Among some fans of fanfiction, there is one misconception that significantly distorts the picture of the world. Almost everything that network authors write is called fan fiction, especially if they managed to light up in some kind of fandom. Nevertheless, the original is a completely independent work that does not have a direct relationship to fanfiction, although you can find some common signs if you wish. How to understand the intricacies and not become the object of ridicule? Everything is actually very simple, you just need to understand the terms and get rid of misconceptions.
Is the original literature or fan fiction?
Arrogant contempt for networking is actually very shaky. Indeed, publishers sometimes publish frankly weak works, the presence of a paper book does not guarantee artistic value at all. It’s just that the Internet provides an opportunity to put anything on court for readers at any time. With such accessibility, a stream of frankly graphomanic stories, deeply secondary and primitive, is inevitable. It is believed that it is precisely these shortcomings that all fanfiction on the fandom, which is experiencing a peak in popularity, possess, which is completely untrue.
The term “original” itself implies that this is an original work that is not related to existing ones. At the same time, it is possible that some novel, film or anime inspired the author and encouraged the creation of something new. If so, then any story, novel or novel is the original. At the same time, the publication is not an indicator, because the manuscript lying in the drawer of the table does not become fanfiction just because it did not get into the publishing house.
The main signs of fanfiction
Why do authors even write fanfiction? First of all, because they are fascinated by the world of some work, and the Internet is not at fault here. A great example is the author Christopher Priest. This is a popular British science fiction writer, who at one time was so imbued with the works of Herbert Wells that he wrote his version - an alternative novel, The Space Machine, in which he successfully combined Wells' books The Time Machine and War of the Worlds. If you consider his novel from the point of view of fanfiction - this is an alternative story, retelling. You can criticize this approach, but it hardly makes sense to prohibit.
In the fan fiction, alien characters, an alien world are used, but at the same time there may be completely different circumstances and relations. This is the main difference: the original is an independent work, and any coincidences are random. For example, common names may well be used, references to other books or films may be mentioned. If an original character reads aloud the poems of Pushkin, this does not translate the text into the category of fanfiction.
Why are origins called fanfics?
By what signs are these two concepts suddenly linked into a single whole? As mentioned above, this is a misconception, which in most cases is supported only by beginners who have not yet figured out the online literature. This error can be explained by the universality of authors who can write fan fiction according to Harry Potter or the anime “Bleach” and from time to time create their own works. An original is a kind of literature in which one's own imagination is assumed, without involving an alien world.
If a character appears in fan fiction that was not in the original source, it doesn’t bother anyone, it’s just that the heading may indicate OMP (the original male character) or OZHP (the original female character). But it is worth noting that the new fictional characters included in the fan fiction do not make it the original.
Genres and categories
Since the originals are most often written by the same authors who own fan fiction, and the readership is preserved, there is nothing surprising in the general features. Perhaps that is why such a persistent misconception appeared that relates this type of online literature to fandom. For example, popular categories and genres are saved, which are always indicated in the header - a special table above the text, which contains all the necessary warnings, including sizes and disclaimer. If a certain audience prefers slash fan fiction, in which the main sensual emphasis is on same-sex relationships, then with a high degree of probability the original in the same direction will be successful, especially if it belongs to the pen of a well-written author.
Stories, novels and novels: the issue of text sizes
The original can be any large or small. The minimum size is the so-called "single-line", which briefly and succinctly describes a single scene. A one-liner can actually take up just one line or literally one paragraph. Next in size is drabble - sketching up to about one thousand words, then in increasing order - mini, midi and maxi. The largest maxi are written over the years, it is like a multi-volume novel with a sequel, and readers have the opportunity to regularly receive new chapters or passages if the author does not break down and bring the story to the end.
About the original, you can’t say that this is fan fiction, which does not belong to any fandom, because the very structure of the word “fan fiction” implies the secondary nature and lack of originality of the world and characters. But these are similar literary forms that can be written by the same authors and according to the same rules, subject to design and ranking of sizes.
The way to fight for the reader
If the author is capable of completely independent original work, then why does he write slash fan fiction and other nonsense? This question is often asked by snobs from literature, which consider themselves to be peculiar pillars of morality and guardians of traditions. The explanation here is very simple. First of all, any fandom is an inspirational environment, the sofandom guys support each other, exchange impressions, regularly hold festivals and competitions of freak writers and arters. You can create in the fandom at ease and fun, many readers and a grateful audience who can inspire with their comments. And secondly, the authors just want to write on the fandom, why not?
But the fixer with regular readers can count on their originals to be successful, because the audience is no longer following the notorious Harry Potter, but specifically to this author. And if all fan fiction has already been read, the new originals will enjoy no less, if not more, success.
Inspiration as an occasion to write
The last argument in defense of online literature is inspiration, which sometimes just requires embodiment in the form of text, drawing, or any other creativity. Be that as it may, the readership of fan fiction is many times greater than what is commonly called "high literature" performed by the same network authors who scornfully turn their backs on fandoms.
Many creative people recognize the importance of such a phenomenon as feedback - creativity reviews stimulate and allow you to grow above yourself. And optionally, we are only talking about laudatory comments: good sofandomists can rightfully blame fanfics for a fandom, even to their favorite, if they are really poorly written. This gives the authors the opportunity to hone their skills and eventually write a fascinating original maxi, which will be worthy of publication.