[Guide] What Kind of Fanfic Should an Author Create?

[Richard Lawson & Joseph Palmer]

Early this year a budding fanfiction author asked a question about
creating fanfiction in the R.A.A.F. newsgroup. As a subject near and dear
to my heart I responded with a few suggestions, one of which was "We are
guests, we should act like guests." After a lively discussion on usenet, I
received an Email from Richard Lawson, who was unable to participate in
the discussion because of bad propagation. He suggested we co-author an
article on the subject. We decided to each write an opening statement, and
then follow up with a series of threaded
discussions. This is the result of that collaboration.

J.
_______________________________________________________________________

"What kind of fanfic should an author create,
and how true to the original should it be?"
_______________________________________________________________________

by Richard Lawson

The art of writing is one of self-expression. Something moves us,
something interests us, we become intrigued and even fascinated by an
idea, and we write it on paper (metaphorical or not). Because the paper
is blank, we have no limits to where our minds can take us.

So why do we write fanfics? Two reasons, I think. One: much of the
hard work has been done for us. The characters have been created, the
background developed, the situations put in place. No longer do we have
to create the shy ESPer or the irreverent spaceship captain - this has
been done for us. We don't have to spend time and effort to develop
these things before plunging right into the plot - our readers already
know these things.

Which leads into the second reason we write fanfics: a ready audience.
People are much more willing to read a fanfic about an anime or manga
series of which they're already familiar than somebody's original story
with characters they don't know. We write fanfics because we know an
audience is already out there, waiting to read.

So then, you're going to write a fanfic using someone else's characters.
What rules are there?

My answer: there *are* no rules.

It goes back to what I said right at the beginning: writing is an art
of self-expression. We want to express something, and even if we use
other people's characters to express it, we shouldn't limit ourselves.
Only by experimenting with your writing will you grow as a writer.

You have a dark vision, of that favorite ESPer of yours slowly going mad
and destroying much of the city around him. Your favorite princess and
future queen suddenly decides to stop fighting altogether and moves to a
South Pacific island, growing orchids while the forces of evil grow
stronger around her. These visions are different from the visions that
the manga or anime artists had of the characters, but - and this is
important - they are *no less valid*.

Write that vision out. Take it where you think it should. Express
yourself. It is by following these visions that we discover more about
the characters we're writing about - and ourselves.

When you're doing this, keep in mind reason #2 above. The further you
diverge from the anime or manga, the smaller your receptive audience may
be. By taking characters into uncharacteristically dark place - or even
uncharacteristically happy moments - you lose some of the appeal of the
characters. How many people want to see a story about Ranma growing
sunflowers and singing Gilbert and Sullivan? Perhaps not a lot, no
matter how well you paint your vision.

However, if you're willing to limit the possible appeal of your story,
go ahead and write "Oklahoma! 1/2". Go ahead and write "Friday the
13th, part X: Jason meets Lum". Expressing yourself and giving full
reign to your imagination is what writing is all *about*. Don't ever
feel bound by artificial restraints.

_______________________________________________________________________

"What kind of fanfic should an author create,
and how true to the original should it be?"
_______________________________________________________________________

By Joseph Palmer

The best kind of fanfic for an author to write is not a fanfic at all,
but a work with original themes, settings and characters. Original works
are free from the entanglements that cause us to place 'legal
disclaimers' within our fanfictions, and come with economic rights and
copyright protections recognized throughout the world.

When we write fanfiction, we step outside of those protections. The
stories we borrow are the undisputed property of the creator/publishers.
In the United States, law compels a trademark owner act to protect their
trademark when presented with evidence of misuse, or risk loss of that
trademark to common usage. Copyright law is different. A Copyright
holder is not in danger of losing their rights if they turn a blind eye
to violations of their property, but if asked for permission, the
copyright holder must either refuse, or grant a license, for if they
ignore a specific and documented request, they might loose control over
some aspect of their work.

In spite of all this, fanfictions of many genre have been around for
years, and copyright holders do purposefully cast their gaze aside, so
long as fanfic authors do not try to make money or infringe on the
copyright holders economic rights. Some authors have even gone so far as
to release into the public domain locations and settings that fan
writers may use.

When we write fanfics, we venture into this moral twilight and legal
darkness. We have been granted no right nor license to use these stories
or characters.

We are uninvited guests.

My gut reaction to the question: "What Kind of fanfiction Should an
Author Create?" is that we are guests, and we should act like guests.

