In my last post, I used the term “fan fiction” and a few of my readers indicated they hadn’t heard that term before, so I thought I’d elaborate a bit.
Fan fiction is fiction based on someone else’s work. Star Trek, Babylon 5, and Harry Potter have inspired legions of viewers/readers to write their own stories using the characters described in the shows/books. It’s one way for fans to hold on to a piece of the world they’ve come to know and love. With the ability to post these stories to the web, fan fiction has exploded over the last two decades. Over at FanFiction, for instance, the number of Harry Potter stories submitted has reached over 500,000!
Since my story takes place in Hogwarts, a location within the world of J.K. Rowling, my current story would also be considered fan fiction, although it’s somewhat atypical in that I do not use any of Rowling’s characters or any of the original storyline. My story is completely new -- partly because I felt the whole Harry Potter saga had come to a end and partly because I didn’t feel comfortable messing around with Rowling’s characters. In fact, the whole reason I started down this road in the first place was because I began wondering how Ms. Rowling might go about writing another book in the series.
Besides, if I don’t use my own characters and storyline, how can I expect to learn anything about writing?
P.S. GO CARDINALS!
P.P.S Why? I’m originally from the St. Louis area.
P.P.P.S. That last fact didn’t make me too popular in Michigan back in 2006 when the Cardinals spanked the Detroit Tigers in the World Series.
Website of Ken Rahmoeller -- fantasy author, chemist, and lover of all things Hogwarts (Photo Courtesy of Scarluuk)
Thanks for the clarification. It sounds like a lot of fun.
ReplyDeleteI'd have to disagree on one point though. I'd prefer the Rangers to win.
Though I'm already mad at both teams for going to game seven because Fringe was supposed to be on tonight...now it's not.
Have a great weekend!
You're right, Kelley. I forgot all about Fringe! Darn!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter writes Batman fan fiction. He's not in them though, she prefers to use lesser known characters such as Harley Quinn and Scarecrow. I think it's an excellent form of writing.
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