Okay, I need to get something off my chest…
All of the writing groups I participate in have been talking about 50 Shades Of Grey for several months now. Debating how unethical and immoral and illegal what EL James did {taking a fanfiction and turning it into books} is.
Here is my response:
It is highly illegal what EL James did! {not to mention unethical} Because she’s made money from it, she broke ALL the rules of fan fiction.
A lot of my fellow fanfic authors {those of us who started out by writing fanfic} are pissed about what she’s done, because it makes us all look bad. Especially to other writers.
On top of that because of what Mrs. James did, the rest of us have been highly cracked down on. our stories that involve and sexual scenes are being deleted for containing sex. Because of the whole MOTU and 50SOG thing, FFnet has begun a major crackdown enforcing “supposed rules” they never bothered to before.
A lot of good stories {some of the oldest fanfics} are being taken down, never to be seen again. Those writers left a long time ago and all of their hard work is being trashed.Honestly, you’ll get no argument from me about how it’s unethical, illegal, and immoral what she did. But, please, don’t assume all of us are like her.We’ve worked hard to learn the basics of the craft of writing. A lot of us create our own characters {Original Characters} to toss into the world, because we like how many open possibilities there are.
However, I’m not one of them who will take my fanfics and make them into books!
I’ve crafted my own world, my own races, and my own characters for my novels. {Several of you have read my free preview chapters of one already {Dangerous Temptation.}
I followed the rules, yet because I started out learning to write through writing fanfics, I’m judged along with EL James and that’s not fair!
I still write fanfic, because my readers enjoy my twists and turns on the canon plot. I take the characters and start in canon world, then my twists and turns kick in really fast! I use tons of twists and turns that are not canon and barely have to do with the worlds. I delved far deeper into the character’s personalities. Like Bankotsu {from Inuyasha} is a stone cold killer. {He’s a mercenary. In fact, he’s the leader of the most infamous band of mercenaries in Feudal Japan’s history}
I love to explore why he’s that way.
What happened in his childhood to turn him so bitter and brutal by the tender age of 17?
What did he suffer through to make him the way he became?
Was he abandoned by his parents?
Were they killed in front of him?
Was he cast out from his people?
Who were his people?
There are millions of questions, billions of possibilities.
So little is even known about his character. I like showing that cold blooded or not, he’s still human, {or was before he died.} My readers love that I’ve brought to light his human side.
Just because I started out in fanfic, doesn’t mean I’m making money from it. Granted, it got me a bunch of readers from the start {All over the world} But, it’s because they enjoy my twists and turns and my OC’s that they’ve stuck with me for over six years now and continue to await my updates.
My novels are my own creations, so please don’t judge me {or all other fanfic writers} by what EL James did.
Okay my mini rant is over.
What are your opinions on this subject? Is it fair to blame all because of a few bad apples? If you didn’t know I started by writing fan fic and read my preview would you think I’d written fnfic?
Fellow fanfic writers, feel free to chime in. Do you plan to keep writing fanfic? Are you being unfairly judged because of this mess?
I totally agree. No one has the right to take work that they’ve done in the fanfic world and publish it as though the characters (even if the names were changed) was there’s to begin with. And on top of that, the writing is terrible. It makes fanfic writers look bad and the crackdown on FFnet totally sucks. However, as a writer that started in the fanfiction world, I will continue to post, because there are people who enjoy the work I do there. Simple as that. If you can’t do what you love then what else is there?
SMV
Thanks for commenting. I’m one of those who enjoy your works. XD
I just got sick of the whole “every fanfic writers is bad because they’re doing something illegal” vibe going out there. Have you noticed it yet?
Writing fanfic is not illegal! What is illegal is making money from it.
Twice before something like this has happened once with controversy and once without. Another hope which was a re-imagining of the starwars world was one of the first. Which I do think ties back into your main complaint and the other is Time’s Champion (Doctor who) which was released for charity.
The whole vibe of “Fanfic writers are bad because they’re doing something illegal” isn’t one that’s necessarily new. Mainly due to the grey area of legality many of them fall into. It can’t be claimed as fair use (except for only a select few that can claim parody). So while on one side it can be seen as benign the other side can see it as copyright infringment because there’s no definite rule on either side.
According to the definition of fanfiction on wiki, it is claimed as a legal derivative work and as long as there is no money made from the fanfic, it’s not infringing on the copyrights, because we’re only allowed to write about characters, movies, books, that the creators have given consent for us to. Those who do not want their characters used or their worlds used, have a list they sign up so we fanfic writers know who can’t be used. Such as Ann Rice, Ann McCaffrey, George RR Martin and Raymond Fest.
Others Like J.K. Rowling and Stephine Meyer don’t mind it. In fact Mrs. Meyer has links to fanfictions about her characters linked right on her website.
What I don’t understand is why, even though Mrs. Meyer has a clear cut case, she hasn’t filed suit.
Great post thanks. I really enjoyed reading it very much. Have an excellent day.
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Thanks for the insight.