LitChat: March 19, 2012 Topic of the Week: MediaMonday‐‐The Ethics of Fan Fiction The transcript below covers the #litchat conversation noted above. The order appears sequentially from opening post to the closing post within the #litchat moderated chat time. Moderator: Carolyn Burns Bass [@LitChat] LitChat Welcome to a MediaMonday in #litchat. Today we're discussing the ETHICS OF FAN FICTION. Joining us is @GalleyCat editor @JasonBoog. ‐4:00 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat The easiest way to follow #litchat is from http://t.co/OrNkyWhA. Just authorize the app and you're in the convo. ‐4:00 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat While #litchat is underway, please don't use the #litchat hashtag unless you're contributing to the convo. Thanks. ‐4:00 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LM_Preston Why didn't you tell me this before I became a writer? http://t.co/0iYeVlMi #amwriting #wip #amrevising #yalitchat #litchat ‐4:00 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Cinnamon_Quill I made it! *phew* #litchat ‐4:01 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat Let's have some introductions. Tell us whether you read or write fan fiction. #litchat ‐4:01 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe Marc Nash author #litchat I have no cencept of what fan fiction is. It's still writing, still fiction. If it's in the style of, who cares? ‐4:01 PM Mar 19th, 2012 BlueShoes55 @LitChat Could you clarify yr definition of fan fiction? Thanks #LitChat ‐4:02 PM Mar 19th, 2012 tracyleacarnes I'm here #litchat! ‐4:02 PM Mar 19th, 2012 maggiedana <‐‐ madly looking up definition of fan fiction. #litchat ‐4:03 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe #litchat like any writing, it will stand or fall on its readership. If the readers want it, all well and good ‐ 4:03 PM Mar 19th, 2012 cyndyaleo @21stCscribe it appropriates characters and structure, not " style of" #litchat #litchat ‐4:03 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat @21stCscribe Fan fiction is more than emulating a style of writing. It's using the entire universe, setting, characters. #litchat ‐4:03 PM Mar 19th, 2012 maggiedana Fan fiction defined per Wikipedia, here: http://t.co/ZvukjDzz #litchat ‐4:03 PM Mar 19th, 2012 cyndyaleo Cyndy Aleo, former fanfic author #litchat ‐4:03 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Cinnamon_Quill Wrote fan fiction when I was 12/13. It was atrocious, fun and motivating. I read it rarely these days but I've read my fair share. #litchat ‐4:04 PM Mar 19th, 2012 BlueShoes55 RT @maggiedana: <‐‐ madly looking up definition of fan fiction. #litchat ‐4:04 PM Mar 19th, 2012 prof_anne I'm here. I taught Twilight fan fiction‐‐but specifically All Human/AU, which does not nec. use the same world/setting #litchat ‐4:04 PM Mar 19th, 2012 maggiedana @LitChat I imagine more than a few law suits had problems sorting all this out. #litchat ‐4:04 PM Mar 19th, 2012 mvw888 My book club hated March (novel about Mr. March's life in the war ‐ based on LIttle Women). Can't think of any other I've read...#litchat ‐4:04 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Cinnamon_Quill @LitChat Untrue. Sometimes fan fiction writers deposit established characters in an alternate universe. #litchat ‐4:05 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Topic of the Week: MediaMonday: The Ethics of Fan Fiction March 19, 2012 1 www.litchat.net 21stCscribe #litchat presumably fan fiction exists becaiuse the original writers turn to other projects or are *too slow* at getting out new material? ‐4:05 PM Mar 19th, 2012 BlueShoes55 @LitChat @21stCscribe Do you mean someone trying to write as, say, Jane Austen? #LitChat ‐4:05 PM Mar 19th, 2012 cyndyaleo @prof_anne but still uses characters/relationships #litchat ‐4:05 PM Mar 19th, 2012 tracyleacarnes I thought fan fiction was using characters from a show, movie or book and expanding on it. #litchat Never touched the stuff! ‐4:05 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat Fan fiction is drawing from an author's story/characters for one's own version with said characters, etc. #litchat ‐4:05 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Cinnamon_Quill I think that fan fiction is a reader's imagination stemming their desires for established characters/plots into written format. #litchat ‐4:06 PM Mar 19th, 2012 cyndyaleo @21stCscribe no. It has to do with fans wanting to extend the story, universe, characters, plot #litchat ‐4:06 PM Mar 19th, 2012 maggiedana @LitChat Fan fiction, I'm thinking, draws a fine line between what's legal and what's plagiarism, yes? #litchat ‐4:06 PM Mar 19th, 2012 BlueShoes55 @maggiedana Thanks, very useful. I suppose WIDE SARGASSO SEA would qualify as fan fiction ? #LitChat ‐4:06 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat We're discussing the ethics of fan fiction, and specifically as pertaining to recent 7‐figure sale of fan‐fic inspired novel. #litchat ‐4:06 PM Mar 19th, 2012 jasonboog Expert once estimated fan fiction makes up "33% of all content revolving around books" online: http://t.co/RDf7A7uk #litchat ‐4:06 PM Mar 19th, 2012 ReneeRosen1 @LitChat