Angst Fanfic

Someone sent me the following "disclaimer" from the main page of the "Jesse Travis Angst Fanfiction Site." (Jesse is a character in Diagnosis Murder).

Disclaimer- The following fanfiction is the property of the author however the
characters and world of Diagnosis Murder do not unless stated otherwise, i.e.
original characters.

I find it amusing that the writer considers his fanfic "the property of the author", but he feels no qualms about pilfering someone else’s characters in his work. Amazing double-standard there, huh?

The site is, I’m told, just one part of  Angst Fanfiction World of Sparkycola.  I’m almost afraid to ask… what the heck is angst fanfiction? How is it different from hurt/comfort or a good spanking? 

20 thoughts on “Angst Fanfic”

  1. *Sigh* One of the list of many formulas that just don’t cut it in commercial fic. (Sorry, but there’s not a hurt/comfort, slash, character death, or angst produced by any publisher that sells more than six copies. And I include PublishAmerica in that group. Reluctantly. And JUNIOR and RABBIT TESTS do not legitamize mpreg.)
    OK, angst is essentially where a character gets into an emotional dilemma and spends an entire story WORRYING. That’s generally the sum total of the action in a story. Close relative to the PWP (Plot What Plot?), only PWP’s are intentionally bad and should be considered parody. (Most are.)
    If I ever found my stuff drifting in that direction, I threw in either an explosion or a tin-foil space babe, and all was right with the universe. Generally, those not fans of this have been known to swallow large bottles of pills after reading one such story.
    Unlike slash or hurt/comfort, angst has a real world equivalent, and the offending genre (so to speak) is literary fiction. That’s right. It’s the ulgy step cousin to all those bad stories about middle-aged professors angsting over whether to have an affair with a barely-20 student (male or female).
    You know. I’m pretty embarrassed I know any of this stuff. Guess it beats having a prison record, though sometimes I wonder.

    Reply
  2. The depressing part is not the bottom of the matter (given that many of real literature books are depressing as hell), but that the entire piece goes down on ramblings, without action and resolution. And if you don’t have a conflict that gets resolved, you don’t have a plot, just aas simple. But, dear, many of the authors don’t claim to have one. And they’re great on the one-liners.

