Fanfiction, Stephen King, and the Rules

[jackysawyer]

Hello all,

I did a search (albeit a pretty lame one) on King and fanfiction.

I've always thought it would be nice to hear more about the world after Vegas falls, people get back to living their lives, and we learn about Stu and Frannie's baby.

I'd be psyched to get more side stories (a la The Wind Through the Keyhole) in the Dark Tower series.

I'm under the impression that some authors are fine with fanfiction. I think King is one of them. Anyone know what happens in the incredible situation where a piece of fanfiction gets really well known? I'd think an author who doesn't have much trouble with fanfiction might not let stuff actually be "published."

Any of you all know anything about this, or care to weigh in?

Thanks.

 

[Dana Jean]

Welcome.

Mr. King is not a fan of fanfiction. He thinks people should create their own worlds and populate them with their own characters.

 

[GNTLGNT]

 

[doowopgirl]

Hello all,

I did a search (albeit a pretty lame one) on King and fanfiction.

I've always thought it would be nice to hear more about the world after Vegas falls, people get back to living their lives, and we learn about Stu and Frannie's baby.

I'd be psyched to get more side stories (a la The Wind Through the Keyhole) in the Dark Tower series.

I'm under the impression that some authors are fine with fanfiction. I think King is one of them. Anyone know what happens in the incredible situation where a piece of fanfiction gets really well known? I'd think an author who doesn't have much trouble with fanfiction might not let stuff actually be "published."

Any of you all know anything about this, or care to weigh in?

Thanks.

Oh, I think I'll wait till if and when SK tells these stories himself.

 

[jackysawyer]

Welcome.

Mr. King is not a fan of fanfiction. He thinks people should create their own worlds and populate them with their own characters.

I found this on wikipedia:

In his book On Writing King describes his early writing as being copied from movies and comic books. His professional career includes at least three fanfics: two short stories ("The Doctor's Case" and "Crouch End," about Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos, respectively), and the eight-book Dark Tower series, based on Robert Browning's Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came and borrowing heavily from a plethora of other sources.

If true, this doesn't suggest that King is a fan of fanfiction now, but suggests that he at least once wrote it. I have a hard time agreeing that the Tower series is fanfiction, but seems to me that The Doctor's Case could easily be argued to be.

 

[Dana Jean]

I found this on wikipedia:

In his book On Writing King describes his early writing as being copied from movies and comic books. His professional career includes at least three fanfics: two short stories ("The Doctor's Case" and "Crouch End," about Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos, respectively), and the eight-book Dark Tower series, based on Robert Browning's Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came and borrowing heavily from a plethora of other sources.

If true, this doesn't suggest that King is a fan of fanfiction now, but suggests that he at least once wrote it. I have a hard time agreeing that the Tower series is fanfiction, but seems to me that The Doctor's Case could easily be argued to be.

Oh for sure, he has been influenced by previous authors and has written homages to them.

I won't speak for him, but I'm pretty sure he would like everyone to write their own stuff.

 

[jackysawyer]

Oh for sure, he has been influenced by previous authors and has written homages to them.

I won't speak for him, but I'm pretty sure he would like everyone to write their own stuff.

Hmmm.... Well, then, I guess the question might be asked this way: "I wonder how Stephen King feels about homages being written to him?"

I'm not sure I know the nuanced differences between an homage and fanfiction, and someone writing the next chapter of The Stand doesn't really feel like an homage, but maybe it absolutely is.

 

[carrie's younger brother]

I for one hate fan fiction. Most of it is inane.

 

[Dana Jean]

An homage is a glancing reference to a character, a use of a name, place, thing -- but that's all it is. A glancing comment or moment.

Not a whole world created already by King and populated by all of King's characters which is fanfiction.

 

[jackysawyer]

An homage is a glancing reference to a character, a use of a name, place, thing -- but that's all it is. A glancing comment or moment.

Not a whole world created already by King and populated by all of King's characters which is fanfiction.

Thanks for sticking with this.

I'd willingly argue that an end of the world novella, written by Jo Schmo, that was based on Stu and Frannie three years after Boulder, and the trials and tribulations of living in Maine is not at all dissimilar from a King mystery starring Holmes and Watson.

I don't know the world of fanfiction at all, and I can fully understand why authors wouldn't want their characters living lives that others have created. But why is Sherlock Holmes and his world on the okay list? Why is The Doctor's Case considered an homage and just a glancing moment?

