Fan Fiction: Good or Bad?

According to Wikipedia, Fan fiction (alternatively referred to as fanfiction, fanfic, FF, or fic) is "a broadly-defined term for fan labor regarding stories about characters or settings written by fans of the original work, rather than by the creator." I decided to write this blog because the discussion in class about fan fiction reminded me of an article I read back when Composition II started, about Stephanie Meyer's thoughts on fan fiction: "It makes me frustrated. I'm like...go write your own story. Put them out there and get them published. That's what you should be doing. You should be working on your own book right now...As long as the writers of it, move on from it. I think it's sad to spend so much energy on something you can't own." However, she later goes on to say that she enjoys the stories that are written well enough to get published. I find it a little hypocritical that she's so against continuing an already written story, when she reads fan fiction as well. Sort of a pot calling the kettle black scenario...just a bit.

Fan fiction to me, is simply entertainment. Everyone has that favorite book or series that they simply don't want to end and when it does, especially in a way fans dislike, fan fiction allows them to continue the story in a way that makes them happy...as long as a disclaimer is included. There are people that say that stories are not to be messed with and that they should be left alone in the way that the author intended them to be. While I understand that aspect of the argument, I also have a way too active imagination to ever follow it. Fan fiction, I believe, is just another medium in which to be creative. If I find a story that I dislike, I can simply search for another that I do. If none of the already published stories satisfy me, I'm free to write one that does. Besides, people have been continuing popular stories for years. As a fan of classic literature, I know for a fact that Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which is only one example in a ton, has multiple continuations in which the characters are the same in both and where a new plot is simply added onto the old. What's the difference? I personally find fan fiction amusing and enjoyable, and regardless of popular opinion, you can have a life and enjoy fan fiction at the same time, much to my immense relief.

Source: http://www.twifans.com/profiles/blogs/stephenie-meyer-talks-twilight