fiction, glorious as it is, doesn’t help with that transition. “But fan fiction is my hobby…” I’m not saying you can’t enjoy it. I’m just saying in my case, I already like poetry. If I delved into poetry fan fiction (if it exists) I may overstimulate my brain and I’ll eventually misplace the folder: “Why the Four Quartets are so important to me.”

My greatest fear is that I’ll go so deep into theoretical land and I’ll lose what’s important in the actual novel or poem. I could always go back, but I really just don’t have the time nor space in my brain. I like to remember things. I don’t like being amused and then suddenly have some sort of amnesia where I don’t remember the last thing about I read before. That happens everytime I get lost on YouTube, and I hate it.

However, I don’t really think fan fiction in itself is terrible. I’m pretty sure, just like music, I’d like some of it. Obsession is really what scares me, thus why I don’t even want to go near it. With Aspergers and all, it’s the last thing I need. Fan fiction is just not for everyone.