Lauren's 303 Multimedia Writing Blog

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The most interesting idea on the identity of a writer for me comes from Foucault. His ideas about the author and lack of an author intrigue me. We talked about it a bit in class, but there are some things in the world that do not need authors. There are some works or items that are created that need no sense of "ownership". We simply accept them. And then some works, mostly the books we read, that we would not be interested in as much if they had no author.

I think that for multimedia writers, it is more important that they disseminate their ideas than it is for them to proclaim their ownership of the ideas. For everyone who writes on the Internet, the words that they use don't belong to them. Many sites have rules that state that anything that is written on said site, no longer solely belongs to the original author. The ideas flow freely over the Internet, and anyone has access to them.

I'm not sure where fan fiction falls under this discourse. Even though fan fiction uses other ideas freely, the authors of these fan fictions protect their creations. Plagiarizing other fan fiction stories is frowned upon. So, while these people do not actually have direct ownership of their stories, they claim ownership of their ideas that have inserted into the stories. So, I believe that many OC fan fiction writers take the ideas of others that they enjoy and insert their own ideas or "fantasies" into another story because they like it, and wish to share it, not because they'd like to be recognized as a great writer.

Fan fiction is a genre of writing that is based off the ideas of another writer. It is not a work wholly created by imaginative thought, but by the building off of, or even sometimes direct copying of another writer's work to form a new, yet very similar work. There are also fan fictions called original character, or OC fan fictions. OC fan fictions include a new character into a familiar story. This character is the creation of the author of the fan fiction, and is completely of their own design. However, many of these original characters, albeit creations of the author, display many of the same characteristics of other original characters. So, are these OC fan fictions plagiarism? Or could they be considered a remix of the original author’s work? Would their creations ever belong to them, and could they publish their ideas? And finally, if many of these OC fan fictions contain characters that are similar, are they really new and original, or are they simply another plagiarism?

Many OC fan fictions are actually avoided by fan fiction readers, mostly because of the idea of the OC Mary Sue. Many traits make a Mary Sue or Gary Stu, which is an original character that is not based on reality, by more of the author’s fantasy. These characters display so many of the same traits that there are tests for authors, just to make sure that their original character is not a Mary Sue.

I plan to research this idea of the original fan fiction author primarily using the site FanFiction.net. From there, I can look at many different fan fictions, and groups devoted to picking out OC fan fictions. I’d also like to research why people insert their own characters into someone else’s work and if this entitles them to any sort of recognition. In addition, I want to research the various pitfalls of OC fan fiction and how people are advised to create this. I also expect to find some useful articles on JStor and Project Muse on fan fiction.

"The Official Mary Sue Manual, a General fanfic - FictionPress.com." Let the Words Flow - FictionPress.com. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. .

"The Original Fiction Mary Sue Litmus Test." Ponyland Press. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. .

"Plagiarism -." Fan History Wiki. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. .

Unleash Your Imagination - FanFiction.Net. Web. 15 Sept. 2009. .

Fan fiction is a genre of writing that is based off the ideas of another writer. It is not a work wholly created by imaginative thought, but by the building off of, or even sometimes direct copying of another writer's work to form a new, yet very similar work. Fans take a concept from a book, a video game or a movie they like, and then spin the story the way that they would like to see it. This new author receives no credit and no money for their new ideas, but it could still be considered a direct form of plagiarism.

There are also fan fictions described as OC or original character. These are the ones that I would like to like to research. OC fan fictions are fan fan fictions that include a new character into a familiar story. This character is the creation of the author of the fan fiction, and is completely of their own design. I think that this topic gives new meaning to the idea of multimedia authorship. These fan fictions are not just taking what another author has written and altering the story to suit the new authors desires. These fan fictions have ideas that are completely new to the original story. The author has built upon the original story with ideas of their own. So, I wonder, is this plagiarism? Or is this a new form of authorship? Could these authors be considered new authors, because they have work of their own? Would this story that they have created ever belong to them? And finally, why would these authors choose to include a character of their own creation?

I plan to research this idea of the original fan fiction author primarily using the site FanFiction.net. From there, I can look at many different fan fictions, as well as the rules and rights that the site has laid down for its users. I also want to research the various pitfalls of OC fan fiction and how people are advised to create this. I also expect to find some useful articles on JStor and Project Muse on fan fiction.

www.fanfiction.net
http://www.ponylandpress.com/ms-test.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue

Plagiarism, as far as I can tell, has always been looked at as a bad thing. It is disgraceful to steal others ideas and present them as your own ideas. Today, schools even implement tools such as Turn it In, to make sure that their students only produce work that contains their original ideas, and not those copied from whatever sources they looked at.

But that brings up a question. Are the ideas that they produce "originally" really theirs? To some extent, we are all exposed and shaped by what is around us. Our ideas, hopes, dreams. Are they really original? So many times I've come up with a thought and then stopped and wondered, "How many people around the world just stopped and thought of that? Did anyone else? Or am I the only one that thinks that way?"

The reality of it is, I can't be the only one that thinks a certain way. And the same can be said for those writing papers, or original works. People often ask famous creators, "What was your influence?" Their influences helped them to create whatever it is they made. Is this plagiarism? Because it seems without these influences, it stands to reason they never would have created what they did in the first place. It's a really sticky issue to address when you look at it intently. Because of the Internet, and the thousands upon thousands of things that people are influenced by that they never could have gotten their hands on without the Internet, plagiarism is evolving. Just like technology evolves, so does plagiarism. And I think that perhaps one day, it won't be viewed so negatively. But, it's only a thought; and it probably isn't an original one.