Authors and Editors Together - Synergy or Failure? Part 3 of 3

Synergy results when multiple elements come together and produce a result greater than the sum of all the parts individually. If you’ve ever heard the saying, “We can do more together than we can apart,” that’s what is meant by synergy.

When an author and editor work together, they create synergy. The author writes, the editor edits, and together, they pull the best out of each other and create a story that neither could have created on their own. Or rather, they should be able to do that.

Unfortunately, at least from what I’m seeing in indie circles, this relationship has suffered a severe breakdown. “Authors” (and if you’ve been following my posts the past couple of days, you understand what I mean by “authors” vs. authors and "editors" vs. editors) bash editors everywhere—in Facebook groups, on blogs, in chats, on walls. They gripe about such-and-such an editor’s too-harsh comments or lack of knowledge and make terrible comments about editors. And “editors” aren’t doing themselves or authors any favors when they don’t know the most basic of grammar rules. But in an “editor’s” defense, some of them probably aren’t speaking up for fear of an "author’s" reaction. Because it has been my personal experience that “authors” are pretty nasty about vocalizing when they aren’t pleased with an editor’s or “editor’s” comments.

As a result, good editors are walking away from editing for indie authors. I know. I’m one of them. My editor is another. I got tired of dealing with the arguments and backtalk, as well as the snide back-stabbing and public, passive-aggressive hissy fits some of these “authors” threw on their Facebook walls after they asked for my feedback, got it, and got pissed off because I didn’t just say, “This is awesome. Good job.” And I know if these “authors” are throwing public hissy fits, they’re in their private chats with their friends cussing my name up and down. I don’t need that crap. No good editor does. And as more good editors walk away from editing for indie authors, what does that leave indies to choose from? “Editors” who have no business performing an edit. So it's a lose-lose.

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned that authors need to get out of their own way. And the above is a perfect example of what I mean. When working with an editor, an author needs to check her ego and pride at the door and refrain from throwing temper tantrums when she doesn't get your way or hear anything but praise, because it’s an editor’s job to make her better than she already is by shedding light on her shortcomings. Yes, good editors will point out where an author needs to work (and all authors need to work on something). They will cut up her manuscript. They will slice open its belly and poke around its organs, and they’ll tell her what she needs to do to get those organs where they’re supposed to be so the story can live and breathe, and then they will leave her with the responsibility of sewing the belly back up once she's fixed everything. At least, that’s what a good editor will do.

That. Is. Their. Job.

And it's the author's job to fix what the editor points out. There are grey areas where an author can overrule an editor, but those are usually in small, subjective areas such as whether to write the possessive of Jonas as Jonas' or Jonas's.

If all an author wants to be told is how awesome she is and how perfect her story is, she needs to hang up her typewriter, because that is not how it works. She’s just wasting everyone’s time, including her own, because she’s not writing for the right reasons or with the right expectations and frame of mind. Writing is painful. It hurts. It wounds the pride as well as the ego at times.

Even so, when it comes to the writer/editor relationship, without doubt, the editor draws the shorter stick. I’ve been on both sides of this coin, and as painful as it is for the author to receive a negative critique, it is much easier to be on the author end than the editor end.

Why is that?

As an author, it is my job to write. I love writing. I take an editor’s comments as a challenge and look forward to the ensuing chaos of fixing what an editor tells me to fix. Authors should embrace this phase, because it is at the very heart of what they supposedly love doing—writing. Right? If the author doesn't want to write, why are they writing in the first place?

On the other hand, when I was editing, when I returned an edit, I felt the hate fly at me from all angles. It takes a thicker skin to edit than write, because I know from experience that I’ve been bashed about twenty ways to Sunday over what I’ve suggested and pointed out in my edits and/or critiques. I know I’ve been cussed and spit at and flipped off every which way. It seems that the majority of indie authors only want to hear, "This is awesome!" when they ask for feedback, but I won't sacrifice my integrity and lie, and I certainly won't try to "not hurt an author's feelings" by lying, or lie simply to "keep the peace." That's not fair to anyone and doesn't do the author any good to hear lies like that. However, I would say 90% of the indie authors who have asked for my feedback, in one form or another, threw a fit when I had anything but positive things to say. Even when I voiced both positives and negatives about a piece, the reaction in at least two cases I can think of was for the author to go into a passive-aggressive meltdown on their Facebook wall. There are certain author circles I don't even participate in anymore because of the reactions I've received to my editing comments. All because I did my job...well.