 

[Dana Jean]

Thanks for sticking with this.

I'd willingly argue that an end of the world novella, written by Jo Schmo, that was based on Stu and Frannie three years after Boulder, and the trials and tribulations of living in Maine is not at all dissimilar from a King mystery starring Holmes and Watson.

I don't know the world of fanfiction at all, and I can fully understand why authors wouldn't want their characters living lives that others have created. But why is Sherlock Holmes and his world on the okay list? Why is The Doctor's Case considered an homage and just a glancing moment?

Not sure where that falls in the scheme of things, but many Sherlock Holmes stories are in the public domain.

 

[kingricefan]

Moderator Marsha, do you want to jump in on this?

 

[carrie's younger brother]

I found this on wikipedia:

In his book On Writing King describes his early writing as being copied from movies and comic books. His professional career includes at least three fanfics: two short stories ("The Doctor's Case" and "Crouch End," about Sherlock Holmes and H.P. Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos, respectively), and the eight-book Dark Tower series, based on Robert Browning's Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came and borrowing heavily from a plethora of other sources.

If true, this doesn't suggest that King is a fan of fanfiction now, but suggests that he at least once wrote it. I have a hard time agreeing that the Tower series is fanfiction, but seems to me that The Doctor's Case could easily be argued to be.

This story was authorized to be written. It originally appeared in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. That is not "fan fiction."

From Library Journal
To mark the 100th anniversary of the first appearance in print of Sherlock Holmes, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has authorized an official book of new short stories, written by 16 British and American authors, including John Gardner and Stephen King.

 

[jackysawyer]

This story was authorized to be written. It originally appeared in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. That is not "fan fiction."

From Library Journal
To mark the 100th anniversary of the first appearance in print of Sherlock Holmes, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has authorized an official book of new short stories, written by 16 British and American authors, including John Gardner and Stephen King.

Well, that certainly does seem to be different.

Does anyone know whether or not King enjoyed writing a story that was based on someone else's characters? Was it more of an "homage" and he felt thrilled to be asked, no matter of his feelings of an author using his own characters?

I'm feeling myself getting a little passive aggressive, and I apologize. I think the idea of fanfiction (although totally foreign to me) is convoluted. I'd hate to see someone butcher the people and places we know and love, but I'd also LOVE to see someone continue the stories that we know and love.

 

[Dana Jean]

Well, that certainly does seem to be different.

Does anyone know whether or not King enjoyed writing a story that was based on someone else's characters? Was it more of an "homage" and he felt thrilled to be asked, no matter of his feelings of an author using his own characters?

I'm feeling myself getting a little passive aggressive, and I apologize. I think the idea of fanfiction (although totally foreign to me) is convoluted. I'd hate to see someone butcher the people and places we know and love, but I'd also LOVE to see someone continue the stories that we know and love.

Yes, but continued by AUTHORIZED people to do so.

 

[carrie's younger brother]

Yes, but continued by AUTHORIZED people to do so.

Exactly. Because that other stuff is just sickening fantasy that needs to stay in people's heads.

 

[Doc Creed]

I for one hate fan fiction. Most of it is inane.

Ditto.

 

[kingricefan]

Exactly. Because that other stuff is just sickening fantasy that needs to stay in people's heads.

This is probably what the adults around a very young Stephen King would say to him when he would show them his new story.

 

[Moderator]

Another important distinction between him and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is that Stephen is still alive and fully capable of writing his own stories. He does not want to allow fan fiction because he wants to reserve to himself the right to write more stories with the characters and locations he has created. If fan fiction was allowed, it is possible that someone else would come up with a similar idea that he already has or might come up with in the future. Even though he may never have seen the fan fiction story, he could be accused of plagiarizing the work if he wrote/published his own version.

 

[carrie's younger brother]

Another important distinction between him and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is that Stephen is still alive and fully capable of writing his own stories. He does not want to allow fan fiction because he wants to reserve to himself the right to write more stories with the characters and locations he has created. If fan fiction was allowed, it is possible that someone else would come up with a similar idea that he already has or might come up with in the future. Even though he may never have seen the fan fiction story, he could be accused of plagiarizing the work if he wrote/published his own version.

Excellent point!
Plus, the fact that almost all fan fiction sucks big time is a reason to consider.