Fan Fiction: Against

[rolanni]

Robin Hobb has posted a cogent rant here. Link from pegkerr

I know that some folks on my friends list write fan fic, and may thus not agree with Robin's points. If you feel compelled to disagree with them here, please be polite and rational. Posts deemed impolite, irrational, or both, by Eagles Over the Kennebec Management will be deleted.

In the service of Full Disclosure and Fair Warning, I do agree with Robin's points. Scott Lynch (link also from pegkerr) does not.

Comments

[malkingrey.livejournal.com]

I know a number of published authors who have reactions to fanfic very similar to Robin Hobb's. On the other hand, I can think of quite a few other published authors -- et in Arcadia ego, and all that -- who could only make such statements at risk of doing a Pinocchio imitation.

I do have to say that the argument that fanfic compromises the recognizable identity of the original work is not one that impresses me a whole lot. Anyone who would claim to be unable to tell the difference between Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and (to make up an unfortunately not-atypical example) an internet-archived story entitled "Harry Potter and the American Exchange Student at Hogwarts" by a writer bylining herself as TheMissingWeasleyChick, is . . . being a trifle disingenuous, in my opinion anyhow.