In fact, editing feels like the one job that the better you are at it, the more pain it causes. At least that's been my experience.

And that’s why I no longer edit except in special circumstances.

Here’s what I think needs to happen to bring the synergy back into this crucial relationship:

First: “Authors” need to learn how to write, and “editors” need to learn how to edit. Without that, this relationship is doomed to failure.

Second: Authors and editors need to perform their respective jobs. Authors are supposed to write. Editors are supposed to edit. Editors should not be expected to rewrite poorly written work or ghostwrite for free, and authors should not be telling editors how to do their job, which leads to…

Third: Authors and editors need to listen to one another, but authors especially need to listen to what educated editors have to say and not argue with them, blow up, call them names behind their backs, go passive-aggressive against them on their Facebook walls, and otherwise act like two-year-olds badly in need of a nap. As an editor, I'm over being argued with and treated like shit, which is why I quit.

When an author argues with an educated editor, she is more-or-less wasting the editor’s time and hers. As an editor, I wouldn’t be pointing something out in the manuscript if it didn’t need to be addressed, and I always wanted to say, “Why did you ask me to edit if you’re just going to argue everything I suggest or point out and tell me how you want me to edit your work? Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”

And what's really funny is when someone argues with me and tells me I'm being too harsh in my edits then turns around and betas one of my scenes and says, "Take out that stupid comment." Really? I'm too harsh? I may be harsh, but I'm always professional and objective, and I certainly never sling personal insults or call any part of an author's work "stupid."

“Authors” need to quit arguing and get out of their own way as well as their editor's, and they need to learn that there's more to writing than just writing a story—a lot more (I'll talk about that in my next post). And "editors" need to realize they don't know everything. I just learned something new yesterday. That's the beauty of continually studying and listening to others regarding the crafts of writing and editing: You learn more and can correct old habits. :)

In yesterday's post, I said that if an author isn't feeling pain and discomfort after receiving an edit back from their editor, then the edit wasn't good enough. A good editor, especially at the indie level where writers have been shown not to have the best grasp of story structure and grammar, should be finding tons of things that need to be sliced and diced. TONS! And that means that an author should have tons of work to do when she gets her edit back. If that's not happening, then she's not getting her money's worth, even if the edit was free.

Now, before I get rotten tomatoes thrown at me for saying authors at the indie level have been shown not to have the best grasp of writing, let me explain that I'm not saying that to be derogatory. I'm saying that because it's true. Indie writing is not at the same level as professional writing. It just isn't. Why lie and say it is? So, I'm just stating a fact.

But the greater point to be noted here is that the field of indie authors is RICH with coal just waiting to be pressurized into diamonds, and then cut, molded, and polished further into beautiful gemstones. But a lump of coal can't become a raw diamond without a LOT of pressure being applied to it first, and and a raw diamond can't become a beautiful gemstone without being cut, filed, and polished. But for the process to be a success, the lump of coal (writer) can't fight the process, and the editor has to know how to apply pressure, cut, and polish.

Of course, all of this is contingent on the author actually wanting to put out the best and highest quality story possible. It that isn't the goal, then my posts of the last three days can be disregarded.

To summarize my last three posts, "editors" need to become editors, "authors" need to become authors, and the two need to begin working harmoniously with one another, allowing and expecting each to do their respective jobs. And that is critical. Authors need to expect editors to edit, and editors need to expect authors to write. And both need to allow the other the room and respect to operate in their roles, which means editors need to be allowed to give negative feedback without repercussions, and writers need to be allowed to rewrite their own work without editors feeling they need to do it for them for free. If authors and editors are just going to bitch, sling insults, and call names, they should get out of the business, because they're pissing away one of the most powerful tools in their arsenal that could propel them to the next level: Synergy.