    Reply
  3. Ok i *am* SparkyCola so naturally i disagree, but please don’t just right off what i have to say simply because you disagree.
    first and foremost, my close friend and co-owner of the site would kill me if i didn’t mention that the site is EQUALLY AND JOINTLY owned by myself and KrazyKid197, hence it being the ColaKid archive, not just mine.
    But i don’t understand your point about the disclaimer that I wrote- perhaps i was unclear? I archive stories other people write. The plot lines and original characters DO belong to the authors, and in the disclaimer i wish to ensure they don’t get stolen (and they sometimes do, sadly.). I also want people to realise that the world of Diagnosis Murder does NOT belong to the authors- though i wasn’t sure who it did belong to so i was deliberately vague on that point. What i said in the disclaimer was that the plotlines belong to the authors, HOWEVER, unless the characters are original characters (i.e. invented by the authors), they world of DM and DM characters do NOT belong to the authors. I would be happy to accept any revised versions of my disclaimer if you would like to suggest one.
    As to the debate at hand, i doubt very much that my view will be taken in rather than just trivialised and thrown aside, but i’ll try anyway, to defend myself and my friends from such seemingly random and unnecessary intolerance for others.
    Writing Fanfiction is so much more than you give it credit for. Angst is not how it has been described.
    Fanfiction- a) allows authors, most of them between the ages of 8-18, to deal with the issues they have through writing. Fanfiction is yes, a LOT easier than original fiction, but so is poetry and no one dismisses that quite so easily. So fanfic is easier. Not everyone who has ‘issues’ has a diploma in creative writing, but that isn’t what it’s about.
    b) Fanfiction is to make up for personal preference. Those who wanted to see (using DM as an example) Amanda and Steve get together as a couple, write Romance stories about that happening- providing their own entertainment, and those who share that preference. Angst is VERY MUCH to do not with teen angst emotional worrying, not at all, it’s all about characterisation. You know people best in their worst moments. By displaying our favourite characters as being strong even in their darkest moment, is almost like a tribute to them. Hurt/Comfort to me is a subsection of angst. Angst involves a combination of physical and therefore emotional and psychological pain. It’s almost like projecting yourself on to your favourite character, with whom you can naturally identify, and then paralleling your pain with theirs, and then writing about the comfort and attention that character gets from his/her friends as a way of achieving that yourself. Perhaps it’s difficult to explain to someone who simply doesn’t feel that. To someone who has NEVER watched a programme and hoped the one in trouble was their favourite character, the centre of the story was their favourite.
    Can it help writing? Yes. I know because it has. For those FEW fanfic writers who actually want to become professional, it’s invaluable to them to practise making up their own original characters, places, descriptions and plots, as well as simple things like improving spelling and grammar. The world itself? Just because it’s DM, for example, does it have to be in the same place? Do they have to go to BBQ Bob’s? Do the characters have to be exactly the same all the time? Actually, the fun is in trying to guess how characters will behave in extreme circumstances. Perhaps you underestimate how creative many writers are. Most however, find fanfiction fun in it’s own right. I love writing. i write poems, song lyrics, and obviously fanfiction. I’m hardly alone in that either. Thousands and thousands of others write fanfic as well, and i can’t speak for all of them. To me, the fun comes in the plot; the Characterisation particularly, as i said above regarding guessing how they’ll behave; and the description. I don’t particularly enjoy building up characters, and the backround- it’s more fun if you use something already familiar to you. You can explore it in depth as opposed to when you’re just starting out and the whole story seems like one big introduction. I’ve written original fiction before, but frankly, no one reads original fiction!
    It’s hard to explain to anyone not in the fanfic world, and perhaps to adults in general. But i love reading fanfic of my favourite programmes also because i love watching the programme- reading fanfic is like watching an episode. It’s just a huge bonus that the main character is my favourite character, and that what you always wanted from the programme in terms of friendships that aren’t perhaps so strong on the TV, are happening.
    I hope that makes sense, but to close- even if you don’t understand what i’m trying to convey, does it REALLY matter?!! Why do you CARE that some people like writing stories about their fave programmes? You call US sad, but you’re wasting your time simply critisizing something you PERSONALLY don’t understand and don’t enjoy. At the end of the day, it hurts no one. People enjoy it. I enjoy it. I’ve met a lot of good friends through it, both online and in real life, and if you can’t tolerate something so simple and harmless, what else are you being narrow minded about? Why don’t you stop critisizing, and go do something you really enjoy, life is short after all. Or, if you really anjoy critisizing, then fine go for it! But i ask that you think about what i’ve said, as i thought about what you said.
    Happy Easter to you all! I hope you have a great day, and do something fun.
    SparkyCola
    ps- Angst ALWAYS has a conflict (c’est l’objet de l’exercise!!), and good ff writers will resolve them effectively.

    Reply
  4. ~~~~ QUOTE I find it amusing that the writer considers his fanfic “the property of the author”, but he feels no qualms about pilfering someone else’s characters in his work. Amazing double-standard there, huh? /QUOTE ~~~~
    For one thing i’m a she.
    The next thing- the stories belong to a variety of people not just me, i was speaking on behalf of them all.
    I hope i explained this well enough before.
    How can you say it’s a double standard? You’re argument is illogical. i will grant that i have a typo in my disclaimer, but it hardly detracts from the meaning.
    THE FANFIC ***IS*** the property OF THE AUTHOR -you cannot dare say all the hard work they put into it, and people DO spend a lot of time and effort on them, is ANYONE’S but theirs. THEY wrote it THEY own it. Double Standard? Like i say- illogical argument as the ‘pilfering someone else’s characters’ argument is dealt with VERY *DIRECTLY* in the line “HOWEVER – TEH WORLD AND CHARACTERS OF DM ARE NOT” – i.e. ARE NOT the property of the author, is that clear? Pellucid? Inescapably transparent?
    Yes, i am a little tetchy in this post, as i feel rather victimised having been INJUSTLY quoted as having double standards, without asking me about it. Why not ask me instead of use me as a source behind my back- that’s not very clever is it? no.
    If you’re really justified in your argument you won’t mind inviting the other side to have their say, and be interested in their view, instead of a snide condescension to someone who simply wants to credit the creators of DM for their work, and the authors of the fanfics for their work. If you have an issue with something i’ve done in the future, please confront me about it if you really feel you’re on the right end of the argument, otherwise, refrain from picking on me with a small band of followers that agree- wow, that’s intellectual- an argument with people who agree with you- sarcasm alert. Yes actually i do match my wit to my company.
    And why on EARTH would a *guy* create an archive for the adorable Jesse, and fanfic whihc revolves around him? Nearly all, possibly ALL of the writers on that particular archive are girls- it’s so unlikely that a homosexual guy would create an archive, not impossible but improbable compared with the chances of a girl…ah forget it.
    I have a short temper i know, and i apologise if you simply got the wrong end of my disclaimer’s stick, perhaps you could have read it more carefully, or perhaps even found something a little more PRODUCTIVE to do with your time, i dunno *shrugs*. Something which uses your good personality traits rather than just your shallow arrogance. Ok a little harsh there perhaps, like i said, i’m tetchy. You probably don’t deserve this level of harshness, but i spend a lot of time and effort on my site for other people’s enjoyment, and i don’t particularly like seeing it sneered at and looked down on for no real reason other than to make yourselves feel better.
    I’m seriously sorry though, if you didn’t mean to upset me, as then it wouldn’t be your fault that you incidentally did. If you have a valid argument as to why fanfic, particularly the area i specialise in, irritates you so much, please state it as i have seen nothing thus far. Thank you.
    SparkyCola.

