RP, Fanfic, and other pursuits

[autographedcat]

altoidsaddict has a fascinating essay on fanfiction and RP, and why people engage in it. The conclusions he reaches are interesting, and a lot of food for thought.

Comparing fanfic to original writing is not quite like apples and oranges. It's more like grapefruit to tangelos. Okay, so fanfic is writing - but it has a different purpose than original writing, and to urge fanficcers to stop wasting their time and write something original ignores that the act of writing is almost incidental. (Yes, yes, you who are about to object, you're precious, creative stars in the galaxy of craft. Just a sec.) How I communicate to a reader as a writer is drastically different in purpose from how fanficcers communicate with other fandom folk. Yes, they have a lot in common - but the primary purpose is different, the human motivations are different, and that changes everything.

Go read the whole thing. It's chewy crunchy thoughtfood.

Comments

[cheshyre]

Not only that, but the more I've read the blogs of professional writers, the more convinced I am that's NOT what I want to do.

I like the writing part, but not submissions and rejections, page proofs, or any of the business aspects.

If you haven't seen, matociquala had a good entry recently about fanfic. Do people tell every Joe twiddling with a guitar to become a professional musician? Folks can enjoy cooking without becoming chefs, why can't I just enjoy writing as a hobby for fun?