PTWalden

PT tried to quote W_L's words and failed miserably.

LOL - dumb newb. I don't think your ideas are "out there" at all. In fact, they fall well within the realm of one fanfiction author I adore.

If I wanted to write a HP fan fic, i'd go in an alternate universe, where Neville is the hero of the story and make Harry a great supporting character. I would change the dynamics of all the characters, reverse and warp the concept of good and evil with Dumbledore being a seemingly benign dictator seeking to dominate the magical world with his Army of disciples and Voldemort, his ex pupil and ex-lover (yes, I'd go there ) building a force against him from the outsiders of magical society. Theme wise, I'd stress more on the areas untouched by Rowling: the notion of social alienation, how power can easily be abused, and the complexities between true heroism and villains. Luckily for everyone, I don't write fan fics I actually think that would make an excellent fanfiction!

I am a bit sad for everyone who hasn't had the pleasure of reading a good fanfiction. Please don't judge the entire genre on the merits of that Fifty Shades travesty. Yes, I said travesty. As to the creativity debate, it is rather difficult to stay within canon with someone else's characters and not fall into common traps of fanfiction, being attacked by the rabid fans, or entering the realm of completely unbelievable. Jeez, it's hard to write your own characters without falling into the common traps of fanfiction. I can't find it right at the moment but there was a lively literary debate over Mary-Sue, Gary-Stu and self-insertion in original literature with both HP and Twilight characters mentioned. It does require some creativity to envision a new story line with the established characters. Now, to freak everyone out, if you didn't already know this: Amazon is attempting to sell fanfiction. http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1001197421 How does everyone feel about that?

I had not seen that article on Fifty Shades. Its success is mind-boggling to me. When all is said and done, it did serve one, dare I say good, purpose: illuminating the hidden world of fanfiction. Everyone has their own personal preferences and if fanfiction is creepy to someone, just don't read it. BTW - Anne Rice took legal action to protect her works. She has Cease & Desist orders out against any and all fanfiction using her worlds or characters, which is her right. Thanks for the article. PW

Who hasn't read a story and imagined themselves as the lead character, or created another character as part of the story after the reading the tale? Hello Gary-Stu and Mary Sue and welcome to fanfiction. Alright, I concede that I am very new here but I am not new to fanfiction or original writing. Both forms have their own merit. For me, fanfiction was a step into writing for an audience rather than a professor or as a professional. I began with OC's - original characters - paired with canon characters and it was a bridge into creating completely new worlds and scenarios. Yes, there is some absolute DRECK fanfiction. There are also absolutely wonderful fanfictions. Would I want someone to write fanfiction of my characters? Yes, and wouldn't that be a marvelous compliment. Would I be a tad jealous and possessive? Yes.