Is writing Fanfiction too weird?

Ok, so my history with anime was really rocky at first. I didn't like it at all, in fact I hated it, a lot. But once I got sucked in by its charm, I got sucked in hard! (yes im aware what I said but you get it.)

Once I started watching anime, I looked up some fanfictions for my favorite shows. Most of the ones I found where bad and I had to laugh at them. But then there were some that just blew me away and I couldn't believe the stories that these normal people were able to create.

One day I was telling some friends that watches anime about some fanfictions I read and they just looked at me and said "you read fanfictions?" then they started teasing me, telling me that I should write one......so I did.

I wrote a Naruto fanfiction that I had in my head for awhile. I created a character pretty much based off Baraka from Mortal Kombat with the blades in his arms and his build, and he had a fight with both Naruto and Sasuke. I wrote and wrote for days, perfecting the story and getting the dialogue right.

I finished it and proudly let my friends read it, for which they laughed and made fun of me and made me very ashamed that I even tried writing one. So that brings me to my question, is it too nerdy or just plain shameful to write fanfictions? If you write a fanfiction, is there something wrong with doing so? Have you passed the line of obsession with anime that you shouldn't have crossed.

I know it seems like a stupid question, but I really did think that maybe I had become that "weird obessed person" that everyone makes fun of. I know Fakku is full of people who write fanfic stories and cosplay, but every one has gone to a con or just seen people that they think are way too into something. some people find that cosplayers are way too into anime where others find collecting figurines is weird. So is writing or reading Fanfictions one of those taboos?

First off, the poll is a bit odd since the last option seems rather enticing. I have no qualms of being what people might call a 'nerd', and I get the feeling that most people won't care either.

Anyways, I'd say that writing fanfiction is no different than writing any other story. I would go on to say that fanfiction is actually far easier to begin writing than an original since the setting, laws, and some characters are already there for you to use. The idea of writing fanfiction is far from 'shameful' and anyone who tells you otherwise probably needs to reevaluate how they judge people.

For the record, I would have to say I'm an average human being. I do not collect figurines or doujins, nor have I been to a con. In addition, I'll be entering medical school later this year, so it's not like I have no future(or most people for that matter...). I've read my share of fanfiction, and if it's done well then I'll enjoy it. Simple as that. I highly doubt writing will ever be taboo, fanfiction included.

Feel free to post what you've written!

For me, fanfiction is for people like me who want to write a story but have no idea how to create characters and plot. So, I borrow existing ideas and see if I can develop my own story. It is the exact same as what I did the past few days, rewriting stories other people have come up with in my own fashion. Not sure if you want a link.

The right word for fanfiction is parody. I prefer to pen those.

ED: I agree with xnine. I treat fanfiction as any other type of story. It must establish character and setting well. I think it is easy to do so because the original material has done that already. Just copy and paste.

For the most part, I agree with what xnine said. I started writing fan-fiction because I wasn't particularly a creative individual, so it was very easy to take an already existing world and write about it, or add in my own character. I don't write fan-fiction anymore, but it wasn't that long ago that I did.

There is absolutely nothing inherently wrong with writing fan-fiction. So many people already do it and they are not inherently weird because they do. You may find a lot of fan-fiction you don't like for many reasons. Most of these reasons are that the writer is inexperienced, juvenile, cliché, inaccurate, or displays the characters in out-of-character (OOC) contexts. It's difficult to properly portray an existing character in the way they would logically follow; that requires a thorough understanding of who they are. On the contrary, it take a lot of psychology and understanding of getting into that character's mind. Writing appropriate fan-fiction is not easy.

If you are hurt because your friends laughed that you wrote some, well there are likely a variety of reasons for that. I don't know if they're friends in real life or on-line, but people will find a reason to laugh at something they find weird or different, especially if they're between middle-school and high-school ages. I knew people growing up who were into anime in general, and although they had friends who were like-minded, they were generally shunned because of it. At a time when wanting to be cool is the norm and childish things aren't, liking cartoons—which people basically group anime into—becomes childish. People generally tend to grow out of this in late high-school and college (Exhibit A). A lot of people will retain their disgust for it, though. If you ask your friends why it's so weird or why they don't like it, I assure you that their answer will most likely be unknown, "I don't know, it just is," or simplistic, "because it's lame/stupid." People generally have no response beyond laughter if you get offended for it, so there's no helping you but either keeping it to yourself or maintaining confidence in your stance. I wish you luck in that regard.