To me, this means we should strive to make our stories true to the
'nature' of the original. It wasn't until I recently consulted my
dictionary that I was finally able to put words to my long and deeply
held beliefs.

My Funk and Wagnalls defines nature as:

Na-ture n. 1. The character, constitution, or essential
traits of a person, thing or class...

and character is defined as:

Char-ac-ter n. 14 That by which a thing is especially
known or distinguished...

To put my feelings into twenty words or less:

"As fanfic authors we should celebrate and
protect the things that distinguish this series
from other works."

To do so protects the artistic rights of the creator, for if we remain
true to the nature of the series, we are unlikely to dilute the
essential qualities that drew us to the series. We also protect the
creator's economic rights, since we are unlikely to affect our readers
feelings in a way that would tilt them away from future purchases of the
artists works.
It is from behind these thin battlements that I both urge other
fanfic authors to remain true to the nature of the series they have
chosen to write within, and point out the total freedom available to
them in original fiction.

_______________________________________________________________________

Discussion Threads:

_______________________________________________________________________

"Definitions, Objective and Subjective"
_______________________________________________________________________

Richard Lawson

Herein lies the main problem of Joseph's viewpoint. To him, there is
one way a "guest" should behave. I have guests who put their feet on my
furniture and jeer at my taste in music. How guests "should" behave
varies greatly from individual to individual.

The "nature" of a series, too, is a very personal, subjective
interpretation. Some people see Ranma 1/2 as mindless fighting. I
happen to see Ranma 1/2 as the story of two people slowly coming
together. The answer may or may not lie somewhere in the middle. But
the point is that there is no objective way to determine the "nature" of
any story.

So any attempt to ask people to act like "guests" and stay within the
"nature" of the series is doomed to failure from the beginning.
Certainly we can't - and shouldn't - try to enforce any standards on
what topics can be used in fanfiction. And since opinions can vary so
widely on what's acceptable in writing fanfiction, asking for voluntary
compliance will not result in any noticeable change in the way
fanfiction is written.

In short, the battle is unwinnable. So why fight it?

Now, at the same time, I don't want to give the impression that the only
acceptable fanfiction is deliberately contrary. fanfiction that is
written in the style of the source material can be of great benefit to
the series and the genre in general. I have no argument there.

But there are those who would argue that WAFF (warm and fuzzy feeling)
stories are as out of step with Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 as any story
fraught with murder and mayhem. Are they right or wrong? And who is to
judge? Certainly not I; I'll accept both extremes as part of the
panorama of Ranma 1/2.

Joseph Palmer

Those of you who've read my works you'll know that I choose my words
carefully, and in this case "guest" perfectly describes what I mean. It
allows for latitude, yet carries the cultural baggage of visits to your
great aunt's doily-filled house. The implied question is, would the host
invite that guest back? The answer depends both upon the behavior of
the guest, and on the expectations of the host. I've read fanfictions
that are pure Emily Post, and others that are the moral equivalent of
burning the record collection and chucking cherry bombs down the
plumbing. I know who I'd invite back.

"Nature" is another word that carries much cultural meaning. I first
used it in reference to the Koan; "Does a dog have a Buddha nature?"
(Mu!), and it brings to mind the outdoors, and the study of natural
science. "Nature" hits both the target of mechanically sorting and
categorizing by characteristic, and the spiritual wonder of the objects
of study.

I do not claim that I can mount my favorite series (Ranma 1/2) in the
center of target, fix a bulls-eye around it and declare that an arrow
which falls outside the boundary, by even the slightest fraction, is
"out of nature", but I reject as patently absurd the notion that we
cannot see when that arrow has completely missed the target.

It is a distinguishing ability of man to divide and sort by
characteristic, starting all the way back at the first command; to name
the animals. The record is unclear on whether this meant that a
specific camel was to be named 'Clem', but It clearly acknowledges that
man is able to tell a camel from an ox, both by recognizing those
characteristics that make up a camel, and those that set it apart from
an ox. I claim, in my genetic inheritance, the ability to do the same.

When I wrote my first words of fanfiction (now buried in Chapter 2 of
Ninja no Himitsu) I had given no thought to the ethical ramifications of
my actions. I was just writing a story, like those I'd seen in
rec.arts.anime. (Yes, it was that long ago.) Over time, a few posts in
that news group led me to think more about what I was doing, but I still
felt relatively safe in what I was writing since I was careful to not
give away series spoilers, and I was sticking fairly close to cannon.

