Fanfiction/speculation [long]

[Elizabeth Dalton]

No: HPFGUIDX 31274

If you're not interested in reading a discussion of the merits and disadvantages 
of fan fiction, please skip this post.

Gwen posted about the value of reading and writing fanfiction toward
understanding a complex fictional world, and ended with a question:

> For those of you who can speculate and theorize without turning to the
> actual writing of fanfiction, how is it that you keep track of all the
> interwoven details to keep things straight?

I'll preface this by saying up front that I'm not a fan of fan fiction. However,
none of this is to say that I think other people shouldn't read or write fan
fiction. It's a harmless enough hobby. And others may find it much more fruitful
than I do. (I'll come back to this at the end.)

First, choosing not to read fanfiction and not to write fanfiction are two very
different things, and I think it's worth it to take a moment to clarify this. As
I know this has been done to some extent before, these are only my opinions, 
naturally. But I'm curious to know how other people may agree or disagree.

I don't read fanfiction primarily for the reason often given by others: I don't
want to confuse my understanding of the books. Perhaps, when all seven of
Rowling's books are out and assuming she sticks to her current plan of stopping
development of her own in this universe at that point, I might be interested in
reading what others have done with her characters and world. But for me, reading
someone else's fiction really is different from reading theories. The narrative
version presents characterizations and events as "fact" within the fictional
universe. The speculations on a list like this are merely that: speculations (no
matter how vehemently stated ;). To me, they have a very different feel. I am
not immersed in the posts on this list (though it seems like it sometimes, due
to sheer volume!) as I would be in a narrative. To enjoy reading any fiction,
including fan fiction, I need to be in that immersed state: not distant,
skeptical, critical, as I am when I'm reading posts on a discussion list like
this. Being that immersed would affect my understanding of Rowling's world in a
way that reading and writing non-narrative speculation does not.

There is separately the question of quality. I have not read any HP fanfiction,
so I am not commenting on any of that work directly, but my previous experiences
with fanfiction have been mixed, at best. Bluntly put, I don't have a lot of
time to read fiction for pleasure (despite making time to participate on this
list). When I do find time to read fiction, I'd rather spend my time reading
materials I have reason to believe will be of very high quality. (And if you 
really believe your fanfic is as good as Rowling's work, I'm not saying it's 
not, but why aren't you trying to publish original stories? See below.)

I don't write HP fanfiction for a couple of reasons, one of which relates to the
primary reason I don't read it, only more so. Writing fiction, as Gwen notes,
requires a lot of decisions to be made and ambiguity to be resolved. I would
have to set in my mind how I want those decisions and ambiguities to be decided.
This would prejudice my reading of Rowling's work, later, far more than simply
reading -- and even writing -- speculations does. More, even, than reading
someone else's narrative would. I like what Rowling is doing with her stories.
I'd rather enjoy them as they are, than try to second-guess her to that extent.

Another reason I don't write fanfiction is time, of course. As noted above, I
don't have a lot to spare these days. And if I had time, I'd be writing my own
stuff... which brings me to my third reason.

I'm not a published author. Yet. I have a short stack of rejection slips from
science fiction magazines, and I plan to collect more, on my way to getting
something actually sold. I'm not saying I'm as good as Rowling, or any of my
other favorite authors, for that matter. But I do hope, and other published
authors who've reviewed my work think, that I'm good enough to see print
someday. Unfortunately (perhaps), spin-offs of other authors' work don't usually
get published, except in fanzines and occasionally in specialized anthologies, 
which generally don't count for much as far as building a "publishing resumé" is 
concerned. I also don't find derivative works very satisfying to write. Again, 
bluntly put, if I have time to write, I'd rather be writing my own stuff. And 
that's the same advice I'd give to others who spend a lot of time on fan 
fiction, as well.

(And if you're wondering, yes, I have written what counts as fan fiction before. 
Lots of it. I was once in a "Chronicles of Amber" roleplaying game, in which I 
was responsible for keeping a "character diary." After I'd written 300 pages, 
single-spaced, of novelized accounts of what was going on in the RPG, I realized 
it was time to stop pouring my energy into derivative works and start trying to 
publish original material. I joined a professional writer's group and started 
submitting manuscripts to SF magazines. I got a couple of nicely encouraging 
rejection letters for my trouble (and several form slips), and the writer's 
group was very supportive. Then the decision to pursue a graduate degree and 
subsequently the adoption of my first daughter put a damper on my writing 
career, but I'll come back to it as soon as we complete our second adoption and 
I finish my doctorate.)

Now to answer Gwen's final question, I keep track of the speculations, theories,
and interwoven details the same way I keep track of the real-world news. As
wonderfully complex as Rowling's world is, she still hasn't passed real life for
complexity and mystery. :) And while I do sometimes attempt to understand the
events of the real world through writing fiction, it isn't my most usual mode.
Generally I find that discussion works best for me. That's why I'm on this list.

All that being said, Gwen, I really like your analysis of Snape. If writing
fanfiction is what led you there, by all means, go with it. :)

Elizabeth
(adoptive mother, full-time instruction designer, part-time Chinese teacher, and 
frustrated SF author)