I have complicated feelings about the new Harper Lee book, which I sort of feel someone else summed up rather well (http://theferrett.livejournal.com/1983605.html).
And as for fanfiction... oh man.. complicated feelings. On the one hand, I feel that once you've put something out into the world, it's out there. People can and will do with it as they will. I don't read much of any fanfic. And I start to say that I don't write it or feel the urge to play in other people's sandboxes and stop myself - because hey, I had an alt this season writing in the style of Lovecraft, in the alleged voice of one of his characters. Where's the line between pastiche and fanfic? Parody or satire and fanfic? Does it matter? Is one more legitimate than the others, less offensive to the creator? Again, does it matter? But the way works inspire and move others to create seems a neat thing to me, and mostly I think stories that are out there are more or less free game.
And then I turn it around and try to apply that to myself - like, how would I feel if someone wanted to write stuff based off of my fiction? And most of what I come up with is "weird", "surprised" and "uncomfortable". It brings up all sorts of insecurities, honestly - so that's more about me than about any work that would be created because of or inspired by my stuff. I think really it has to depend on context and approach, but in the end my personal feelings don't actually matter that much. People do what they do, and stories are wonderful in that they have lives of their own. Trying to control those lives is a doomed effort certain to lead only to frustration. I can state an opinion - and any opinion will always be a "well, in this case right here and right now? I do/don't feel awesome about this" - but the story is the story and whether it lives on and mutates in someone's brain or personal files or the internet for all to read, that's how it goes.
no subject
And as for fanfiction... oh man.. complicated feelings. On the one hand, I feel that once you've put something out into the world, it's out there. People can and will do with it as they will. I don't read much of any fanfic. And I start to say that I don't write it or feel the urge to play in other people's sandboxes and stop myself - because hey, I had an alt this season writing in the style of Lovecraft, in the alleged voice of one of his characters. Where's the line between pastiche and fanfic? Parody or satire and fanfic? Does it matter? Is one more legitimate than the others, less offensive to the creator? Again, does it matter? But the way works inspire and move others to create seems a neat thing to me, and mostly I think stories that are out there are more or less free game.
And then I turn it around and try to apply that to myself - like, how would I feel if someone wanted to write stuff based off of my fiction? And most of what I come up with is "weird", "surprised" and "uncomfortable". It brings up all sorts of insecurities, honestly - so that's more about me than about any work that would be created because of or inspired by my stuff. I think really it has to depend on context and approach, but in the end my personal feelings don't actually matter that much. People do what they do, and stories are wonderful in that they have lives of their own. Trying to control those lives is a doomed effort certain to lead only to frustration. I can state an opinion - and any opinion will always be a "well, in this case right here and right now? I do/don't feel awesome about this" - but the story is the story and whether it lives on and mutates in someone's brain or personal files or the internet for all to read, that's how it goes.