    Reply
  5. I apologise
    1) Ok i now see the contextual evidence to prove you HAVE given some more intellectually based arguments as to why you don’t like fanfic, fine.
    2) I now realise that all i said up there was a waste of time. You will not listen to me.
    I’ve calmed down now, and i see clearly.
    Please let me tell you- credit where credit’s due, that i love Diagnosis Murder, thank you for the work you did on it, it’s made it up to my top five programmes, and though i’m sure you’ll scoff condescendingly at this, it’s along with Andromeda, The Dead Zone, Starsky and Hutch and The A-Team in my top five, not necessarily in that order. I loved all the characters, particularly Jesse, so kudos to you, well done.
    It occurs to me that i’m a hypocrite. i tell you to stop critisizing my hobbies, and yet here i am critisizing what is evidently one of your hobbies! lol.
    I’m secure enough in my love of the characters i love, that other people made up and i thanked them already on my site most graciously, which you DID miss lol, see, i know you that well already! hehe, i’m secure enough to know that reading and writing fanfic is FUUUUN! More fun than sitting here all day writing to you about why you should tolerate others and be understanding, and not generalise from extremely small minorities. (Mpreg?!!! I’d never even heard of it before i came here, and one of my responsibilities in owning a fanfic site is sifting through thousands of stories!!)
    Maybe when you post you should check to see if what you post is deiberately hurting people’s feelings, or promoting peace. Then see which camp you really want to be in. But really, i know it’s easy to forget that the people at the end of the posts, are real people. i’m a real person. i live in the UK, i’m 17, i do Maths, English Lit, Computer Science and Art History A-levels, and i look objectively at social conformity before deciding whether or not to abide by the rules- most of the time i think ‘sure ok, i’ll go to uni.’ sometimes i think ‘actually, no, i don’t care if the world knows that i like scifi- just because it isn’t ‘fashionable’ to like it- if someone doesn’t see past that before they know the real me, they’re not worth space in my thoughts.’ I’ve no idea whether or not you can understand that, really.
    I can also see that you want to make yourself feel better- which is perfectly natural. Like i said though, a little sensitivity may have been a good idea, just my opinion.
    Could i just ask one thing? You argue that fanfic writers write about a world, that someone else made up, without asking. You post people’s comments, that they made up, without asking. According to you, quoting sources is utterly irrelevant. ok then. difference?

    Reply
  6. SparkyCola wrote: “I’ve written original fiction before, but frankly, no one reads original fiction!”
    Yes, it’s true. All those book stores are a facade for an evil empire of fan fiction writers.

