Why fanfiction?
Because it's fun, duh! Or, more accurately, it's often not fun, but it is a great way to grow as a writer.
Why did you choose the fandoms you've chosen?
In the case of Voyager, it was good enough to bother with, but flawed enough to leave room for fanfic. For me, it's the Trek series that works the best in fic, even if it isn't the best Trek series. I wrote my Animorphs fic for much the same reason: good characters, good concept, but with room to play. With Stargate SG-1 the answer is a little different. SG-1 has these outstanding characters with very specific voices, and it's really a challenge to portray them well. As I've expanded my fandom base, I find myself discovering plot ideas for all of the shows that inspire me most, and each fandom brings its own challenges.
Can't you get sued for writing fanfiction?
Paramount has long supported Star Trek fanfiction. They have allowed the publication of fanzines since the early 1970's and hold annual fanfiction contests. MGM has also expressed vague approval for fannish activities, most notably by providing fans with a fanvid website. Fan vids are notoriously more litigious than fanfiction.
I heard that someone had to take their website down because fanfiction violates copyrights.
The jury is still out on the legality of fanfiction as a whole, although to actually sue a copyright owner would have to prove financial loss, and most fanfic tends to support the fandom in question. If your web host receives a complaint, they may TOS your site without warning, but if you read the TOS page, you'll see they have that right anyway.
Why would someone complain about fanfiction?
Some writers have asked that their work not be used in this way. Anne Rice, Anne McCaffrey, and Terry Pratchett have all raised concerns about fanfiction, to various degrees. I will not write anything based on their works, out of respect for their wishes. Legality and morality are not always the same thing. Before I write anything in a fandom, especially a fandom with a single creator, I check and see if that person has said anything about fanfiction in the past. Joss Whedon, KA Applegate, and Matt Groenig have all made positive comments about fanfiction, for example.
I can't figure out how to download the mp3s from your soundtracks.
Good. If you want them, buy them legally. If I were to give them away for free, it would be theft, which is why they stream from a hidden file.
Would you meet me in a hotel room to act out scenes from The Klingon Sex Manual?
No.
I have a question about the medical details in your fic.
I create all of my characters' injuries using Body Trauma: A Writer's Guide to Wounds and Injuries by David W. Page, M.D., which helps me create scenerios which are medically possible, if not always the most likely statistically. Unlike the standard medical book, which would present textbook cases for specific injuries, this text suggests injuries which will work with specific plots.
How do you think up all that technobabble?
Usually I don't think it up, I look it up. There are dozens of Star Trek reference books available, so if you need your character to repair a damaged console or cauterize a wound with a phaser, you can always find information on exactly how that could be done.
Will you beta my fanfic?
Probably not. Before you even ask me, you should do ALL of the following: Read all of the writing-related articles I've written, both on this site and at Jadie's Nexus. Apply what you learn from those articles to your personal editing. Run spellcheck. Approach me with a specific list of concerns about your fic, an understanding of your own strengths and weaknesses, and a willingness to hear my honest opinions. Then, maybe, I might beta your fic, if you ask nicely and I have time.
May I write a sequel or prequel to one of your fics?
Yes. Email me, though, so I can read it and link to it, and please provide a link to my fic on yours.
I have an idea very similiar to one of your fics. May I write it?
Sure. Recycling a plot is a good writing exercise. I've borrowed plots myself. Many ideas are pretty universal, though, so once you've started writing, you may find that you aren't really borrowing very much at all.
I want to rewrite one of your fics with a different outcome, or in a different way. May I?
I won't stop you, but I'd like to know about it. Change enough of it to make the story your own. Please don't twist Institutionalized into rapefic, though.
May I archive your fic?
Please read my archiving rules.
Isn't Ayala's first name Greg?
Ayala doesn't have a first name in canon. In fanon (facts used by multiple fanfic writers and often confused with canon) Ayala's first name is Greg, or Gregor, when he's gay, and Mike, or some version thereof, when he's straight.
Who the heck is Ensign Lyssa Campbell?