Comments?

I plan on getting back to my writing tip posts in the next couple of weeks, because I have a mission to help as many authors as I can improve their abilities. If you have suggestions for writing tips, please let me know what they are so I can add them to my list.

Thank you.

Rules of Writing - Part III - My Own Contribution to the List

Look at those pictures. Do those look like a nice, friendly altercations or angry ones? Pretty angry, right? Now, is this the kind of reaction you want to provoke in your fans and readers? Probably not.

My contribution to the list of rules I've posted over the past week would be: Unless you are Stephen King or any number of other highly successful authors who have earned the right to do pretty much whatever they want without repercussions to book sales, don't use your author persona to post your political agenda or publicly display where you stand on certain heated, societal issues. And definitely do NOT start a campaign against any one person or group of people who piss you off, don't agree with your political/social agenda, or write a bad review of one of your books. Doing so is akin to starting a protest, and from countless pictures we've seen of protests, not very many end happily or peacefully. Of course, if you're not serious about your writing, or if you have such a massive and loyal following you don't have to worry about losing fans, protest away.

Here's a true story: A few months ago, I became so disillusioned with one author's political and social agendas, as well as her posts against those who she felt "had it coming," that I had to unfriend her. Sad, but true. She is an exceptionally knowledgeable writer, and someone I had truly liked for quite some time, but I just couldn't take it anymore and found myself becoming angrier with every post she made, which is not something I want to feel when I'm trying to be productive. Her posts had progressively become more belligerent and argumentative in groups I was in with her to the point I had to leave the groups, and when she went on a crusade to out another writer/person who had a history of making stupid and inexcusable comments, I said "enough" and clicked unfriend. I wish her luck, but I can't be part of her success story anymore. But her actions did make me realize the importance of this rule, because I saw how her behavior made me and a few other people react to her by distancing ourselves from her. As a result, I never want to instigate such a reaction from my fans (and I will honestly admit that I could see I had the potential to do that), and I'm sharing this story with you so you don't make the same mistake, either.

Here's the thing: I don't care where my fave authors sit on political issues, and I don't want to see them get into cock fights with another person who, quite frankly, doesn't deserve the attention, whether justified or not. That's not why I follow them or their fan pages. To engage in such politically and socially charged conversations and crusades is counterproductive and can damage your reputation, and you can turn friends into enemies with just one carelessly written post.

You don't see J.R. Ward, Nora Roberts, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and other best sellers posting about such heated subjects and making public outcries for the rights of certain segments of society (and even if they do, look at where they are. They've earned a place where they can afford to behave that way. We indie authors aren't quite there, yet). And you don't see those best selling authors arguing with their fans, making passive-aggressive posts against them and becoming the very thing they are speaking out against. That's not how you keep fans or win new ones. It's how you lose them and dissuade others from joining your ride.

If you want to be taken seriously as an author, you need to behave the way a serious author behaves. See that which you wish to become and emulate it. If you want to become a best seller, you need to behave like one. If you want to be the next J.R. Ward or Stephen King, do as they do and emulate the paths they took to get there.

The long and short of this rule is to be very careful what you say and post when in your author persona. I have learned this lesson from experience in the past few months, and it really is an important rule to abide by. One that I wish I had followed a few months back myself, because I've overstepped my boundaries once or twice, as well. Luckily, I'm learning from my mistakes. I hope you do, too, because you'll be much happier.

Happy Writing and Reading! (Operative word: HAPPY)

-D

The Rules of Writing - Part II

Last week I posted Part I of the Rules of Writing, but there were so many, I needed to create a second part, so today I continue the list, with my commentary. The contributing authors for Part II are: Hilary Mantel, Michael Moorcock, Michael Morpurgo, Andrew Motion, Joyce Carol Oates, Annie Proulx, Philip Pullman, Ian Rankin, Will Self, Helen Simpson, Zadie Smith, Colm Toibin, Rose Tremain, Sarah Waters, and Jeanette Winterson.

