Day 27: Filing off the Serial Numbers from Fanfic, yes or no? (requested by Temaris)

[beren_writes]

temaris Is it worth filing off the serial numbers or just write original fic to start with?

Now this is a very interesting question and I think it totally depends on the fanfic in question. I believe there are four ways that you can come up with a decent original fiction from a fanfic without infringing copyright:

1. The premise is so generic, i.e. two cops solving a case, that if you change the names and alter the situation slightly no one is going to know it wasn't an original fic anyway.
2. You've written an alternative universe fic so changing the names and tweaking some of the minor characters gives you a whole new playground.
3. You've added something new to the fictional universe that can be extracted and it might take work, but the original parts and some tweaks to the characters make it completely original.
4. You've written real person fanfic (RPF) and a few tweaks and name changes mean you can pretend they never were real people.

Of course there is the question of should you file off the serial numbers and, personally, I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you're not taking anyone's copyrighted material with you. However, I firmly believe it should be done well. Converting a fanfic into an original fiction can be as hard as writing the original fiction from scratch. It should be undertaken carefully, thoughtfully and only after serious consideration. In some cases it might even be easier to take the premise and simply write the original fiction from scratch in the first place.

I have books out there that started off as a fanfic ideas, but which I then wrote as original fiction. Two of them were RPF so I simply fictionalised the characters before I started writing and one I had started writing as fanfic, but it had so much original material in it that it barely resembled the universe it was set in, so I ripped out all the fanfic parts and wrote it as a completely new idea.

I also have one that was published as a fanfic, but it fits in category four and I took it down a long while ago and have just about finished converting it. I also added some large chunks because fanfic assumes the audience know things that original fiction cannot. Since werewolves don't happen in real life I don't think many will catch on that it used to be RPF.

Now if you look as something like 50 Shades I think it fits into category 2. Even though it was once a Twilight fanfic it was an AU so, love it or hate it, by changing the names it's an original story.

The problems arise when the serial numbers aren't filed off very well. Fanfic writing in most cases has different requirements because of the audience and original fiction usually needs a lot more world building. If this is missing or too much of someone else's fiction universe is used you end up with a book that is thin or cheating. This is problematic for the reader and the copyright owner.

There's no such thing as a completely original plot or even an original universe, but there are distinctive things that make a fiction universe special. Having wizards use wands is not unique, having them going to a shop in a magical street where a funny old man hands them wand after wand until they find the right one is. Letting your heroine be bitten by a handsome vampire is not unique, having him be the guy next door who fixes up old houses and your heroine is the girlfriend of the teenage boy watching said vampire from his bedroom window is. Harry Potter and Fright Night (1985) respectively; in case you were wondering.

It's all in the delivery. Two fanfic writer can use the same premise and come up with entirely different stories, so it's quite possible for two writers of original fiction to do the same. As long as you bring something different, something original to what you are creating then who cares how it started out. Write well and don't steal other people's universes for your own gain and everything should be fine.

Comments

[sorion_writes]

I've been told several times that I should turn one fic or another of mine into an original work. I'd never do that, because a) like you said, the world they were created in and the characters I worked with are very specific to the fandoms (at least I would like to think so, or my characterisation would have been severely off), and b) it feels just too damn lazy to me :X

I agree that there are no original plots, but that's the beauty of creating one of your own, regardless. Basing something specifically on the plot and characters of someone else and then "tune" it just won't cut it, unless you put at least as much work into it as you would if you started anew.

If you can pull off a good fic, and you're convinced of your writing skills... write your own story. Mind you, that's just my opinion ;)

[moth2fic]

Interesting question and interesting reply!
I have two self published fics that were originally posted as fanfic. One is based on the fairy tales fandom so didn't need any filing - I just had to remove it from AO3 and explain to the comm it was for why I was taking it away!
The other is Arthurian legend, particularly Tennyson's Lady of Shalott and so there aren't any copyright worries. If you write something like P.D.James' Death Comes To Pemberly you don't need to file the serial numbers off.
I also wrote a sci fi epic that was effectively original fic but my characters used the Stargate to move around and I would love to file the serial numbers off but can't think of any way to do it!!