Back on-topic, writing fan-fiction is a great way to start writing altogether. It can prepare you for writing your own original stories. Although it is my personal belief that it should be used as a stepping-stone in order to get you writing original tales, there is no necessary reason to stop if you just enjoy it that much or lack enough creativity to make it happen, though you should strive to. Some authors think of fan-fiction as the worst thing gifted to the Earth since the Plague (Exhibit B). Factually speaking—however—some of the greatest classics in history are fan-fiction (Exhibit C). The thing you should remember is that you are empowered by your own drive. If you succumb your efforts to submit to those around you, your drive will die off and you will conform. If you enjoy writing fan-fiction, then you must continue to write it for the sake of creating, which the practice of is a blessing on its own. If you grow out of it, then that's fine, as long as it's your decision. No one here will insult you just for writing fan-fiction (at least, not with me around to say something about it), and quite honestly a lot of people would like to see it, I'm sure. So, as xnine said, feel free.

Oh, and welcome to Writing and Fanfiction, go vote in our contest.

Let's get one thing straight, the only time when you should feel ashamed about something you wrote is when it's badly written.

If you wrote something terrible you should definitely feel ashamed about it, so that next time you'll at least try to improve.

If you wrote something good (and you know it) and others are giving you shit about it's subject matter, you should dismiss their criticisms. In most cases they're either just bigoted or simply don't know what the fuck they're talking about.

Don't get me wrong, though. I'm not saying that you shouldn't give a fuck about what other people think. No matter how much you fool yourself, you will always give [at least] a small fuck about what other people think. The trick is to not give a big fuck and allow their opinions to drastically influence what you write about.

You should always write about what makes you hard.

Be that as it may, if you're writing fan fiction, that means you haven't lived enough. A writer is a storyteller and a good storyteller needs good stories to tell. You can only get your hands on some of those if you go out there and do shit.

By writing fan fiction, you're being lazy. You're commandeering the universe and characters that another author [probably] took a great effort to create for a single self-serving purpose: to express your fantasies. It's not weird, but it's not good storytelling either. If you want to express your fantasies you should do it on your own terms and create your own world and characters. It doesn't matter if [you think] you're not creative or original enough. You should always make an effort.

The best writers out there usually base their plots on shit that either happened to them or shit that they witnessed first hand. Their characters are built on the unique traits and mannerisms of real life people and their worlds are founded on the principles of their own realities. These elements, combined with decent writing, are pretty much all it takes to make a good book or short-story.

Here's a guy who knows exactly what the fuck I'm talking about:



Get out of your room. Strike a conversation with a total stranger. Stop the excessive masturbation. Quit whatever you're doing right now and go raid your father's whiskey closet. Drink excessively. Do drugs. Fuck a fat chick in the ass. Prove you still have a pulse.

[size=12][/h]"If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic."

General agreement with what you said, Chacal. In fact you will find me repeating your points.

"Terrible" is a bit subjective a word. A lot of people are of the opinion that anything I put down on paper is terrible. I supposed 'universally pilloried' are the words I would use.

If I did not put in enough effort or heart into what I write, I would feel ashamed. Not sure about you, Delbruck. As for me, opinion is divided on what I write. I think I write fanfiction because I do parodies. If people criticise it, I would not feel ashamed. I would defend my work.

I will say again that there is nothing wrong with fanfiction. I prefer it because it saves me the need to think of characters or a plot. All I need to do is to develop them. Do post your fanfiction here if you come up with one.

I voted the nerd option. But I have a question; why the fuck do you care if some shitheads who can't write shit call you nerd? Or anyone else? What's weird with having an interest-- hell, why should you care if some randoms think whatever is weird? Do whatever you want.

That said, I do agree that fanfics are for lazy people who don't want to do the hard part themselves.

well, I for myself believe that fanfictions in general are much harder to write than coming up with something on my own. it's one of the hardest things for me to write, especially if it's something with serious themes. even for the not-so-serious stuff I just can't really write whatever I want and completely disregard the original canon. I can't really make things up whatever I want, or I will suffer terrible consequences. dunno what exactly, but that's how I felt.

though, I believe it's nice to be able to write one of these, mainly as a homage to the original Author, showing how much you loved their work, and want to contribute something as a sign of it. whether or not it's okay it's up to you, but I myself kind of prefer coming up with something on my own - at least it will save me from all the headaches I mostly got from writing fanfiction.

either way, I think you should stick on writing things you wanted to write. I merely just voiced my opinions.

That is an interesting perspective. Though I am convinced everything is written for me in an established universe thus making it easier to write, it may be hard to replicate exactly. In order to deal with that problem I would not stick too closely to the original material. Take my parody of Dawn of Dark's work which I consider my first true short story: the character's are the same, what they are remain the same but I changed their personalities and a bit of the plot.

I am not of the opinion that writing parodies or fanfiction is lazy. One needs to come up with ideas to develop plot and character. Even original material, more often than not are inspired from existing material which is why I am convinced that creativity is well-concealed plagiarism. The person who suggested that is also of the opinion that it is alright to write fanfiction. How does one reconcile that?