My first real twinge of conscience came when I was writing "Autumn",
since it grew to contain a real kiss between Ranma and Akane. That's
all, just a kiss, but Takahashi had never never allowed that kiss,
either in the Manga she wrote, or in the anime written under strict
license. I knew at that time I was stepping outside the canonical
bounds of Ranma 1/2, and that since the Manga had not ended ("Autumn"
was written when the stories of volume 36 were running in Shonen Sunday)
I was mindful and hesitant that Takahashi might end the series with a
kiss, and that I was writing a story that a number of people might read
before they saw her version, and that their appreciation of her scene
might be in some way tainted by my work.

With the end of the Manga series, I've taken it upon myself to
unfreeze time, and to write my stories with the same nostalgia that
Takahashi might feel for being that age. (I'm the same age as her) I am
ever mindful of the historical cannon of the series, and mindful of my
readers who may have never seen a single episode, or may have seen it
all 4 times, as I have.

When Lawson-san offered to co-write this article, I felt it might be a
good opportunity to present my views before the fanfic authors, and to
provide argument for my view of what we should write. It isn't a matter
of enforcement (A power I reject as too repulsive to consider), it is a
matter of persuasion. Fanfic authors need to know that any act of
fanfiction carries the ethical burdens of copyright violation, and the
possibility of economic damages to the copyright holder. They should
also be mindful of their effect on the readers feelings for a series.

Richard Lawson

Joseph talks about how the behavior of a guest might vary, but still
fall within what the host finds acceptable. The problem here is that
the host - let us use Rumiko Takahashi as an example - has given us no
boundaries, no indication of what or what it not acceptable behavior for
her guests.

So what assumptions can we make about how Takahashi would ask us to
behave? Very few, I'm afraid. She may very well expect us to stay
within strict guidelines. As the woman who's written a wide range of
stories, from purely humorous to horrific, I feel comfortable in
thinking that she'd allow a lot of latitude in how her characters are
used.

But that is my opinion, and my opinion only. As the saying goes,
your mileage may vary. You may have a different opinion. Whose should
we go by? We simply *can't* enforce any one person's opinions. Even if
ninety percent of the readers agree with one set of rules, how could
they enforce those standards on the remaining ten percent? Joseph makes
a very valid point; the best we can do is try to persuade. It is up to
you, gentle reader, to decide whose arguments you find most convincing,
Joseph's or mine. I hold a slight advantage over Joseph, in that I am
advocating what is already standard practice: no limitations on how
characters are used in fanfics.

As to "nature": Joseph is right in that there is no one fixed mark
that defines the nature of a series. I do not agree that there is a
standard that is clearly outside, however. It might be that a certain
characteristic of a particular series is tremendously exaggerated; does
that mark it as contrary to the story's nature? You may disagree, but I
say that the answer is "no".

There are moments of violence in Ranma 1/2. No murder, no rape,
true. But lethal force is used. The minds of the characters are
sometimes taken over by others against their will. In those scenes we
can find traces of murder and rape. In writing a fanfic that
concentrates solely on murder and rape in the Ranmaverse, we do not
necessarily create a fanfic that is against the manga's nature; we
merely focus on bit, blow it up out of proportion, and ignore the other
things that make up the nature of Ranma 1/2. The same thing works the
other way: if we write a story where Ranma and Akane are warm, happy,
and act nicely towards each other and walk around holding hands in
public and generally having a good time, we've exaggerated one aspect of
Ranma 1/2 while ignoring the zaniness, madcap fighting, and outlandish
situations that are an essential part of the manga. Is this kind of
story against the nature of Ranma 1/2? Again I would say "no".

Joseph Palmer

On the contrary, Takahashi-sensei has left us plenty of evidence with
regard to Ranma 1/2. We have the 38 Manga volumes, penned literally by
her own hand. We have the 18 episodes of the original anime series (2 of
which contained non-manga stories), and we have 143 'hot fighting
stories' episodes, of which 76 (more than half) were not taken from the
manga, and we have 6 OAVs, (3 non manga) and the 3 movies, only one of
which came from the manga. Those 81 non-manga stories were created under
license, and therefore provide direct physical evidence as to what sort
of stories Takahashi-sensei would feel comfortable with.

Lawson points out that Takahashi has herself created stories "from
purely humorous to horrific". The fact that the "horrific" so evident in
her other works is conspicuously missing from Ranma 1/2, both in the
manga and licensed anime, is irrefutable proof of her intentions that it
not be there.