• Are you serious about this? Then get an accountant. [DL: And an attorney, a group of beta readers, an editor, and an EIN number. And don't forget a dash of sanity.]
• Read Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande [DL: Here's the link: Becoming a Writer on Amazon
• Be aware that anything that appears before "Chapter One" may be skipped. Don't put your vital clue there. [DL: I believe in Part I of these rules, there was a rule that even said not to write prologues. This is why. Like it or not, people skip prologues. If the information is vital to the story, don't put it in a prologue or other front matter. Find a way to work that into your manuscript and skip the prologue. I have heard the rule many times before.]
• Description works best if it has a human element and comes from an implied human viewpoint rather than from the eye of God. If it is colored by the viewpoint of the character doing the noticing, description becomes part of the character definition and part of the action. [DL: This is why omniscient storytelling is not encouraged and can be dry. When the viewpoint comes from outside the characters, the reader doesn't get a good sense of the characters.]
• Read. [DL: This rule comes up often, with a variation that says to read outside your genre as much as possible.]
• The first third of your novel is the introduction, the middle third is the development, and the final third is the resolution. [DL: Introduce characters and plots in the introduction, develop them in the development, and resolve them in the resolution. We shouldn't be meeting a main character for the first time in the development, and we should be starting to wrap up the main action by the time we reach the final third of the story].
• Once the book is finished in its first draft, I read it out loud to myself. How it sounds is hugely important. [DL: If you read Part I that was posted last week, this rule should sound familiar. It came up over and over and over (and over again) on the list. In other words, if you're not reading your story out loud while editing it, you're probably not catching flow problems.]
• Think with your senses as well as your brain. [DL: This rule ties in with the following rule.]
• Honor the miraculousness of the ordinary. [DL: Eating a pear may seem ordinary to you, but to someone who has never eaten a pear, it's an experience. Remember in the movie, City of Angels, when Meg Ryan described what eating a pear was like? Sweet, juicy. Grainy, like sugar that melts on my tongue. I think that's what she said. Does that sound "ordinary" to you? Try to imagine what these "ordinary" experiences feel, smell, look, taste, and sound like. Make them EXTRAordinary.] 
• Let your work stand before deciding whether or not to serve. [DL: This one is so important, I need to expand on it. When you grill a steak, you're supposed to let it stand so the juices seep back into the tissues and don't escape when you cut it. In other words, don't serve the meal before it's ready to be eaten. Same with your books. I see a lot of authors crank out a first draft and then publish it within a few weeks. Whoa, whoa, whoa! A few weeks is not enough time to let your precious baby sit. A manuscript needs to rest a while, then go through edits. Right after you've finished writing it, you think it's a masterpiece. Only after you put fresh eyes to it after a resting period will you see all that still needs to be done before it's ready. I've looked at my "masterpieces" after a couple of months and wondered what drugs I was on when I wrote that crap. How embarrassing (and reputationally damaging) it would have been had I published it immediately after finishing it. Hold tight...more rules on this coming up.]
• Use plain, familiar words, not polysyllabic ones. [DL: I used to write using large words no one knew. Now I know better. You don't want your readers reading two books: yours and a dictionary. KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetie.]
• Rewrite and edit until you achieve the most [well-suited] phrase/sentence/paragraph/page/ story/chapter. [DL: Much like letting a manuscript sit for a while, I put each manuscript through at least five rounds of edits. At least. Letting it sit between each edit. The first two edits are for large amounts of rewriting and editing, where I will add, rewrite, remove, or relocate entire chapters or scenes. The next couple/few edits are for honing smaller scenes and paragraphs. Then I move on to fix things on a sentence level. Finally, I go through and address individual words, cutting out the extras or changing them. Only by running a finer-toothed comb through each read-thru can I get to a point where I feel I've fleshed out all the fat. You can't fix all the small stuff until the big stuff is fixed, so this requires many rounds of edits.