    Reply
  7. Please don’t be juvenile when i’m trying to make a serious point. There are gazillions of bookstores out there. Hence, if you want to read original fiction, you read professionals, people you know you like etc. etc. Not some amateur wannabe 13 year old kid who can’t spell.
    That’s why fanfiction is really quite far removed from original fanfiction with regard to fanbase. No one claims it is literary genius, it’s meant to be fun, easy-reading.
    I know the people i know. I know my people. They are GOOD people. Warm, friendly people. Now if you’re disappointed with how your life has turned out, if you get no free time and your job is stressful, if you realise you’re going to die soon and you’ve brought no good to the world, only your own miserable drabbles of bitter complaint which aint gonna go down in history- whatever the hell your psychological problems are that have made you so spiteful- don’t take it out on us. We are doing something we enjoy, in our own small corner of the net, which is hurting no one. Have a go at the pimps and murderers and rapists of the world. Take a trip to a third world country to teach English. But remember what life is for. Not for my sake, or my friends’ sake, or the good, friendly, genuinely nice people who read and write fanfic, for YOUR SAKE.
    Let’s be reasonable here eh? Is this really what you want to be doing with your life? Making enemies for what- no reason? Like i said, your time could be spent so much more valuably, as could mine, though at least i’m doing something vaguely worthwhile- defending my friends. You can say what you likeabout MY fanfic though LOL i’m not afraid of what you, or anyone else thinks of me. Only what God thinks of me. And God wouldn’t want us to spend our lives like this. Understanding and tolerating others is what it’s about, or at the very LEAST some kind of compromise. Please think carefully about what you want in life as it’s only here for a while, so you might as well show some style, to quote JT.
    Still not even gonna listen to me at all? No I suppose not. Tsch, Critics. It’s a [fanfic] writer’s life. πŸ˜› πŸ˜€
    Sparky

    Reply
  8. The person writing all that angst fanfic is a 13 year-old girl in the UK? Now it all makes sense, especially her childish reasoning:
    “THE FANFIC ***IS*** the property OF THE AUTHOR -you cannot dare say all the hard work they put into it, and people DO spend a lot of time and effort on them, is ANYONE’S but theirs. THEY wrote it THEY own it.”
    It’s okay to steal characters and worlds from TV shows and movies but fanfic is sacrosanct, it belongs to the authors. Uh-huh. I get it.
    Here’s some advice, Sparky, Don’t argue with adults until you are one, or at least until you get a decent education.

    Reply
  9. When I was a tiny girl, I took a rock from my neighbor’s driveway because I thought it was pretty. My dad made me give it back. The neighbor didn’t care. BUT, if everyone took a rock from the guy’s driveway, he would have a big problem. Plus, he had paid quite a bit for the rocks and they were pretty….
    What’s the point? Even if you steal something from someone who doesn’t really care — it’s still stealing. In your disclaimer, you are basically saying: “We stole almost all of these characters and stuff from the Diagnosis Murder folks…but you do NOT have permission to steal the original parts from US!!”
    Did the Diagnosis Murder folks give you permission to use their characters in situations? Then you stole them. Now — fanfic doesn’t do much harm, overall and many, many of the owners of the original material simply don’t care all that much. But it’s still STEALING.
    So, when you steal from someone and glue something of your own to the stolen property, then yell: “This is mine and anyone who would take it is scum!” — well, that’s sort of funny.
    So, yes, you were being laughed at. Now you know why. Either stop stealing or laugh along.
    Elaine

