Lauren's 303 Multimedia Writing Blog

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. .