by Author Name Withheld 228

Created on: September 15, 2008   Last Updated: November 17, 2010

Fan fiction forums are dedicated to fans all over the world who enjoy an author's stories or watch popular television shows, then log in online to discuss them and re-write them or create a new world entirely.

What authors must know, is that fans who recreate their fiction are doing it as a form of flattery and nothing more. These fans have watched the shows, the cartoons, stayed up late reading their books and now they want more. I will be offering four reasons why fan fiction sites are wonderful for online communities and advantageous to authors of the original work.

GREAT STORY STARTERS

This means brainstorming, and it should be okay to use an author's work for building creative flow. Some writers on these fanfic sites are really good writers. They can weave tales like the best of them. Some of these writers are writing to gain an audience that will let them know whether they've captured the true essence of the story or not. Exercising your creative muscle while working on a piece of fiction is exhilarating and fun!

DISCUSSION FORUMS

Fanfiction sites allow people from all over to discuss highly addictive books by authors like Stephenie Meyer, or J. K. Rowling. It's not just a site for "recreating" work, but for discussing future books, give writing tips, and to review other writers material. These forums also have Beta Readers that check for spelling and grammar; writing etiquette which goes a long way.

IT IS NOT FOR MONEY

Fan fiction writers do not write for money. They write for fun, for recognition, for practice. Of course we can learn to create our own stories and some actually do! Yet, since there is no harm in twisting fiction why should authors be upset about it? If I were a famous author and people thought enough of my works to keep it alive online, then so be it.

A FORM OF FLATTERY AND PROMOTION

Before I began watching Harry Potter and actually read a couple of books in the series, I did not know who Harry Potter was. I knew he was a wizard, and that was all. I went on fanfiction.net about two years ago and discovered people writing about Dumbledore and Hogwarts and other strange places and I was like: "Wow! I know this is fanfiction, but I do want to read some of that!" So reading fan fiction makes readers want to actually buy the originals!

Fan fiction was not meant to be competition, and it isn't. It was meant as a fun forum, no money involved, no copyrights, just people having fun with words.

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