Bookwormy Wednesdays: FanFiction

There isn’t a ton of “officially published” FanFiction out there because of copyright issues and all of that jazz. I will list some of what I’ve seen, and give you guys some resources on where to find good FanFiction.

 

In the YA/MG category, I’ve noticed that Disney Hyperion publishes a lot of FanFiction-esque stuff. Percy Jackson is a FF of the Greek myths, there are several fairy tale/children’s classics spin-offs. For example, they published one on Peter Pan and one Snow White tale is coming out soon.

 

I’ve noticed that fairy tale spin-offs are very popular in YA. Here are a few examples: Cinder, Beastly, and Ella Enchanted. There are tons more out there though. Right now, Alice in Wonderland spin-offs are pretty common too. Splintered and The Looking Glass Wars are a couple.

 

And of course, there are parodies such as Nightlight (a parody of Twilight) and The Hunger Pains (a parody of The Hunger Games).

 

Shakespeare spin-offs are common too. Warm Bodies is a spin-off of Romeo and Juliet, and lord knows how many other spin-offs of that story are out there.

 

These authors might not be aware of this, but these examples are all FF. Heck, Fifty Shades of Grey started out as a FF of Twilight. However, people accuse FF of being a lesser art because it supposedly takes less work and it steals someone else’s story. A lot of FF writers say that their writing is NOT FF because they don’t want to be stigmatized.

 

Excuse me, but I beg to differ. FF takes a lot of time and skill. Right now, I’m writing a FF of The Vampire Diaries that is set in Machu Picchu during the Spanish Conquest. I did a bit of research on a single line said by a character in the show and voila, my idea was born. A love rectangle between two brother vampire Emperors and the Original vampire Klaus over the human girl they all love. It’s pretty hardcore, and it takes just as much work (if not more) than an original story because of all the research involved and the new characters I’ve created. I’m quite proud of it, and the response to the story so far has been pretty good.

 

I kind of get why some authors hate FF though…Maybe they’re jealous. My FF has been getting a little more attention than my original works, but I’ve gotten over it. FF is more a practice tool and a writer’s block filler (how I kill time when I am having trouble with my original stories). It’s a nice way to get feedback on your writing and it’s a self-esteem booster when you feel crappy about your writing skills (Whaa! I got rejected by an agent AGAIN!).

 

But seriously, don’t be a snob about FF. It’s not a lesser art form. Some of the stuff people come up with of FF.net is incredible. Publishing companies should seriously think about picking up some of this stuff. Just look at how successful Fifty Shades of Grey was! The Kindle Store has got the memo and now you can self-publish FF on TVD, Pretty Little Liars, and several other stories. I might get into self-publishing if it means I can publish my TVD FF. The site is called “Kindle Worlds.” Go ahead and check it out!