In Defence of Fan Fiction

Why it’s no longer a dirty word (well, two words)

Just recently, my friend and fellow writer Chris Wilson posted a Medium article outlining his disinterest in ‘fan fiction’, a reasoned and uniquely witty argument, and one I believe he feared might offend certain colleagues in the writing sphere we inhabit. Perhaps me in particular, given I have recently created a board devoted to fan fiction that all writers can enjoy.

It’s called the Black Zero Network, an offshoot of MZPtv with its own community and forward plan — that is, to be *the* premier hub for quality scripted fan fiction on the Internet. Lofty goals, but they tie into the reason for this article. Because while Chris didn’t go out of his way to defame fan fiction, I feel duty bound to ‘defend’ the concept and explain why I, as someone who enjoys dipping his toe into established waters, feel the opposite.

First, what exactly *is* ‘fan fiction’? Here’s a definition online:

Fiction written by fans as an extension of an admired work or series of works, especially a television show, often posted on the Internet or published in fanzines.

Almost 18 months ago, MZPtv (which previously hosted much of BZN’s material & shares most of its members right now) made the decision to go ‘all-original’ and stop producing works in established, well known universes. I myself jettisoned two major projects playing in well known sandboxes, and at the time there was chatter about how we felt we’d evolved beyond the ‘fan fiction’ form & truthfully it felt a bit of a dirty word (or words) for a while, an example of our past as writers. I hold my hand up and admit I was swept away by this tide, and I completely forgot the need and place of ‘fan fiction’ that exists in many writers.

The simple fact is that there is nothing, absolutely nothing, like writing the characters and worlds you’ve grown up loving. That exhilaration of Batman smacking down the Joker, or your own Federation starship captain giving the order to fire on the Klingon bird of prey, or a brand new Doctor whisking off his next companion into a world of adventure. The thrill is a different one to that of creating your own characters and worlds, one that satiates a deep need to put our own stamp on those beloved properties we admire and love. It’s a release, a sense of liberation and freedom from the crushing, frequent depression writers feel in the difficulty of creating their own iconic, celebrated work in a world where almost everything has been done, and chances are everything that hasn’t someone else is doing better than you.

This is where fan fiction steps in to provide an important service to both a budding and experienced writer.

Recently Damon Lindelof, one of the most divisive writers of recent times behind the marmite TV phenomenon that was Lost and the much-discussed Prometheus, admitted he gets paid millions of dollars to essentially write fan fiction — given his producer involvement too in the resurgent Star Trek movie franchise. Love him or hate him, Lindelof’s admission is remarkable and brings the whole idea of ‘fanfic’ into focus — no longer is it considered a dirty, geeky corner of fiction or even the internet, not to the same degree. We live in the Age of Geek — where people wear Superman sweaters they can buy in Primark alongside normal clothing, where kids are cool for liking The Avengers, where EL James can make millions of dollars writing novels adapted from Twilight fan fiction, where Amazon are now actively encouraging scripts featuring established characters with their Kindle Worlds project. From our little script-based Internet corner, I recall how in the late-90's a script continuation of underrated TV series Millennium was so well received it even was commended by series star Lance Henriksen, and championed by a Millennium website owner who had a character named after him in the actual show. And that was over 10 years ago.

The rules have changed. The game is different. Fan fiction has maybe even more of a place than it ever did. And the best thing, which I myself have found running my website… it gets people writing something they love and developing both their interest and talent.

That, ultimately, makes it a better world for existing.