• Don't look back until you've written an entire draft. [DL: This is another rule that was repeated often. Do not begin editing until you've finished the first draft. You have to have something to edit before you can edit it.]
• The real work is in the edit. [DL: Here's another rule about letting your work stand before you serve it. I have seen too many authors publish their books without so much as a cursory re-read, only to see their work published with an ungodly amount of errors. Writing the book is the easy part, but once you type the last word the REAL work is only beginning. If you aren't willing to do the real work, this is not the profession for you. Editing is hard f'ing work. No joke. No lie. If I spend a month writing a manuscript, I spent 3-6 months editing it. Just because you have an "editor" does not mean you can skimp on this step. It's your responsibility to double-check your editor's work, because editors are not infallible.]
• Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. [DL: This goes without saying, because you never know where your next idea will hit you. You don't want to be without your notebook when it does. Write it down or you'll forget it.]
• Regard yourself as a small corporation of one. [DL: This is a job. Treat it like one, including lunch breaks and Christmas parties for yourself. Like I said earlier, get an EIN number.]
• Leave a decent space of time between writing something and editing it. [DL: Are you beginning to see the importance of this rule? It comes up repeatedly on the list. Let. It. Sit. Before. You. Edit. And. Serve. It.]
• Stop feeling sorry for yourself. [DL: Feeling sorry for yourself kills your creativity and energy. I know. I've been there.]
• Never be satisfied with a first draft. [DL: Ahem. I detect a theme there. Edit, edit, and edit some more.]
• Listen to the criticisms and preferences of your trusted "first readers." [DL: And don't just listen. ENCOURAGE your beta readers to be HARSH! And when they are, LISTEN. Don't get mad at them. Listen. They represent your audience and readership, and they are there to help you. Would you rather they catch a major plot hole before you publish the book, or would you rather thousands of readers destroy you in bad word-of-mouth and reviews after the book is released?]
• Write dialogue that people would actually speak. [DL: Would a character more like say this: "I do not know where we are going," or this: "I don't know where we're going."? This: "I'm aware that our neighbor provided sustenance that caused gastrointestinal upset," or this: "I got food poisoning from my neighbor's barbecue."? This is a good reason for reading your work out loud. Doing so allows you to hear bad dialogue.]
• Novels are for readers, not your self-expression or therapy. [DL: If you write for yourself, it's called journaling. If your goal is to write for public consumption, remember that you need to know your market and that you need to give readers what they want, not what YOU want.]
• Take no notice of anyone you don't respect or who has a gender agenda. [DL: Who cares if some ding-a-ling wants to snark off about how women shouldn't write homosexual romance because they have no right to when they're not homosexual men. I'm not a doctor, either, but I can still write about doctors. And I'm not a dude, but I've created some wickedly bad-ass alpha males my readers have fallen in love with. I'm giving MY readers what they want, and since my readers are mostly women, I cater to their tastes. They don't care if I'm a woman. All they care about is they loved my interpretation of two male vampires going through hell and back to find love with one another, not that I'm a woman writing M/M romance. Let the naysayers sound off. Who cares? Ignore their sorry asses. They aren't your bread and butter, and they're not worth the time you give them and take away from what's truly important: YOUR WRITING and your FANS.
• Be ambitious for the work and not for the reward. [DL: If all you want is money without the desire to learn the craft of writing...without caring enough to put a quality product into readers' hands...then you're in this for the wrong reasons.]
• Last but not least, Enjoy the work! [DL: If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. It's not the profession for you if you aren't enjoying every facet of the work, which includes editing and improving your skills.]

