Why Fanfic
May. 16th, 2010 02:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foxinthestarsVia boosette and branchandroot (I'm cobbling their two lists together), a meme I can't pass up:
Bold any reasons that apply to you, strike out any that don't (if you feel like it), and add three (or more, or less) reasons of your own to the bottom.
REASONS I WRITE FANFIC
1. To explore themes that I don't get to see in mass media using characters I love.
2. Because it's fun.
3. Because mass media does a crappy job of representing my race and/or sexual orientation and/or gender.
4. Because I can get more people aboard my ship writing a story than a manifesto.
5. Because TV science-fiction doesn't explore its science-fiction premises in enough depth.
6. Because it's a gift I can give a stranger and know they will enjoy it.
7. Because I resonate emotionally with the characters that I read and watch, and want to find out why by writing about it.
8. Because every tale is a universe, often with fascinating nooks and crannies that the original author never explored.
9. Because I've made some of my best and dearest friends through this very wacky hobby.
10. Related to 3 -- because the media do a crappy job of representing nearly everyone (even those who are overrepresented are usually represented in very narrow ways, and the rest of us are severely underrepresented. I don't just want to fix that for people like me -- I want to fix that for everyone, in my little ways).
11. Because I like writing in a community of writers, including discussing what we write, how and why.
12. Because fiction I love often grabs my imagination, and fanfiction is a concrete place to put my imaginings. I would think of the stories anyway -- the fanfic community just gives me somewhere to write them down and share them.
13. Because I have 0% desire to publish anything for money ever and it is easier, comparatively speaking, to explain to people IRL that "this can't be published for money" than "I don't want to publish this for money". (Well, maybe I wouldn't mind publishing, but I just adore this reason.)
14. Because writing porn that that actually focuses on mutually desired pleasure is awesome. (The ability to communicate directly with the audience when a story contains material which is commonly triggering is also awesome.) (I love this reason too, but I'm not brave enough to actually write it.)
15. Because fic is a long and storied literary tradition that I am proud to take part in.
16. Because the world the creator made is vast, and I want to see more of it.
17. Because writing as a communal experience is amazing.
18. Because I can.
19. Because every time I write something, I learn more about writing. And myself. And my readers.
20. Because someone can find it and know that there are other people out there who respond to media that way.
21. Because writing porn and having someone say, "this is hot!" is an empowering experience.
22. Because I enjoy the challenge of figuring out what a given character would do in a new situation.
23. Because I need to fix something.
24. Because the world is made of stories, and stories are made of stories too.
25. Because I'm very good at it.
And my additions (some perhaps a bit redundant)...
26. Because I'm inspired to do it.
27. Because these characters are dear to me, and writing fanfiction is a way to spend time with them and do something awesome with and for them.
28. Because the original author didn't think through some aspect(s) of their situation/characterization/worldbuilding/etc. to my statisfaction and I want to work through the full implications I see in it.*
29. Because I always find myself thinking "What if...?" "Wouldn't it have been great if...?" "Wouldn't it be better if...?"
30. Because it's natural.
* Yes, I'm looking at you, Rowling.
boosette and branchandroot (I'm cobbling their two lists together), a meme I can't pass up:Bold any reasons that apply to you, strike out any that don't (if you feel like it), and add three (or more, or less) reasons of your own to the bottom.
REASONS I WRITE FANFIC
1. To explore themes that I don't get to see in mass media using characters I love.
2. Because it's fun.
3. Because mass media does a crappy job of representing my race and/or sexual orientation and/or gender.
5. Because TV science-fiction doesn't explore its science-fiction premises in enough depth.
6. Because it's a gift I can give a stranger and know they will enjoy it.
7. Because I resonate emotionally with the characters that I read and watch, and want to find out why by writing about it.
8. Because every tale is a universe, often with fascinating nooks and crannies that the original author never explored.
9. Because I've made some of my best and dearest friends through this very wacky hobby.
10. Related to 3 -- because the media do a crappy job of representing nearly everyone (even those who are overrepresented are usually represented in very narrow ways, and the rest of us are severely underrepresented. I don't just want to fix that for people like me -- I want to fix that for everyone, in my little ways).
12. Because fiction I love often grabs my imagination, and fanfiction is a concrete place to put my imaginings. I would think of the stories anyway -- the fanfic community just gives me somewhere to write them down and share them.
13. Because I have 0% desire to publish anything for money ever and it is easier, comparatively speaking, to explain to people IRL that "this can't be published for money" than "I don't want to publish this for money". (Well, maybe I wouldn't mind publishing, but I just adore this reason.)
14. Because writing porn that that actually focuses on mutually desired pleasure is awesome. (The ability to communicate directly with the audience when a story contains material which is commonly triggering is also awesome.) (I love this reason too, but I'm not brave enough to actually write it.)
15. Because fic is a long and storied literary tradition that I am proud to take part in.
16. Because the world the creator made is vast, and I want to see more of it.
18. Because I can.
19. Because every time I write something, I learn more about writing. And myself. And my readers.
20. Because someone can find it and know that there are other people out there who respond to media that way.
21. Because writing porn and having someone say, "this is hot!" is an empowering experience.
22. Because I enjoy the challenge of figuring out what a given character would do in a new situation.
23. Because I need to fix something.
24. Because the world is made of stories, and stories are made of stories too.
25. Because I'm very good at it.
And my additions (some perhaps a bit redundant)...
26. Because I'm inspired to do it.
27. Because these characters are dear to me, and writing fanfiction is a way to spend time with them and do something awesome with and for them.
28. Because the original author didn't think through some aspect(s) of their situation/characterization/worldbuilding/etc. to my statisfaction and I want to work through the full implications I see in it.*
29. Because I always find myself thinking "What if...?" "Wouldn't it have been great if...?" "Wouldn't it be better if...?"
30. Because it's natural.
* Yes, I'm looking at you, Rowling.
no subject
Date: 2010-05-16 08:17 pm (UTC)I love the not-publishing one. I like the way we publish, here! It would be nice to have some money, yeah, but I don't want to jump through the commercial hoops that bad.