As I said when this was posted originally, I believe it depends on the circumstances. If it is written for private use, then it is fine.
However, if the author wishes to publish it, he or she needs to check with the original author before doing so. If the og author says no, then the work should not be published. If the og author is not alive, then the fan fic writer should contact whoever has the rights.
And if they end up publishing, they need to give credit for the original characters, stories, and all other parts created by the og author.
I will point out, though, that when a person tries to write something within the storyline of another's work, it can cause contradictions in characters or stories, since the original author understands his work better than the reader.
Man, I love these kind of questions! They create great discussions. (:
This is a really good question, and after thinking about it, I think I've reached this conclusion: If a storyteller has decided to take the plunge of letting their work out into the wider world (by publically publishing a story) they have in essence made peace with the idea of fanfiction. If you're going to publish something for the whole world to see, you need to be okay with the idea of some people creating fanfiction. It's not fair or right of the author to say, "Hey, this is mine and nobody else is allowed to use it" because they've already pretty much given it away. Your writing should be a gift to the world, and I think an artist or author should be fine with fanfiction, as long as that fanfiction isn't being used illegally (by the writers trying to get money for it, etc). If you aren't okay with people falling in love with your creations and making them their own...what does that say about you as a storyteller? It probably shows that your goal with your storytelling isn't to bless and give. It probably shows that you are a selfish storyteller.
Now, whether fanfiction is worth spending time on is another thing. As a writer, I don't like writing fanfiction. Spending hours writing something in someone else's world that I could never publish or use later on in my writing career seems like good potential for a waste of time. I think fanfiction can be beneficial when it comes to practice, but practice with writing can only go so far. You learn by doing. So I would challenge serious writers not to spend too much time on fanfiction. It's good to have fun with your writing, but if you're looking to publish or make money off of your writing, spending time on fanfiction isn't the way to go.
This is kind of lame but I'm just going to say that I agree with everyone else. And I think it' somewhat fine as long as they don't ruin what it's based on (well, scratch that. If it's a book I don't like I am completely fine with them ruining it).
An interesting note is that one of the most famous books in history, The Aeneid, is actually a fanfiction.
As I said when this was posted originally, I believe it depends on the circumstances. If it is written for private use, then it is fine.
However, if the author wishes to publish it, he or she needs to check with the original author before doing so. If the og author says no, then the work should not be published. If the og author is not alive, then the fan fic writer should contact whoever has the rights.
And if they end up publishing, they need to give credit for the original characters, stories, and all other parts created by the og author.
I will point out, though, that when a person tries to write something within the storyline of another's work, it can cause contradictions in characters or stories, since the original author understands his work better than the reader.
Man, I love these kind of questions! They create great discussions. (:
This is a really good question, and after thinking about it, I think I've reached this conclusion: If a storyteller has decided to take the plunge of letting their work out into the wider world (by publically publishing a story) they have in essence made peace with the idea of fanfiction. If you're going to publish something for the whole world to see, you need to be okay with the idea of some people creating fanfiction. It's not fair or right of the author to say, "Hey, this is mine and nobody else is allowed to use it" because they've already pretty much given it away. Your writing should be a gift to the world, and I think an artist or author should be fine with fanfiction, as long as that fanfiction isn't being used illegally (by the writers trying to get money for it, etc). If you aren't okay with people falling in love with your creations and making them their own...what does that say about you as a storyteller? It probably shows that your goal with your storytelling isn't to bless and give. It probably shows that you are a selfish storyteller.
Now, whether fanfiction is worth spending time on is another thing. As a writer, I don't like writing fanfiction. Spending hours writing something in someone else's world that I could never publish or use later on in my writing career seems like good potential for a waste of time. I think fanfiction can be beneficial when it comes to practice, but practice with writing can only go so far. You learn by doing. So I would challenge serious writers not to spend too much time on fanfiction. It's good to have fun with your writing, but if you're looking to publish or make money off of your writing, spending time on fanfiction isn't the way to go.
This is kind of lame but I'm just going to say that I agree with everyone else. And I think it' somewhat fine as long as they don't ruin what it's based on (well, scratch that. If it's a book I don't like I am completely fine with them ruining it).
An interesting note is that one of the most famous books in history, The Aeneid, is actually a fanfiction.