Here's the link to the full list of rules: The Rules of Writing

Happy Writing and Reading!

-D

The Rules of Writing - Part I

First of all, I love that picture. I smiled as I read each rule on it, because I've heard them all before and actually employ many of them in my own writing efforts. Maybe you do, too.

But does writing really have rules? Do we, as authors, have to follow a set of prescribed rules to perform our jobs as writers correctly? Of course not. That's the beauty of writing. However, there are some rules, such as those pertaining to spelling and grammar that if you don't follow will make it hard or nearly impossible for your readers to understand your book. Imagine if you were to read a book with no paragraphs, misplaced commas (or no commas), or even no punctuation at all. You'd probably put it down before reading a word. So, some rules are pretty darn important, right?

While searching the Internet for writing tips, I stumbled across an English site that included several authors' self-created lists for the "ten rules of writing." I prefer to call their lists advice or the ten guidelines of writing instead of rules. Whether you want to call them rules, advice, or guidelines, what they had to say was poignant and sometimes entertaining. Below are some of my favorite "rules," as presented by the likes of Elmore Leonard, Diana Athill, Margaret Atwood, Roddy Doyle, Helen Dunmore, Geoff Dyer, Anne Enright, Richard Ford, Jonathan Franzen, Esther Freud, Neil Gaiman, David Hare, PD James, and AL Kennedy.

• Avoid prologues...A prologue in a novel is backstory, and you can drop it in anywhere you want. [DL: This is not the first time I have heard this piece of advice. Since a lot of readers don't read prologues, it's best to include the information in your prologue as part of the story. Yes, you can do that. You're a writer. It's up to you to find a way to do that.]
• Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue. [DL: Again, I've heard this one many times, usually from editors.]
• Keep your exclamation points under control. [DL: I've been told only to use them when your characters are yelling.]
• Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
• Avoid detailed descriptions of characters or places/things. [DL: A sure sign you're telling a story and not showing it.]
• If it sounds like writing, rewrite it.
• Read it aloud, because that's the only way to be sure the rhythm of the story is correct. [DL: This piece of advice came up over and over on the list from several authors. This is something I do when I'm in final edits, and I can assure you, it works.]
• Cut. Get every inessential word out of your story so that every essential word counts. [DL: This is another piece of advice that comes up repeatedly, stated in different words, but with the same message: get rid of the fluff.]
• Give the work a name as quickly as possible so you can own it and see it. [DL: I do this and it really does help guide the story.]
• Finish the day's writing when you still want to continue. [DL: I've heard this one before. The idea is you'll be ready to go the next day if you follow this rule.]
• Reread, rewrite, reread, rewrite. [DL: One read-through of your manuscript before you publish it isn't enough. If you want to be serious about your writing, you need to reread/edit/proof your manuscripts 5-10 times before they're ready, and even then it may not be enough. I've read a couple of mine upwards of 15-20 times.]
• Join professional organizations which advance the collective thoughts of authors.
• Do it every day. [DL: Writing is your job. If you worked in an office, you would be putting in 8+ hours per day. Why shouldn't you treat writing the same way? If you love it, putting in those kinds of hours shouldn't make you groan about not wanting to work that hard, because it wouldn't feel like work even if you spent 12 hours a day doing it].
• Only bad writers think that their work is really good. [DL: Usually, it's the writers who don't feel their writing is up to snuff who are the best writers.]
• DON'T READ YOUR REVIEWS. [DL: Yes, yes, yes! Follow this rule unless you want to get caught up in a mess of pain and shattered confidence.]
• Likewise, don't write reviews. [DL: The rationale is that your judgment's tainted. This is one reason why I don't write reviews.]
• Finish what you're writing. [DL: Don't start edits until you've finished the first draft. NO EXCEPTIONS! Editing and writing happen on two separate sides of the brain. You can't edit when you're trying to write, and you can't write when you're trying to edit. Choose one and finish it before starting the other. Trust me. You'll understand once you do it. This is another rule that is repeated over and over on the list.]
• Increase your word power. [DL: Buy a vocabulary builder, take a class, read books outside your genre, make a list of words you find interesting, etc.]
• Read widely and with discrimination. Bad writing is contagious. [DL: Just read. A lot.]
• Open your mind to new experiences. [DL: Each new experience is a plot bunny.]
• Have humility...then have more humility.
• Be without fear. [DL: Fear will kill your creative process. I know. I've been down that road recently.]
• And last but not least (at least for today's installment), remember you love writing. It wouldn't be worth it if you didn't. If the love fades, do what you need to and get it back.