One of the things that draws readers and viewers to Ranma 1/2 is that
it is free of the horrific, and that's a depressingly rare thing. As
fanfiction authors we should ask ourselves why we would add such
elements to a series which was so successful without them. As artists,
we should ask ourselves why we would dishonor the original author's
artistic intentions. As human beings, we should ask ourselves why there
are so very few like it.

If an author feels the need to unleash dark and horrific visions on
their readers, (a subject for another discussion) why not choose a
series where those elements are already present, or better yet, why not
start with a truly clean sheet of paper?

Lawson claims a slight advantage by claiming the status quo, but
that's not really an argument. I'd guess most authors haven't given the
ethical aspects of fanfiction much thought. I advocate that they do, and
that their stories reflect that thought.

_______________________________________________________________________

"The Blank Paper"
_______________________________________________________________________

Joseph Palmer

When we write fanfiction, we do not start with blank paper. It comes
fully equipped with stories, characters, images, and fans (Or as Lawson
puts it; "the hard work").

Our readers are intellectually aware that our stories are not part of
the original series, but fanfiction, particularly if it is well written,
can leave a profound impression in the heart of the reader. If that
impression is negative, we have taken both from the series creator,
(since they may lose sales) and our reader, since they may be
disinclined to seek out the rest of the series.

If we keep to the spirit and nature of the original series, and we
write good stories, we are likely to encourage our readers to seek out
(and buy) more of the series to which we ourselves have been attracted.
I say as fanfic writers we should paint from the same pallet as the
creator, so that if our work were taped to the 'paper' of the original,
(as it is seen by the reader) they might see it as a part of the
original.

A great series like Ranma 1/2 has within its nature bright highlights,
and very dark shadows. There are countless stories we can write within
this gamut, all the while protecting the nature of the original. If we
mix pallets with another series, we add to neither, and diminish both.

The works of Rumiko Takahashi are a great illustration of how
different series, in this case from the same author, are created with
different pallets.

Ranma 1/2 contains no murder, no rape, no suicide. There are dark
episodes where major characters come close to death, but they do not
die. Ranma is even forced in the last story arch to use lethal force,
but he is saved from the consequences of his action because his opponent
has rejuvenating powers. In Ranma 1/2 we are frequently exposed to the
naked human form, but we are not exposed to the blackness that lies
within the hearts of man.

Inuyasha, Takahashi's new series, takes a dark turn. Innocent
bystanders are frequently killed, and villains are dispatched with
blades of living blood. The nature of Inuyasha is distinct from Ranma
1/2, here the stories are bloody and murder is normal.

Both series were first published in the same magazine, Shonen Sunday.
Both series are aimed at the same readers. Both are written by the same
author, but the two were kept separate.

A Ranma story, painted in the garish colors of murder and mayhem found
in Inuyasha is a blight on the 'paper' of Ranma, it does not belong. We
should not turn the 'hard work' of the series creators against them.

Richard Lawson

This works both ways. We can also enhance those quintessential
qualities of a particular anime or manga by providing contrast. A
personal example for me is "The Bitter End". It has a very dark
portrayal of Akane, full of anger and rage. It's a dark and depressing
story. And yet, its existence has made me appreciate all the more the
moments in the original manga where Akane is sweet, nice, and helpful.
The ending of the recent "Shiryu Hoten Ha" arc in the Viz translations
is an excellent example - at the end, Akane is as kind and sympathetic
as I've ever seen her. And I appreciated it all the more because of the
darkness of Zen's portrayal of her in "The Bitter End".

The economic impact Joseph refers to can also work both ways. I have
had many people tell me that they've acquired "All Purpose Cultural Cat
Girl Nuku Nuku" tapes after having read my Nuku Nuku fanfiction. This
despite the fact that my fanfiction is much more serious than the anime
on which it's based, and that "Transitions" is a very depressing story
that introduces tragedy to what's supposed to be a light, fun comedy.

I see the net effect of fanfiction's impact on the original works as
zero or plus, myself. The creation of fanfiction is more likely to
interest people in there series on which they're based. The existence
of sharp contrasts are more likely to make us appreciate the original
characters more.

Let me say that I've seen both sides. I did have one person write to me
telling me his reaction to the first Ranma 1/2 movie. He talked about
how, at the end, when Ranma and Akane are onboard the floating ship and
are looking at each other out of the corners of their eyes, all he could
think about was Kentaro. :) Certainly not what I intended when I wrote
"Thy Outward Part". So Joseph's point is well-taken.