    Reply
  10. Mr Goldberg,
    *laughs*
    I find the whole thing quite funny actually. I know I should be offended by this, and yet I find it all trivial.
    First of all- what I find most offensive is that when insulting the website in name (which has now moved btw, so your link will be broken in a couple of days, try this one – http://www.dark-places.net/jesse.html), is that I wasn’t included in the insult, I put a hell of a lot of work into that site, and it’s nice to be recognised, but I digress.
    Fanfiction is a huge part of the fandom for any program, especially keeping interest in shows which have been cancelled for one reason or an other- ie DM. It is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I still don’t see the need to insult it.
    Mpreg is a bit disturbing for me, but I can live with it. I know hundreds of fanfic writers in various ways, and none of them are under any kind of illusion that they own anything legally. Look at any fanfic site and they will show this.
    I generally take it to be a hobby where people have fun. It doesn’t really count as stealing because no-one takes something and claims it as their own. OCs (original characters) and plotlines are the only thing, except in the case of epilogues, where even that is not. In most site cases, any episode that is directly referred to is mentioned in the spoiler section.
    I have also found this L Goldberg quote (I found it on Godawful.net)
    “Lee Goldberg wrote:
    And yes, I do write DM for money… I’m a professional writer. But it’s not about the money for me — I make a lot more in television. The reason I write the books is because I have such a great time doing it…and I care about these characters as if I’d created them myself.”
    If this is true (and I have no reason to doubt it is not), is it not possibly for you (Mr Goldberg) to see why we want to write? No, we’re generally not professional writers (and the age thing someone gave earlier on is skewed, I know ff writers in their 40s). What you write Mr Goldberg, appears (to me), to be fanfiction. You write the books because you enjoy them, and yet you did not create the characters. As far as I can see it, the only thing that separates you from us, is that you have a contract and get paid for doing it. So why is what you do (for money) so right, and what we do (at a loss I might add- the webspace is not free), so incredibly, irreversibly wrong?
    I am not accusing here, I am merely curious as to where the view point is coming from.
    Lee Goldberg wrote:
    This is the first DM story I’ve read… but even when I hear about some of the other fanfic people are writing, it makes my skin crawl.
    If that is all you’ve read, then it is not a fair viewpoint. Many, many, many writers cannot stand slash, and freak out at the idea of mpreg (and I can see why), and in most fandoms, I think the majority of fic is Gen anyway, or het (heterosexual- m/f, and gen is no pairings).
    If you wish (I doubt you will, but it’s still an offer), I can show you several fanfics that you may appreciate a better cross-section of the genres that people write in. (a quick guide to fanfiction if you will).
    Now, there is always the argument of feedback. I am under no pretence that fanfiction is a much grander form of literature than original writing. Original stories harder, but fanfiction gains much more feedback, for example I wrote the start of a story, which I was quite proud of (at the time), tried to get feedback for it, and was presented with nothing. So I gave up. Fanfic also allows amateur writers to gain a name – I read original fiction that fanfic authors I enjoy read. It also allows those who are not quite good enough, or have no clue about writing to try their hand (or their keyboard) at it. And as a successful writer, Mr Goldberg, you must appreciate the need for aspiring writers (who enjoy your work) to gain experience. I like to think of it as a stepping stone before the deep plunge into the ocean that is writing.
    I also realise that anything I say here, will be twisted and thrown back in my face, but I hope that the adults here, will at least read this and try to consider my viewpoint, and any indication that someone has read this will be taken well – short of outright insults (and I can tell the difference between a difference of opinion and an insult.)
    This is obviously not going to change anyones POV either, but I just wanted to add it, and I did feel a slight personal attack was being made on our site at the beginning of this topic.
    Krazy

    Reply
  11. “6) Presumably FanFic is fun for some peple to read, although hardly anyone seems to be making this point. (I get the impression that FanFic has many writers, but few readers.)”
    Has this not been mentioned? OK, there are far far more readers than writers out there, generally people become ff writer by reading. It’s a great thing to enjoy. (Tis also a free source of fiction- I know why books have to be priced, but at a grand wage of Β£60/week (student) I don’t have much to spend on books, so I live on libraries and fanfic.)
    Krazy

