Fanfiction was really where I first started to enjoy writing and I owe a lot to it. When I was 11-12 I was always terrible at creating characters, so I borrowed Harry Potter's and LOTR's, and it taught me how to create interesting story-lines, how to write in-character, not to mention that it led me to writing novels and novellas that were actually published both online and in print.
I think fanfiction is a lot easier to wright because the author is familiar with the characters and the world, which can be a double edged sword. Every reader has a different interpretation of characters and their motives, or even mechanics in the world. Some see friendship, others see OST (which gets us slash). Where some see strength, others see evil (which gives us hate-fics). And then there's pointless sex scenes and other things, but I don't think it's the fault of the "genre" of fanfiction. These are problems (unrealistic characters, pandering sex, personal vendettas and hate) of bad writers in every form of writing. It's just easier to see in fanfiction because you need no qualifications to write it, no literary agent, no editor or publishing house, not even a quick once-over.
But then there's the golden rule of internet fanfiction: for every hundred that make you want to shoot someone, there's one that's worth dying for. Somewhere, there are incredibly talented writers who want to goof off or get a better understanding of a canon that they love. There are some really great stories that are better than a lot of published books. I have a friend who writes fanfic to celebrate the canon, like others do cosplay.
Fanfiction was really where I first started to enjoy writing and I owe a lot to it. When I was 11-12 I was always terrible at creating characters, so I borrowed Harry Potter's and LOTR's, and it taught me how to create interesting story-lines, how to write in-character, not to mention that it led me to writing novels and novellas that were actually published both online and in print.
I think fanfiction is a lot easier to wright because the author is familiar with the characters and the world, which can be a double edged sword. Every reader has a different interpretation of characters and their motives, or even mechanics in the world. Some see friendship, others see OST (which gets us slash). Where some see strength, others see evil (which gives us hate-fics). And then there's pointless sex scenes and other things, but I don't think it's the fault of the "genre" of fanfiction. These are problems (unrealistic characters, pandering sex, personal vendettas and hate) of bad writers in every form of writing. It's just easier to see in fanfiction because you need no qualifications to write it, no literary agent, no editor or publishing house, not even a quick once-over.
But then there's the golden rule of internet fanfiction: for every hundred that make you want to shoot someone, there's one that's worth dying for. Somewhere, there are incredibly talented writers who want to goof off or get a better understanding of a canon that they love. There are some really great stories that are better than a lot of published books. I have a friend who writes fanfic to celebrate the canon, like others do cosplay.
