Fanfiction into Novel. Your Opinions? | Page 1 | I Dream of Fandom | Guild Forums

Sinnto

Newbie Businesswoman

13,350 Points

100
100
200

Offline

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 12:58 am

Don't bite my head at this but because Fifty Shades of Grey is coming out as a film, I finally decided to read the novel (curtesy of my addicted friends), and I felt some similarity to something I've read quite a while back. Possibly 4 years ago.

I did a little bit of research and found out that it was originally written as a FanFiction and then turned into a novel. God, I'm so late on this one -- like I didn't even hear about this.

Then I got some questions going on in my head:
1. What separates an AU story from your own original story?
2. What's your personally opinion about using your FanFiction and turn it into a novel?
3. Why don't you write the AU story as your own novel? Why do you write it with the characters who have been created by someone else?

Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:09 am

Overall I'm against it really. But I think there are some exceptions. Like if the characters were already Ooc and the plot was AU because at that point, it's not the fandom anymore. Just a scenario that you can throw the characters in but it not really be them, just people who look like them and bear their name.

And yeah, 50 Shades was a fanfic first. I refuse to read it. I read one page and just went "Hell no." and put down the book.

Night Kunoichi
Captain

Wheezing Wyvern

10,650 Points

100
100
200

Offline

DaniRhapsody

Questionable Poster

Offline

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 4:53 pm

Fifty Shades of Grey makes my inner writer twitch in violent spasms. I saw a screenshot of two sentences of the story and I ran the other way. talk2hand

1. An AU is just playing with the characters...there's no originality to it, IMO, because the characters aren't yours to begin with.
2. I doubt I would ever turn my own fanfiction into a novel because again, it wouldn't feel like the characters were my own. I guess it would feel too easy and it would never sit right with me.
3. The AU story already has a formed plot line, so it's easier to manipulate it in a way that suits my ideas. It's easier to write characters who have created by someone else because those characters already have a foundation to build upon in order to shape an AU.

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 5:09 pm

DaniRhapsody

You're gonna kill me when I say I actually read the whole first novel. It took me about halfway through to think, "Wtf? I feel like I read this already." And then I did some research and finished the novel. I'm quite surprised because the fanfiction itself was a VERY popular fanfiction yet it didn't receive such harsh criticism like this.

I'm starting to see what you're saying. It's almost as though you steal the characters themselves and just rewrote the small details to be yours. I can never make a FF into another story... it just feels out of place somehow because you always expect people to know their background & don't need to develop the character

Sinnto

Newbie Businesswoman

13,350 Points

100
100
200

Offline

Violent Crow
Vice Captain

Feral Flatterer

Offline

Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:28 pm

I... am indifferent for the most part. If it's good writing then it's good writing, and good on the author for being able to turn their fanfiction into an actual story that can stand on its own. However, I feel like it's a bit of a cop out since the author is pretty much riding on the backs of other writers. What I mean by that is that I think it's a little cheap that a writer will use someone else's characters, plot, universe, or whatever else, and then make a profit by putting their own little spin on it all. Like I said, though, if the fic is done really well, then I can't rightly fault the author for jumping at the opportunity to get themselves published and get their work out there. yum_puddi

Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2014 7:56 am

I think it depends on how well you can separate your AU fanfiction from its original universe. If you can do that and it stands well on its own, then it seems to me that it's more like yes, you wrote it in that universe, but you were coming up with your own story and your own ideas and everything. Like I write a lot of AU stuff and I could probably adapt some of it into its own novel. Its starting point would have been X universe, but I still would have turned it into something my own.

Faemint

Dapper Dabbler

Offline

DaniRhapsody

Questionable Poster

Offline

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 8:42 am

Sinnto

DaniRhapsody

You're gonna kill me when I say I actually read the whole first novel. It took me about halfway through to think, "Wtf? I feel like I read this already." And then I did some research and finished the novel. I'm quite surprised because the fanfiction itself was a VERY popular fanfiction yet it didn't receive such harsh criticism like this.

I'm starting to see what you're saying. It's almost as though you steal the characters themselves and just rewrote the small details to be yours. I can never make a FF into another story... it just feels out of place somehow because you always expect people to know their background & don't need to develop the character

Part of why I don't see any of my fanfictions turning into novels is because it doesn't feel right to use a character with a fully developed background. Mostly because I feel like I didn't work hard enough to impress readers with my own talents. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy reading and writing fanfiction with slight character tweaks, but I just can't claim them as my own you know?

Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2014 6:21 pm

DaniRhapsody

Sinnto

DaniRhapsody

You're gonna kill me when I say I actually read the whole first novel. It took me about halfway through to think, "Wtf? I feel like I read this already." And then I did some research and finished the novel. I'm quite surprised because the fanfiction itself was a VERY popular fanfiction yet it didn't receive such harsh criticism like this.

I'm starting to see what you're saying. It's almost as though you steal the characters themselves and just rewrote the small details to be yours. I can never make a FF into another story... it just feels out of place somehow because you always expect people to know their background & don't need to develop the character

Part of why I don't see any of my fanfictions turning into novels is because it doesn't feel right to use a character with a fully developed background. Mostly because I feel like I didn't work hard enough to impress readers with my own talents. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy reading and writing fanfiction with slight character tweaks, but I just can't claim them as my own you know?

I understand. It's another reason why I'm shocked that people can get away with publishing a tweaked fanfiction. :/ They basically are already characters that existed before. Although the setting may be different.

Night Kunoichi
Captain

Wheezing Wyvern

10,650 Points

100
100
200

Offline

ille-konpito

Tipsy Shoujo

Offline

Posted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 10:09 pm

I haven't actually read 50 shades so i can't really judge, but i think as long as the characters involved are completely changed along with the plot, there's nothing wrong with publishing the work as your own; because it is. Perhaps a book inspired you in the beginning, but you aren't copying the book.

I think writing using someone else's characters in the beginning is just a way to practise characterization. It's easier to visualise a character you already know a lot about, along with how they'd react in a certain situation. Publishing though? Must change everything about the character though i'd see no problem with keeping the plot.

Welcome to Gaia! ::

Gaia Guilds

I Dream of Fandom

Quick Reply

More Information