    Reply
  12. ^I agree with what Krazy said
    And btw- i was using an example. That does not mean that every example i give applies to myself. For example: When Krazy tells you that there are writers who are 40, does not mean that she herself is 40. Savvy? no? Oh well. No i am not 13. i am 17. Doing an A-level in English Literature, so don’t think i don’t know the difference between Chaucer’s work and my own, i’m not as stupid as you would like to pretend i am so you make yourself feel right without reading my valid points. Also- spelling is one of the few things i AM good at thank you very much! Lol. Frankly we are all being extruciatingly childish and it’s painful to see, but c’est la vie.
    Get a proper education? Ok then Dr Pakman, i mean, Frakman, let’s have a look at my poor, broken, lack of education so far. I got 2 A*s, 7 As, 2 Bs and a C at GCSE. I’m currently doing AS levels in Maths, English Lit, Computer Science and History of Art, planning to drop the latter to carry the other 3 to A-level, then hopefully get a degree in Computer Science. So Professor Pakman you’ll have to re-think that crazily well thought out (insult) comment to encompass grammar school young adults. Grow up my friend. I’m sorry but really, your snide and spiteful comments are meaningless here. Is that really the response of the mature adult you claim to be? I fully admit that i am a crazily random and nutty young deliquent of the sarcastic period of life, who does not know everything, but if you are such an ‘adult’, why are you looking down your nose at everyone else, and behaving like a 5 year old having a tantrum? What is this, road rage of the Cyber geeks? Nerd Rage? something like that.
    Anyways, kudos to Krazy for using the phrase ‘but i digress’ in her response πŸ™‚ lol.
    There is little point me arguing as pedants such as yourselves are often the kind of people who clutch at what they can argue about without a) thinking about it from the other side’s POV. b) Thinking about your own point and c) Responding to the points you can’t argue against. But fine. i’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that- natural response i understand. It’s natural to want to argue your case without thought- i’m really not being patronising here. Though perhaps some of you need to realise that throwing around insults is not the way to persuade the other side to your cause.
    I suppose it might be dificult for someone to understand, be they of a nature which is born out of ignorance and- oh my! I’m slipping into rudeness again. I’m really sorry- i have orange hair you see, and people with firey hair have firey natures on the whole. I’m alright really! Honest. i am your average 17 year old, with smarter than average friends such as Krazy ^, so i suggest you refrain from patronising her as you did me. In fact please refrain from being remotely rude to my friend, if you would be so kind, i’m sure we’re all adults here.
    Thank you!
    But anyways, back to the issue at hand. We aren’t really stealing because a) it is public b) we acknowledge that others wrote the characters and framework c) we do not make money from it and d) we do not make money from it. i realise i repeated that last point, but i feel it is such an important point, that it is worth mentioning twice.
    To suggest we are stealing would be suggesting that when we talk about the show we are stealing, and doing something illegal. Also- although we are making up the various points we come up with to discuss- those are actually not our own because the point is related to something which isn’t ours. ‘Ooh you know what they could do on that show….oh no wait i’d have to pay to finish this sentence. sorry guys! That’s because we’re allowed to say it, but it’s not our rite to write right? Quite. Back to talking about Iambic pentameter and Logarithms like the good students we are. Thank heavens that Lee Goldberg set us on a straight path to righteousness!’
    That for my example-misinterpreting friend would be AN ANALOGY. AN-AL-O-GY. Yes that’s right- i’m patronising!! ROFL! Ok now i’m just taking the piss. No, no, don’t be kind and say ‘no Sparky, you’re an intelligent person, with your equally intelligent partner-in-crime Krazy, and you have reasonable points we should all listen to and think about before we leap in and get bulshy and pretend that because we can’t see each other’s faces that’s an excuse to be incredibly rude….’ -no, though you are too kind πŸ˜‰ …because i AM taking the piss, and i’m tired. Too tired for this bullshit.
    LIFE IS TOO SHORT do you understand THAT? do you? LIFE IS TOO SHORT. Trust me. And anyone who can’t see that this is so unbelievably trivial it’s absolutely ludicrous, needs to spend more time with their families and get some perspective in their lives, because this ain’t going down in history ladies, gentlemen and plebians- i hate to tell you that this is not where your memorable moment of glory lies, you will have to walk away, pace up and down, rant under your breath, then pick yourselves up and go tell one of your friends that you love them. What a novel idea. Here i’ll start if you like!
    Krazy- you are one of the truest friends i have and i really appreciate it buddy! *hugs*
    Aw see now wasn’t that a much better use of my time?
    OH – BRIEF NOTE TO THE ONLY MATURE OPPOSING RESPONSE I SAW- Elaine.
    Interesting comment, however- although yes we do take the characters from them without asking, we credit them. Have you ever written an essay where you’ve quoted someone else, or put in the bibliography ‘research done from the following sources:’… – So you, like we, credited them, but would you expect to be sued for breaking the law? Because i very much doubt that you email or ring the person who owns the site or book you researched from, if you could use their passage in your essay. I hope you can understand what i mean… That was a little inarticulate i admit. i have had a tense evening as you may very well be able to tell LOL.
    That was a free-speech streaming consciousness post brought to you by SparkyCola, from the Sparkiverse of ‘try not to try too hard and don’t let ’em take or waste your time.’.
    Sparky

    Reply
  13. Oh, you’re not 12. You’re 17. My apologies. Congratulations on your report card. I’m sure your parents are very pleased. Do well in school and you will do well in life, that’s what my Momma told me. Eat healthy and get plenty of sleep. And so ends my contribution to this discussion. I make it a policy not to argue with children.

