(no subject)

[astridv]

I'm still following the fic debate on Goldberg's blog (rerun #2047). No, I won't get into the usual conflating of legalities/ethics/morals and the invocation of Godwin's law - I've come to expect nothing less from that blog. No... I'm stumped on what a fundamental level the anti-fic crowd don't get us.

They do not get the basic motivation for writing fanfic. They don't even seem to realize that there's a whole group of people who love to read it, that there's an actual eager audience for it, that fic is - among other things - an act of communication. That it fills a need. In fact, the group of fic readers has been continually glossed over as long as I'm following this debate, as if they don't factor in.

It becomes crystal-clear each time someone suggests that it's okay to write it for practice as long as you don't post it (*head/desk*)... or to write it and then change characters and settings to turn it into an original work before posting it. Every time I read the arguments, I sit there staring at the screen, bewildered by the gulf between the two mindsets.

It's like two races of aliens trying to communicate.

Kind of exasperating but fascinating nonetheless.

Here's my crazy hypothesis - feel free to disagree: I've come to suspect there are two sorts of people... those who daydream and those who don't. There're those who watch a show, only to have the characters take on a life of their own in their heads, who can't help making up little tales: when I was a kid, I spent hours on end walking through the forest with the dog, making up little stories in a weird crossover 'verse made up of Star Trek and Star Wars and my favourite young adult novel series (complete with Mary Sue and boy, am I glad the internet wasn't around back then). I couldn't get enough of that, and I always kind of assumed that everyone does that. (I still write fic in my head nowadays, except sans Mary Sue.)

But I'm no longer so sure everyone does it, otherwise how do folks like the commenters on Lee's blog don't realize, no matter how often rational people like lost_erizo and lexin tell them, that for the vast majority of fic writers, fic is not the means to an end (which would be becoming a rich, famous writer, I suppose). There're pleasant side benefits, like improving your writing skills and making friends, getting feedback... but fanfic is what it's about - the sharing of stories about characters you love with likeminded people. Doesn't get much simpler than that, one should think.

Well, maybe those folks do daydream strictly original szenarios, who knows. In any case, this debate will go round and round and round and never ever be resolved. But from a cultural viewpoint, I find it interesting.

Comments

Here from Metafandom

[fyrdrakken]

Funny you should mention knitting in your list of things that people don't disdain the amateur for -- because upon taking it up again seriously a few years back, I couldn't help but notice how many people came up to me suggesting I find a way to sell the things I knit and/or work on commission. They invariably meant it as a compliment (or were trying to get me to make something for them), and had to have it explained to them that for the number of hours I put into doing it there's no way anyone would pay me enough to approach even minimum wage for the worktime. I do it for the fun of it, and the things I make are either for myself or for family and close friends. (I have made items for pay twice. The first time was me trying the name-a-price method as an attempt to scare off someone I didn't want to make something for and I set my price too low, and the second time it was because I wanted to make Pippin's scarf from the LotR movies but knew it wasn't a thing I'd actually want to wear myself once I had it. On the scarf I later calculated I'd put a good thirty hours into something I got paid $35 for.)

So, yeah. There's a whole mindset that I think comes from figuring that it must be heavenly to turn a hobby into a career and thereby have a job you really enjoy, that doesn't realize that A) having to make a paying proposition out of an activity can take a lot of the joy out of it and B) that a hobby can be defined as, "something you pay to do."

reposted with tags fixed

[astridv.livejournal.com]

and had to have it explained to them that for the number of hours I put into doing it there's no way anyone would pay me enough to approach even minimum wage for the worktime.

That's another point, yeah. The money paid for comics artwork in Germany (where I live) is so laughable that you can just as well draw it for free and spend your work hours on stuff that pays a lot better. That way, you retain all your creative freedom and you don't have to deal with deadlines.

So, yeah. There's a whole mindset that I think comes from figuring that it must be heavenly to turn a hobby into a career and thereby have a job you really enjoy, that doesn't realize that A) having to make a paying proposition out of an activity can take a lot of the joy out of it

I did turn my hobby into a job... and slowly, without even me noticing, it had turned into a chore. I rediscovered the joy through fan art. Ever since I found that outlet, I have all sorts of new energy for the paid work. Tell that to our pro friends. They sound like writing has to be a chore in order to make you a 'real' writer.

and B) that a hobby can be defined as, "something you pay to do."

Heh. True.

Re: reposted with tags fixed

[fyrdrakken]

I think maybe a lot of the problem comes down to a regrettable but popular trend to define value of almost anything solely in monetary terms. So if someone spends many hours on an activity for which there is no possible hope of financial gain (or even secondary gain, as with the argument that, "Fanfic lets me practice and build skills so I can become a professional later on"), and if that activity isn't one generally recognized as in and of itself worth paying money to do (e.g., paying for a health club membership or to attend a sporting event), then to the "value should have a monetary amount" mindset fandom boils down to spending many hours on something of literally no value.