She appears in all of the official Voyager novels written by Christie Golden. She served as transporter chief while in the Delta Quadrant, and is the new Operations Officer under Captain Chakotay in the relaunch novels.
May I use Ensign Campbell in my fic?
Only if you've read all of Christie Golden's novels. She's not my character.
Who is Brad Harrison? Is he from a novel, too?
He's from half a page in Jeri Taylor's Pathways. Canon provides only one detail: he is romantically involved with Noah Mannick.
Who is Noah Mannick? Is he from a novel, too?
You guessed it. He's also from half a page in Jeri Taylor's Pathways. Canon again provides only one detail: he is romantically involved with Brad Harrison.
May I use Brad and Noah in my fic?
You sure can. Help yourself to the backgrounds provided in Questions. While technically they aren't mine, I'd still appreciate it if you let me know, though. I'd love to read something else featuring them.
Who is Sue Brooks?
She's in the background in many episodes, wears a red uniform, and appears to have a single pip. I put her in command in deflector control in my fic, but that is not proven in canon.
Who is Deborah Lang?
She's the ensign on the bridge with Chakotay in Displaced.
Gee, I thought some of those folks were original characters. Do you have any of those?
In fanfic, I prefer the challenge of creating characters based on tiny scraps of canon information. My only true original character is Grandpa Henley.
May I use Grandpa Henley in my fic?
Email me about that. I include all of his quotes on his page, with links to the fics in which they appear. He's even paid a visit to Hogwarts, it seems.
Why don't you ever write J/P or J/7 fic?
I'm very loyal to J/C and P/T. I see the J&P relationship as a platonic friendship, perhaps with a brother/sister dynamic (not literally) and I don't like J/7. A romantic relationship is inappropriate for a mentor-student type relationship, and Seven of Nine lacks the emotional maturity for a relationship with Janeway, or Chakotay, or any other older member of the crew. The Doctor, ironically, is of a similar emotional age, and they both have an intellect that exceeds their experience.
Why don't you ever write Jack/Daniel or Sam/Janet fic? Are you a homophobe?
For starters, I see the Sam/Jack relationship as very strong, and unlikely to be abandoned by the characters for other long-term relationships, and they're hardly going to have meaningless flings with their closest friends. Then there's the fact that Jack, Daniel, and Sam all have an established history of heterosexuality in canon. I realize most slash fic ignores that fact, but I'm too close to the canon versions of these characters to suspend disbelief enough to read those pairings. Strong friendships do not need a sexual componant to be interesting. Some relationships have compelling UST, and others simply do not. I avoid Sam/Daniel and Sam/Cam with equal diligence.
Okay then, what about Daniel/Janet?
Apathy, mostly. I acknowledge that the two had some sort of bond in canon, but I don't care terribly much. Daniel/Vala on the other hand -- yum.
Why isn't your Willow/Kennedy fic labeled as slash?
The strictest definition of slash requires that at least one of the characters involved be acting contrary to their canon orientation. The BtVS fandom does not consider Willow/Tara or Willow/Kennedy to be slash, as these three characters are openly gay in canon. I consider the f/f warning to be sufficient, and if you aren't aware of these canon pairings you probably aren't interested in reading Buffyverse fic anyway, because you need to watch the show before reading fic with spoilers.
I'm so confused. You like W/K and Brooks/Lang but not J/7 or Sam/Janet. What's your deal?
It's all personal preference. The relationships I like to write about are those that ring true in my mind. Usually that means they ring true in canon. I found the relationship between Willow and Kennedy to be both touching and fascinating in canon. As for Brooks/Lang, I found that I enjoyed the challenge of creating a relationship between them, just as I enjoyed writing other lower decks pairings. For me, it's the emotion, not the mechanics of the adult activity, that makes shipper fic interesting. As I stated above, I find J/7 to be inappropriate and Sam/Janet implausible.
Would you like to refinance at 3.75%?
No, and stop asking.
Copyright Spiletta42, 2002 - 2007.