Original Fic Vs. Fanfic - Cafe Fictionpress Forum

YJanZ-Providence's Forums » Cafe Fictionpress

Topic Subscription

Forums » Cafe Fictionpress » Original Fic Vs. Fanfic

Author

Post

dbz 77

Topic: Original Fic Vs. Fanfic

I notice that I get more hits for fanfiction versus original fiction. Why is that?

Michael

#1 Dec 20th 2007, 10:53am

Julian Laverne

I find it that readers are more prone to read something that they are familiar with than to read an original fiction altogether. With fanficion, the idea is already there. The characters, the world, the setting and finally, the overview of a basic plot. All an author does really, is distort that world a bit, but never really walks too far away that it becomes something unrecognizable. Some readers like that (and love seeing their favorite characters in different settings/situations) and would rather read a fanfiction.

I don't mean to offend anybody, but I have never really been fond of fanfiction. I know writing it could get me way more attention than what my lack-luster originals are getting, but I like to stand true to my ideals and that would be just to showcase creativity that was completely and solely done by myself.

#2 Dec 26th 2007, 9:40pm

KnittingKneedle

I think fanfiction is easier to write and read...but without original fiction there would be no fanfiction! In a way I think original fiction separates the men from the boys...a person could grasp someone else's characters and world brilliantly but just fall flat.

I started off in fanfiction; Doctor Who and Torchwood being my fandoms of choice but in my last Torchwood fic I created a few original characters who just wouldn't leave me alone! Through that I re-discovered how much I enjoy creating original characters in original plots.

Whether or not people like it is neither here nor there...I'm like Frankenstein in my obsessive drive to create!

#3 Jan 06th, 11:33am

HGiel

Fanfiction is more fun to read because where as original fiction is boring when done badly, fanfiction is WONDERFUL when it is done badly. Nothing is more entertaining than a terrible fanfic.

I used to not be into fanfiction, but I got myself into it lately because my site opened a fanfic forum for a specific band once the original forum died. Since then, I've made a point to have something to post each week in order to keep the forum alive (also, I like kicking the last owner's arse). So, because of that, I've found myself becoming a connoisseur of fanfic.

#4 Feb 12th, 9:14pm

Kaida Shade

Fanfics can be a good way to develop your writing skills- heck the first story i ever actually completed was a Green Day fanfic. And it can be pretty fun to read if it's well written. Generally I prefer the stories with a more original twist and I will say i HATE the generic High School AU stories.

I tend to write fanfiction as a way to blow of steam, hence the amount of crack on my fanfiction.net account.

#5 Mar 07th, 11:52am

dbz 77

What is Green Day?

I have only heard of the band.

Michael

#6 Mar 07th, 3:22pm

Kaida Shade

Yeah, it was a fic about the band.

#7 Mar 07th, 11:48pm

dbz 77

Yeah, it was a fic about the band.

Was it a parody?

Michael

#8 Mar 08th, 9:45am

Kaida Shade

Pretty angsty actually XD Nah, at that point i was into bandfics on another site. There was some good stuff there actually

#9 Mar 08th, 11:28pm

dbz 77

Pretty angsty actually XD Nah, at that point i was into bandfics on another site. There was some good stuff there actually

What sites have bandfics?

Michael

#10 Mar 09th, 10:03am

Kaida Shade

www.mibba.com is pretty good for bandfics as far as I remember but i havent been on there for ages. I think there's a few AFI ones on Fanfiction.net as well but you have to search for them.

#11 Mar 09th, 10:25am

LazyChestnut

Speaking as a fanfiction writer, I have to second the previous post that said it's because people are more familiar with it.

I think it's because there are set laws for that fandom, laws that the readers are familiar with. We already know (most of) the characters, so there's less trying to figure them out.

Basically just laziness ;)

#12 Mar 10th, 7:55pm

AngeloftheOdd

I find the opposite to be true. Maybe it's because my favourite fandoms are slightly less popular than some others or because the characters I sometimes choose to write about are not fandome favourites themselves. Or because I write poetry as opposed to fics. I just posted my original poetry here and got 2 reviews in less than 5 minutes! I've had my fan poetry up for a month and I've gotten 1 review apeice for 3 out of the 7 I have. *shrugs*

#13 Mar 18th, 6:06pm

Oracle of Destiny

Hmm, I write both fanfiction and original fiction and to be honest I like them both really. Fanfiction is more or less easy to write as you must know about the subject (video game, TV show, etc...) and all you do is put them in a situation and people are interested to see how they react. Original fiction is more creative in a way as you have to plot the story, make the characters (and describe thier background story) and try and develop some ideas along the way. But in all fairness I rather prefer original fiction as I have been writing that much longer that fanfiction and for me it's like a challenge - starting something new and coming up with some interesting characters and other things as such. Fanfiction is more or less easy as there is already a plot and you know the characters very well. I've got more stories on here than I have on my account over on fanfiction so that must say a lot really!

But I have noticed that most people get more reviews over on fanfiction than on here, which is a shame and I find that somewhat frustrating in a way. Does anyone agree with me on this?

The other thing I have noticed is that many people put their OC (own/original characters) in fanfiction and sometimes it works well. Other times it is a complete failure as one of the reasons is that you don't feel this connection to the character(s). At the end of the day, what gets published in the world and made into a proper book is original fiction instead of fanfiction.

#14 Mar 28th, 5:30am

Dr. Vox

I don't like fanfiction at all. I was never interested in reading it and I think some of it is downright insulting to the original creators. I could never write it even if I tried; I'm too obsessed with keeping a plot and character canon...I'd always feel like I was twisting them in some way that they weren't meant to be.

But I can see why it exists. As has been said, it's much easier to write and read a story where all the characters and the main plot are already known.

I appreciate the original stuff far more, though...because it obviously takes a lot more to do (well, the good original stuff). I'm a huge original character/story fanatic, it's almost all I do XD;

#15 Apr 10th, 12:13pm

William H. Chang

I also have to agree with one of the previous posts regarding people being more familiar with the characters and settings when it comes to fan fiction. I also agree with the fact that yes, it is easier to write. Hell, I technically started "writing" fan fiction in elementary school when my teachers would have us narrate stories to publish at the end of the semester for the parents. They can be fun to write because you can tell lots of stories that just aren't told in the actual series; before I started working solely with original fiction I'd do continuations of game series I liked, like Star Ocean.

Still, with original fiction you're on your own, and it really does require a little more skill to pull off something original. Half the time I still feel like a ton of stuff on FP is just recycled from other stories, other series, etc. Hell, I'm still a little frazzled as to why there's a "manga" section - it just begs for recycled content.

#16 Apr 10th, 12:20pm

dbz 77

I started publishing on Fanfiction.Net before publishing here on FictionPress.Com; I had a lot more fanfiction ideas.

Michael

#17 Apr 10th, 1:51pm

Moderator(s):	YJanZ-Providence,
Rule(s):	Forums are not to be used to post stories. All discussions, language and content, must be suitable for teens. The owner/moderator(s) of this forum is solely responsible for content posted within this area. All forum abuse must be reported to the moderator(s).
Members:	Forum admin/moderator Fanatic (on site for more than 2 years) Fan (on site for more than a year) Regular (on site for more than 6 months) Camper (on site for more than a month) Apprentice (on site for more than a week) Newbie (on site for less than a week)

All times are GMT -8, US Pacific Time Zone.

Return to Top