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January 27, 2010
Alejandro Montalvo
Not many know that an entire sub-culture exists around the writing and reading of fan fiction. Fan fiction is the writing of stories based on characters and situations from popular fiction. This opens up possibilities for scenarios involving fictional characters doing whatever the fan envisions. Publication isn’t the motivation to write fan fiction. Fan fiction is written by fans, for fans and for entertainment purposes.
“I think the reason people write fan fiction is because they want to explore the fictional worlds they enjoy on a deeper, more personal level,” senior Celina Cesena said.
But not everyone shares the same enthusiasm.
“I had a period of time when I read some InuYasha fan fiction, but they were pretty bad. The characters’ personalities were not really like the ones in the show. The writers make their own characters, but use the characters’ names and the story’s original settings,” senior Angela Chu said.
The stories written by fans range from Anime to Jane Austen spin-offs. “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is an adapted version of the original Austen novel with the addition of zombies.
Fan fiction writers can get into legal trouble. According to The New York Times, in 2009, a ruling by United States District Court Judge Deborah A. Batts permanently banned a fan fiction work, which featured a 76-year-old version of Holden Caulfield from the novel The Catcher in the Rye.
Certain authors, however, have given their blessing to fan fiction spin-offs of their books. J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight) have no problem with fans writing their own stories with their characters.
Fan fiction will continue to grow as more fans post their work on the Internet. If legalities do not interfere, fan fiction could be a start for emerging writers to showcase their talent.
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