These are just some of the pieces of advice given on the website. If you want to see the full list, the link is Ten Writing Rules by Authors . Take a look at what other authors have to say. I know I found a couple that have already helped to improve my writing, so perhaps you might, too. 

With that, I'm off to employ my own rules of writing and get back to work on my next AKM novel, Return of the Assassin. Have a great Labor Day everybody. Can you believe it's almost autumn? Wow.

Oh, and before you go, tell me what your favorite "rule" of writing is? Do you have one? 

Happy Writing!

-D

Fan Fiction - Friend or Foe?

Some people have passionate views about fan fiction, especially since the success of Fifty Shades of Grey. The Fifty Shades phenomenon would not have been the success it is today if not for the huge fan fiction following it gained. For those who have been completely detached from the Fifty Shades pandemonium, that story started as a fan fiction story for the Twilight books. The author later stripped out all the vampire and name references so she could publish it and not get slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit.

 

So, depending on which side of the fence you're on, you could either see fan fiction as a great thing or a bad thing. People who have seen success from starting out writing fan fiction probably see it as a good thing, but still others can make the argument (and have, which is why I'm using it as an example) that books like Fifty Shades cheated the system and aren't good enough to be published, and only became a success because of the rabid fan following from fanfic sites. Consequently, these people have turned an angry eye against fan fiction, blaming it for bastardizing fiction and for overshadowing truly original authors.

 

As for me, I vascillate somewhere in the middle ground. I have written fan fiction, and it's possible that I will take some of my fan fiction and alter it into stories of my own or work the components of that fanfic into existing stories. But for me, I use fanfic more as a writing exercise, as well as a means to generate more ideas and expand my creativity. Fanfic has been a great way for me to break out of writing ruts and find fresh ideas.

A few pros of fanfic:

1. It's a great way for budding authors to open their fledgling wings and learn how to structure a story.
2. Writing fanfic helps build confidence for new writers. This could be the first time these writers have ever written for the public, and doing so prepares them for when they write their own stories later.
3. Fanfic allows fans to actively participate in, and be a part of, their favorite authors' stories.
4. The authors of the original pieces that inspire fanfic can reap more fans from the added attention.

Cons:

1. Anyone can write fan fiction, but just because a person has written a fanfic piece does not make them an author. There is a LOT more to building a story than taking someone else's idea and making it your own.
2. On that note, it must be remembered that if you do write fan fiction, you ARE taking someone else's ideas and characters and "having your way with them." The original author or other fans might not like where you take those characters.
3. There is a faction of society who abhors fanfic. You need to be ready for backlash if you take a fanfic piece and rework it for publication.
4. Last and probably most important, readers are extremely vocal. In the anonymity of the Internet, they will have no problem picking your fanfic piece apart. Writers (and not just of fanfic) have to have an extremely thick skin to take the critique of readers. Writers MUST NEVER retaliate, talk back to, argue with, or attack a reader who has criticized their work. Period. Doing so will destroy you as a writer. I've seen it happen. If anything, you should be grateful for the negative feedback, because it will help you improve your writing.

Fan fiction: love it or leave it. There's not denying the influence fan fiction has had and will continue to have on fiction. In a way, writing has evolved in a way to include fan fiction as a valid means by which to write and gain new fans, a following, and to have success in the writing world. Personally, I think it needs to be embraced, as long as everyone is aware of the pitfalls and legalities involved. Fifty Shades of Grey is the perfect example. Whether you love the books or hate them, you can't deny the effect Fifty has had in the writing world, or the success the author experienced from it. Think about that. :)

Do you read or write fan fiction? Why or why not? If so, what are your favorite types of fanfic stories?

Happy Writing and Reading

- D