Fan Fiction Frenzy

With the advent of the internet, I've noticed that what used to get people all in a tizzy is now accepted as normal. We used to call it plagiarism. Now we call it fan fiction.

All over the Web, you can find stories involving television, movie and book characters in brand new stories, not written by the original authors, creators or writers. And nobody minds. In fact, they have great followings.

I'm glad about that, actually. Nobody's trying to make any money off of it (which is probably why nobody objects) and it gives people a chance to try on pre-created characters and settings. Sometimes it can give you a better idea of where the original writers are going. Other times it points out where a show could or should be headed, especially when it comes to character development (Oh the frustration when you know you've come up with a cleaner way to explain something than the show actually uses!). I've even dabbled in it a little myself. And I've actually seen some elements of fan fiction stories I've read suddenly turn up in the show itself. In many cases, it was probably a coincidence, but sometimes, well, it's just eerie.

If I were in one of these shows, I would find it weird to surf the internet and find stories involving my character, some verging on pornography and some with relationships not intended by the writers. (Somebody out there has written something kinky involving Fred and George Weasley. Never mind that they're brothers.) I know of some actors who read the stories and crack up laughing, which is very generous considering some of the plots I've heard. But other times the intention is just to put the writer into something they really enjoy and want to emulate.

After all, they do say that imitation is the finest form of flattery. If that's the case, a lot of people should feel immensely flattered.