I've never read fan fiction‐‐seems to me you'd be better off reading the original??? #litchat ‐4:07 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe @BlueShoes55 sort of, I would have thought it was more likely to be Twilight or Star trek or particular film characters #LitChat ‐4:07 PM Mar 19th, 2012 RobertTidwell I hate fan fiction but support others who like it. #litchat ‐4:07 PM Mar 19th, 2012 courtneylarking @LitChat Never thought I would read fanfic, but just finished PDJames' Death Comes to Pemberley! #litchat ‐4:07 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe @cyndyaleo I have no problem with that #litchat ‐4:07 PM Mar 19th, 2012 prof_anne James Joyce's Ulysses or Jean Rhys Wide Sargasso Sea. If these were written about copyrighted books, would they be fanfiction? #litchat ‐4:07 PM Mar 19th, 2012 prof_anne RT @jasonboog: Expert once estimated fan fiction makes up "33% of all content revolving around books" online: http://t.co/RDf7A7uk #litchat ‐4:07 PM Mar 19th, 2012 ReneeRosen1 Can fan fiction ever be better than the original work? #litchat ‐4:08 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat For background on today's discussion, a quick read in this piece by @JasonBoog in @NPRbooks: http://t.co/r5GbggpO. #litchat ‐4:08 PM Mar 19th, 2012 maggiedana I'm always happy to see people reading ... no matter what they read. In this TV/Internet age, seeing books being read is awesome. #litchat ‐4:08 PM Mar 19th, 2012 RobertTidwell Young band s cover their favorite songs, young writers write their favorite characters. #litchat ‐ 4:08 PM Mar 19th, 2012 cyndyaleo @21stCscribe you have no problem with someone selling work based on your characters? #litchat ‐ 4:08 PM Mar 19th, 2012 maggiedana Am now going to see if some of my fave authors have spawned fan fiction. #litchat ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Topic of the Week: MediaMonday: The Ethics of Fan Fiction March 19, 2012 2 www.litchat.net BlueShoes55 <‐‐‐‐ fesses up to dabbling in writing fan fiction as lit exercise, style discipline. Great fun. Good discipline. #LitChat ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Cinnamon_Quill @ReneeRosen1 Some novels/stories leave a reader unsatisfied/wanting/wondering. A novel inspired/spinning off that can be great. #litchat ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe @cyndyaleo good luck to them in my case! #litchat ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 tracyleacarnes @courtneylarking #litchat I would love to read Death Comes to Pemberly! For some reason I don't associate that with fanfic but I guess it is ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe William Burroughs cut up other authors' texts for his early novels. No one had a problem with that then #litchat ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 cyndyaleo @RobertTidwell and if they record and sell, they pay royalties #litchat ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Brainmaker @maggiedana @LitChat #litchat I'd say. But "real" fanfic doesn't plagiarize, it extends the story around a character. ‐4:09 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Cinnamon_Quill The reason fan fiction can be so cringe‐worthy is because of the writing quality. If it's well‐ written it's okay to read. If not... #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 maggiedana All this begs the question: do authors of orig. fiction read fan fiction and get inspired to take their stories to new levels? #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 RobertTidwell I'm on my wrong account. Brb. #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 prof_anne My fella and his friends champion appropriation as avant‐garde textual practice, AKA conceptual writing. Different from fic? #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe @Cinnamon_Quill that can be true of some self‐pubbed fiction unfortunately #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 ReneeRosen1 @Cinnamon_Quill Interesting. I confess, I'm not too familiar with FF #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 mvw888 I don't see how it's very different from drawing on archetypal characters and stories, although lawyers may disagree. #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 BlueShoes55 RT @21stCscribe: William Burroughs cut up other authors' texts for his early novels. No one had a problem with that then #litchat ‐4:10 PM Mar 19th, 2012 KelliTrapnell #litchat fan fiction is great, but not for profit, unless the author of the fan fic bought the rights to what they use from the orig. author ‐4:11 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Brainmaker @LitChat #litchat Also, stats about fanfic rely on data not related to sales per se. Gazillions of sites have free fanfic. ‐4:11 PM Mar 19th, 2012 LitChat What is considered copyright in fiction? Character names? Places? Titles? #litchat ‐4:11 PM Mar 19th, 2012 cyndyaleo @Cinnamon_Quill I think most don't after the Zimmer Bradley suit #litchat ‐4:11 PM Mar 19th, 2012 21stCscribe @LitChat titles definitely not copyrightable #litchat ‐4:11 PM Mar 19th, 2012 Cinnamon_Quill @21stCscribe That's true of a lot of self‐pubbed fic.