[HPFGU-OTChatter] Re: "Tainting the canon"; one author's philosophy of fanfic

[Horst or Rebecca J. Bohner]

> So, I suppose my point, which I left behind long ago, is that for
> me, "sticking in tone and style exactly to the canon" does not
> necesaarily translate into "something I want to read" (although it
> doesn't necessarily mean I don't want to read it, either.) We all
> read fanfic for different reasons and, to coin an obvious truism, we
> all have different taste in what we like.

Very well put, and I wouldn't waste a word in disagreement.

I should also add that you're quite right, it's very possible for a person
to technically replicate the original in terms of narrative voice, type of
plot, characterization, dialogue, etc. and still come up with a rather dull
story.  I'm not that thrilled with a lot of the Sherlock Holmes pastiches
that are written in Watson's voice, for instance:  some of them do a good
job, but they don't tell me anything I haven't already heard.  I used to
yearn for a SH story that would show a different, more emotionally developed
side of Holmes, one that the canonical stories had only hinted at.  But
although I read several valiant efforts along this line, I only ever came
across one so well written and brilliantly characterized that it practically
forced me to believe it.  After I finished doing a wild dance of glee and
reading the book twice within 24 hours, I immediately wrote to the author,
struck up a friendship, and started up a web page and mailing list for her
books.  I may be picky, but never let it be said that I am ungrateful.  :)

Anyway, getting back to my point, my idea of an ideal HP fanfic is not one
that slavishly adheres to every point of JKR's writing and plotting style,
but one that makes its digressions and differences from canon plausible.  If
an author can do that, I'll follow them anywhere.  Well, almost anywhere.
:)
--
Rebecca J. Bohner (who has been known to do some pretty wild and
controversial things in her fanfics, given enough time to set them up)
rebeccaj at pobox.com
http://home.golden.net/~rebeccaj