As I was reading through comments on an old fanfic I wrote a year ago, I started wondering if I could somehow take the piece of work I did and turn it into an original fiction. The fic has had lots of positive feedback from readers, but maybe that's just because it's in the fandom world. Is it good enough to stand alone?
Apparently, I've decided to see if it is or not. I've started working through it again, fixing it up, changing names, characters, places, basically erasing anything that made it a fanfic to begin with and turning it into my own. But as I'm doing this I'm thinking two things: 1) how this may turn out to be a bigger pain in the ass than I originally thought by having to go back and basically redo it all and 2) that I feel guilty.
The guilt comes because of this. Even though this is my own work, I did create the story and I did spend the countless hours it took making a plot and making it work and receiving all the amazing feedback I have from it, it still doesn't feel like mine. I took characters that already existed from another book and just made them do naughty (but very nice) things. I know several authors who have made their fanfic their own original for publication, but for some reason, I feel like I'm cheating if I do this.
These aren't my own characters, I've just used and abused them. Even if I do change their names, in the end they're still not going to be someone I created solely. The plot is mine, but I own nothing else. Is it even right?
To "cheat", or not to "cheat"? That is the question. Now I need the answer.
Jennifer
P.S. The answer was to NOT do it. I came to the conclusion redoing fanfic into something of my own just isn't my thing :)
Apparently, I've decided to see if it is or not. I've started working through it again, fixing it up, changing names, characters, places, basically erasing anything that made it a fanfic to begin with and turning it into my own. But as I'm doing this I'm thinking two things: 1) how this may turn out to be a bigger pain in the ass than I originally thought by having to go back and basically redo it all and 2) that I feel guilty.
The guilt comes because of this. Even though this is my own work, I did create the story and I did spend the countless hours it took making a plot and making it work and receiving all the amazing feedback I have from it, it still doesn't feel like mine. I took characters that already existed from another book and just made them do naughty (but very nice) things. I know several authors who have made their fanfic their own original for publication, but for some reason, I feel like I'm cheating if I do this.
These aren't my own characters, I've just used and abused them. Even if I do change their names, in the end they're still not going to be someone I created solely. The plot is mine, but I own nothing else. Is it even right?
To "cheat", or not to "cheat"? That is the question. Now I need the answer.
Jennifer
P.S. The answer was to NOT do it. I came to the conclusion redoing fanfic into something of my own just isn't my thing :)
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