But I still believe that the overall effect is positive. I think the
existence of mine and everyone else's fanfics are doing more good than
harm - no matter how dark, twisted, or "out of character" the stories
are.

Joseph Palmer

We have no right to these characters at all, so we certainly can find
no right to rewrite a character to "provide contrast". Contrast means
'To set in opposition in order to show differences.' Recasting the same
character in opposition to their "quintessential qualities" is self
defeating, since it demonstrates that those very qualities are not so
quintessential after all. It is this dilution of the essence of the
original story that I find the most disheartening. The message, (whether
intentional or not) is 'See, this series wasn't so special after all, I
can recast these characters into the same banal plots of crime, violence
and hate we get every night on television.'

Having written all that, I can recall a number of good stories that
successfully provided contrast, (for example the good Kirk - bad Kirk
Star Trek episodes) but they do so by providing an unbroken connection
and a positive return to the original characterization, and a plot
device to explain the abnormal behavior. The slightest flaw in that
connection damages that character forever in the mind of the reader.

_______________________________________________________________________

"Writing and Rules"
_______________________________________________________________________

Joseph Palmer

Writing is all about rules. It's about spelling and punctuation,
rhythm, cadence and sentence structure. Those who break these rules do
so only by making their own. (The rare orthodox sentence shines out of
'Finnegans Wake' like a shiny nail in a box of rusty screws.)

If we write non-fiction, our pen struggles beneath the burdens of
truth and fact. If we write science fiction, we must know our science,
or be prepared to invent a whole new one. If we write history, we must
honor documented facts. If we write historical fiction, we must weave
our story without disturbing the threads of time. Even if we write pure
fiction our pen is still gently bound, for we may not libel, nor may we
plagiarize.

Richard Lawson

e. e. cummings, among many others, demonstrated that rules are made
to be broken. His poetry broke many of the molds that had constrained
literature up to that point, and lent legitimacy to new forms of
expression.

Many of the "rules" Joseph talks about are relatively arbitrary, and
*can* be broken. You must be prepared to pay the price, of course -
your poetry better be darned good if you decide not to rhyme anything or
use capital letters.

Eddie Murphy's classic poem "Kill My Landlord" also comes to mind.
:)

Joseph Palmer

e. e. cummings demonstrated only that it is possible to make up his
own rules, and he ground the capital letters from his typewriter to
enforce his rules. Writing without any rules is like music without key
or time, it is but noise.

Publishing a nonfiction book filled with libel and fabrications will
likely land the author and publisher in court. I don't believe that the
declaration that "There are no Rules" is likely to hold much sway with a
jury.

Fanfiction is the use without permission of proprietary, copyrighted
property. (We do not write fanfiction, we commit fanfiction.) :)
Copyright laws are rules of a sort, and while writing a story and
leaving it spinning on our hard disks can be considered fair use,
publishing them in the internet breaks that copyright law.

Richard Lawson

Joseph splits hairs when he talks about "making up your own rules"
versus "no rules". Obviously when you go against established tradition,
you're making your own rules. The point I'm trying to make is that you
should never feel limited by someone else's rules. Feel free to make up
your own, and don't worry about those who might call it "noise". Just
so you understand the risk you are taking: that by creating your own
rules, you may limit the appeal of and the audience for your work.

Joseph does make a valid point about libel and plagiarism. Obviously
there *are* some rules. Just as obviously, the very act of writing
fanfiction breaks those rules. However, since the industry at large
turns a blind eye (and in fact, copyright-violating manga has its own
industry in Japan), we pretty much get away with it.

There are other "rules", too. If you want to get your story
published on rec.arts.anime.creative, you'll need to post it in a
certain format that's readable to everybody. Such rules are not meant
as creative limitations, but as a necessity for accessibility.

Once we get beyond those limitations, however, there simply are no
rules. Neither the moderators of r.a.a.c nor the internet community at
large places any restriction on your creativity. And, as stated above,
I don't think there should be.

Joseph Palmer

Looks like Lawson and I agree, rules is rules, pick one or make one up
and stick to it. ..Or not, if your rule is not sticking to rules, but
wait, isn't that just another... Oh never mind. As for the hair, here's
your half, Richard. (Sorry about the gray, must be one of mine)

Lawson's made a strategic retreat. In his opening statement he said
with great force and authority that "there *are* no rules", now that's
been toned down a bit to: "Obviously there *are* some rules." Rather
than needling him for a paragraph or two, I'll get back to the heart of
the matter.

