What are your views on fan-fictions?

Interesting question.

I only see it as a form of plagiarism if the author takes credit for the creation of the characters, or if they were to try and sell their work for money. To me it is like playing make-believe with words. Most of it is all for self enjoyment or amusement.

I have actually read some and have found them to be quite nice. Usually when I have a craving to read and I am unable to get a new book I look for some fanfics. True, the characters are not their own, but they do usually create their own plots and story line that differs from the original one. Some of the stories I have read have been so wonderfully written that I wish they would start to write their own books with their own characters.

Reading to me is something you enjoy doing. Even if it is reading a 500 page novel, a magazine article, or even fanfics. If it is well written, then why not enjoy it and read it? As long as the author clearly states that they are merely borrowing the characters and are not using them for their own personal profit, then I see no problem.

While I will admit that the majority of fan fiction out there is of fairly low quality, there are also many, many very brilliant pieces of writing that far surpass the original work.

No, fan fiction is not plagiarism. Plagiarism is claiming someone else's work as your own; as far as I know, most fan fiction writers do not do that. They fully acknowledge that the characters and universe they are writing about are not their own creation. This alone makes it not plagiarism, and falls under fair use of most copyright laws. All they are doing is extending the stories and putting their own spin on them; fanfic is a derivative form of art. People have been doing it since storytelling existed. For example, the various versions of the King Arthur legend are also a form of fan fiction.

Fan fiction writers do not own the characters and universe, but they do however own the syntax and the storylines of their fan fiction. Which means that fan fiction can itself be plagiarised.

Meanwhile, writing fan fiction was a big part of my teenage life. It not only gave me the opportunity to make many new friends, but also greatly increased my writing ability - through receiving constructive criticism from mentors and friends - and helped my self-esteem and confidence through knowing that people read and enjoyed my work. I can quite safely say that my life would have been quite different if not for fan fiction, and not in a good way.

And to the poster who thinks that fanfic is going "too far"... man, you've seen nothing. NOTHING. Fanfic is just about the mildest form of fandom involvement there is. If THAT scares you... well... ok.

There are some that I really like, stories that are well written, interesting, and that really follow the canon and keep the characters in character. Unfortunately there are also the ones that are more self insert fantasies that completely ignore the story's cannon and make all the characters extremely OOC than fanfiction.

I don't see them as a form of plagiarism. No one is making money off of them and as long as they give credit to the author they are basing the story off of I see no problems. People enjoy writing them so I say let them write. They are a good way to let out some creative energy and still carry on the stories you love. Some are god awful but as long as the people enjoy writing them who cares?

I really don't like them. I don't consider them a form of plagiarism, but I do feel that they dishonor the author and their works - unless, of course, the author is living and doesn't mind it. The thing that jumped to my mind was 'Pride and Prejudice' and 'Mr. Darcy's Diary'. Jane Austen crafted an amazing novel that just shouldn't be added on to. To me, it feels like fans do not appreciate or respect the writing and style of an author if they try duplicate it or make it better by adding to the story what they want to see. Authors don't write things arbitrarily, they write with purpose and with meaning. For fans to change the story into something different just doesn't seem respectful to me.

I like fanfiction. It's non-profit, so it shouldn't be considered plagiarism (except in cases where you ARE stealing the work word-for-word). Also, most people put disclaimers on their stories, letting the readers know that the story/characters don't belong to them.

It's an interesting way to see a different point-of-view or aspect of your favourite show/book/movie. The only problem with fanfiction is that it's gotten so popular that cliches are the norm and it's close to impossible to find an story with an original plot or any substance.

WHAT???

fan fictions are great!

It's a fantastic way to read, write and compare writing.

It builds up your skills for when you write your own.

You also get feedback, which is very helpful.

It's not playarism because there's the disclaimers.

Most will just use the main setting outlook, but add their own characters and senarios.

The original story is just a background, a starting foundation if you like.

Also, people write fan fictions to show how they love that authors story, and wish to be involved in some way.

It's great to know that even after you've read the original series, you don't have to give it up. You can read and/or write fanfictions based on them.

If I were an author, I would be proud that others loved my story so much that they wished to be involved themselves.

It depends on the author. If it's well-written, then I like it and find it to be an entertaining read. If it's horribly written like "My Immortal", then no, I'd rather use my time for something else.

It's not really plagiarism because the fanfic author has taken an idea from the original author and created something else with it. The fanfic author hasn't copied the original story word for word: they have added things and changed the story line.

I not at all had a topic with homosexuality, I study a lot of cut back fanfiction because of fact i myself like it extra helpful than the ordinary stuff (there is extra of it accessible because of fact human beings write what isn't probably to ensue in the easily piece of paintings its in accordance with). What tale are you speaking approximately?

Not only is fan-fiction dumb, but it is a form of copyright infringement! People are taking someone else's idea and even though they don't make money or try to take the idea as their own, they still are using the characters and the main plot-line.

I honestly don't think they're a form of plagarism at all.

Especially the ones, like Harry Potter fan-fics, where the author has given us permission to write them.

I like some, and hate others. Although, I rarely find myself reading one. Some are so awful it's not even worth trying. But others are really pretty good, and have original story-lines, just with the use of somebody elses characters.

It all depends on the fan-fic, for me.