    Reply
  14. ‘try not to try too hard and don’t let ’em take or waste your time.’.
    Intriguing thing to end an essay of that length with, Sparx.
    Can I ask – why do people insist on bringing age into everything? Does it matter that I’m still only 16? So yes, they’re are not adult just yet, but a lot of teenagers are more mature than some adults (I’m not actually referring to anyone else on this post, because there does seem to be intelligence behind pretty much all of the answers). Plus – (really not meaning to go playground here – but it seems to be expected) – If Mr Goldberg had not made a specific post digging at our site, then we would not be here. But it appears to be more of a personal attack than anything else. (Because if he just wanted to give ConCrit then he could have and should have e-mailed us privately.)
    Referring to the point Sparx made, we do know the difference between Chaucer and fanfic (Chaucer is much funnier in places, but significantly harder to read), and neither of us have ever claimed that a) We own the characters, or b) That we are the next big ‘thing’. I have very little talent for writing in general, and any type of original fiction which I write will never make it anywhere, so what’s the harm in trying with fanfic?
    It’s a lot of fun for people, both readers and writers, and brings people together on the net. I’ve made a great many friends via this form of writing.
    It’s hobby for most of us, not something to run our lives.
    And for the copyright – I didn’t actually know. I will be honest here, I always believed that the disclaimer was enough.
    Krazy

    Reply
  15. “Oh, you’re not 12. You’re 17.”
    You primarily said 13 i believe…
    “My apologies.”
    Accepted! πŸ™‚
    “Congratulations on your report card.”
    What’s a report card? Must be an american thing…but uh, thanks anyways i think…*shrugs*
    “I’m sure your parents are very pleased.”
    Parent singular thanks. Try not to make assumptions about people, they rarely prove accurate.
    “Do well in school and you will do well in life, that’s what my Momma told me.”
    Good for her πŸ™‚ I bet she’s so proud.
    “Eat healthy and get plenty of sleep.”
    …Did you mis-hear the moment i mentioned that i’m a STUDENT lol.
    And so ends my contribution to this discussion. I make it a policy not to argue with children
    Ah, a moment of indulgence. Hope you enjoyed it πŸ™‚
    What? Expect me to begin on a pointlessly futile reparteΓ© with you something along the lines of ‘i’m more mature!’ ‘no, i’m more mature!’ we need not. That in itself would prove us both juvenile. Instead, let’s stop this bickering, and all eat cake.

    Reply
  16. A report card is basically a card on which people on the US get their grades. (Think the 6th form interim reports- the ones last November.)
    “Parent singular thanks. Try not to make assumptions about people, they rarely prove accurate.”
    It’s a common mistake, I remember doing an *open mouth, insert foot* type comment on that one. (And with SarahB as well).
    Well, this has probably ended this discussion, which is better all round.
    No hard feelings?
    Krazy

    Reply
  17. Well, I really wasn’t going to say anything here but I got to thinking about what Lee and the others who support his views were saying. Then while watching SNL I began to wonder about something, parodies. Were they protected under the law or are they infringement of a copyright. According to law.com this is the following defination of parody:
    “n. the humorous use of an existing song, play, or writing which changes the words to give farcical and ironic meaning. Parodies have been challenged as copyright infringements on the original works, particularly since some have reaped terrific profits. Recent decisions favor the parodies and say they have an originality of their own and, thus, are not infringements. There is a free speech issue involved in these decisions since parodies traditionally have so- cial and political significance.”
    We also have the following:
    US Congress (HOUSE REPORT NO. 94-1476) mentions that fair use includes “use in a parody of some of the content of the work parodied…”
    So I think I can be excused if I’m a bit confused by this. A person can write a parody, publish it, get money for it and it can be legal even though it borrows enough elements of the original so that everyone knows what it is. Yet if a fan who loves the show/book/movie wants to write something about it and does a wonderful job and sticks with the characters and its a great compliment to the story is, according to several here, stealing and illegal?!? I would have to argue that a parody also does steal the idea and characters of the orginal as well, but legally its ‘original’ itself.
    I guess I should write parodies instead.

    Reply
  18. Hiya. Im a 16 year old girl living in the UK and i love to read fanfiction. I know this is the wrong place to ask but i want help. I want help to write a story any story i dont care. as i am not skilled in that area but i would love to learn. I have a huge passion in this area but cannot persue it with out help wich i need like really need. any one able to help add me to your msn. Princess_sparkle144@hotmail.com Critisism is welcome anything to make me a better writer. Thank you.
    Sarah, 16, London, England.

    Reply
  19. Hi Sarah =) have you considered getting a Beta reader? They go over your work and critique it before you publish it on the ‘net…I had a couple at one point. They’re very handy and give good helpful criticism.
    Hehe, imagine Mr Lee Goldberg as a beta reader…xD
    Somewhere you may find helpful to – http://www.exisle.net – because it’s a site with ‘creative process’ threads on, with help, lots of friendly people who can answer your questions, and a place to post your fic as well.
    Sparky

    Reply

Leave a Comment