There is another rule we must face, and that is the rule of law.
Copyright law was not created as a roadblock to our creativity, it was
created to protect the economic and artistic rights of the original
author. Copyright law has this to say about fanfiction: (paraphrasing)
"Don't."

Fiction is unique. It's not found in the ground like the elements, nor
is it part of the universe to be discovered, like mathematics. It is the
willful creation of man. Neither the fibers of the paper nor the
pigments of the ink are fiction, only the words and ideas.

As authors, we should be especially sensitive to the rights of other
authors. As fan fiction authors we must additionally recognize that our
works are distributed worldwide, for free, and are frequently more
accessible than the original. We must recognize that if our vision is
different, and we assert that vision with great force and skill, that we
are violating the artistic rights and intentions of the original author.

Lawson asserts with regard to creativity: "I don't think there should
be [any rules]." Just because we are writing fanfiction, it doesn't mean
we are issued us a special "artistic learner's permit" that grants us
unrestricted use of the original artist's vehicle. When we take that
vehicle out for a spin, we owe it to the original author to return it in
the same condition (and top off the tank). If that vehicle is unique or
rare, we should take extra care not to damage it.

I've presented my case that the creation of any fanfiction is fraught
with ethical problems, and have offered two alternatives, the first
reduces the ethical problems to 'de minimus', [Still ethically wrong, but
unworthy of pursuit, (like eating 1 grape in a grocery store)] and the
second is the freedom of original works.

In his opening statement, Lawson made the assertions that "there *are*
no rules", and [If] "We want to express something, and even if we use
other people's characters to express it, we shouldn't limit ourselves".

Those assertions carry much authority and force, yet I can find no
evidence or argument to support them.

Richard Lawson

When trying to define my "strategic retreat", Joseph holds up a Red
Delicious and attempts to show how different it is from a Florida
Seedless. To the original question, "What kind of a fanfic should an
author create?", I said that there were no rules; feel free to create
any fanfic you want. Do you want to publish it on raac? Then there
*are* rules, mostly having to do with formatting. Do you want to go to
Doubleday and have them publish your collection of Sailor Moon stories?
Be prepared to be play by the rules of international copyright. Want to
write a fanfic for your own enjoyment, and perhaps the enjoyment of a
few people who come across your web page? Do whatever you feel like.

As to returning the car in the same condition you got it in: there are
those who say you should never have taken the car out for a joyride in
the first place. Following Joseph's own arguments to their logical
conclusion would lead us to never write fanfiction in the first place.
I loved Joseph's line about "committing" fanfiction. ^_^

I am proceeding from the assumption that you have decided to learn how
to drive in your neighbor's car without permission. And, indeed, most
neighbors these days are turning a blind eye to the fact that their cars
are being used for this purpose. For good reason, too: their cars, if
you follow my arguments above, are generally more valuable to them after
they've been used in this manner.

And *that* is the force of my argument: that the overall affect of
fanfiction (even the stuff that has a tone that contrasts with the
source material) is positive. More people are aware of the source anime
or manga, and draw greater appreciation of it. If you're looking for
material justification for fanfiction, you need look no further than
that.

However, my stronger belief is a more ethereal one: that there should
never be a limit on creativity. Don't be fettered by the opinions and
interpretations of others, but explore where your imagination takes you,
even if you're using the benefits of someone else's imagination to do
it.

Joseph's points are well-reasoned, and I would be lying if I said that I
haven't had similar thoughts myself. After having a conversation with
someone in the manga industry at an Anime Convention, I seriously
considered getting out of fanfiction writing altogether. But as long as
I do not try to make a profit out of it, and as long as I perceive the
overall influence of fanfiction as positive, then I will continue to
write fanfiction and continue to advise others to write fanfiction in
whatever form they choose to do it.

Of course, the above is my opinion only, just as Joseph's arguments are
his opinion. It is up to you, dear reader, to decide whose arguments
above you find most convincing, and to live by them.

_______________________________________________________________________

Joseph Palmer's fanfictions include the Seasons and Colors series. He
lives and works in Silicon Valley.

email: jpa...@best.com
url: http://www.best.com/~jpalmer

Richard Lawson's fanfictions include "Thy Inward Love", "Thy Outward
Part", and the largest collection of All Purpose Cultural Catgirl Nuku
Nuku fanfics to be found in the English-speaking world. He lives and
works in Plymouth, MN, and is open to offers of employment in warmer
climates.

email: ste...@sprynet.com
url: http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/sterman/fanfic.htm

Copyright 1998, Richard Lawson & Joseph Palmer
All Rights Reserved.