Is Fan Fiction a Good Writing Practice?

I've been following an interesting thread ofCON – Fan fiction can be addictive, and if
conversation on a writing message board: ayou devote too much time to the exercise you
debate as to whether or not the practice ofmay find creating original work difficult. If you
writing fan fiction is healthy for an aspiring writer.post stories to the Internet and attract a fan
By definition: "fan fiction" are stories involvingbase, you may find yourself writing more to
characters from a television series or movie,please this small faction of people, and that will
written by fans and usually printed in undergroundtake you away from your true calling.
magazines or on the Internet for other fans toPRO – While writing fan fiction I found my
enjoy. This concept is especially popular amongknack for writing smooth dialogue improving.
fans of science fiction programs, and writers of allCON – I also found I tended to use my
skill levels participate. For the serious fan fictionbest "bits" for such a story, leaving the well dry
writer, there are even science-fiction conventionswhen it came time to write something more
which present annual awards for the best-writtenserious.
prose. Stories may range from histories explainingPRO – By posting my fan fiction to the
gaps in a particular TV show's canon (e.g. whatInternet, I was able to attract readers who in
has the cast of House been up to betweenturn were led to my website and information
seasons one and two?) to rather sillyabout my book. One fan even wrote to say he
missives—I once found on the Internet ahad bought my book after reading my fan fiction.
Star Trek story where all of the characters hadCON – I'll try not to stereotype fan fiction
been replaced by the cast of Desperatereaders, but if you have ever visited an online
Housewives!repository of fan fiction you may notice a
Is fan fiction a healthy exercise? For one, itmajority of stories not only portray scenes
technically is not a legal exercise, as all televisionpeople would like to see on their favorite shows,
and movie characters are protected by copyright.but scenes even HBO won't show after eleven at
Since fan fiction is essentially a non-profitnight. Some may argue writing fan fiction is not
enterprise, however, most production companiesgood for the writer's ego, but reading some of
tend to turn a blind eye to the activity. Renewhat is posted is certainly not good if you're at
Balcer, an executive producer of the show Lawwork and the boss sees you! I do write romance
and Order, once told a fan e-zine that he did notthat is spicy, but there are lines even I won't
mind the fan fiction based upon his show, and thiscross.
appears to be the general consensus so long as aShould you write fan fiction as a writing exercise?
writer does not try to sell his/her work.A few years I may have defended its
Having written fan fiction in the past, I can sayimportance, but now I would suggest alternative
that the practice as a writing exercise has its proswriting exercises, ones designed to improve your
and cons:writing skills and help you to become less
PRO – During my heaviest bouts withdependent on ready-made situations. Should the
writer's block, writing a story about a familiarpull to write a story about Agents Mulder and
character helped loosen the spigot. Once IScully be too strong, however, why not take the
pondered what would happen if Dr. Sam Beckettopportunity to introduce your own characters?
of Quantum Leap traveled back in time toLet Mulder, Scully, Dr. House, and all your favorite
M*A*S*H's 4077th unit, and the result was acharacters inspire what you want to write, but
20,000-word story.make sure the end product is all your own.