Fanfiction is a hotly debated topic nowadays. Is it good? Is it bad? Does it constitute plagiarism? Honestly, these are hard questions to answer. I love fanfiction. It gets hard waiting for that next Cassandra Clare book and sometimes I just want Clary and Jace to go on an adventure that may have never been written! Of course you lose the amazing writing of the author, but the characters still get to live on. But what happens when you read fanfiction for a series that you assumed was finished, but then another book gets published years later? This happened to me on two occasions. First with the Alienated series which I love to pieces. Melissa Landers had told her fans there was more coming, but she only had a book deal for the first two in the series. I didn't know how long I would have to wait before the next book would come out so I read a lot of fanfiction about it. Then the lovely United was published. While the book was still great, I felt kind of let down and I never ended up finishing it. I think this was in part due to the fanfiction I read. I don't regret reading fanfiction because a couple of them were really good, but I wish it hadn't altered my reading experience. Now flashforeward to today, or I guess last week. I'm currently reading Restore Me, the amazing and totally unexpected fourth book in the Shatter Me series. Tahereh Mafi is one of my favorite authors and her writing is so unique and original and explores important topics without losing any quality in entertainment and writing style. She is also one of the best YA authors at incorporating humor into her Dystopian world. The last book in the series (or so I thought) came out in 2014. Ignite me still stands as one of my all time favorite books that I can continue to reread and never get tired of. It is really only beat by The Selection, Eclipse, and the entire Harry Potter series. Restore Me came out this year (2018). After four years and an ending that was honestly perfectly done, readers had no reason to assume another book (and two others after this!) were coming. I have read all of the good (and plenty of the bad too) Shatter Me fanfiction. This has had absolutely no effect on my reading experience with Restore Me. Now, why did fanfiction effect one book, but not the other? Its all about ambiguity my friends. Not only is ambiguity a great literary device to include during the reading experience, its also prefect to keep readers guessing for the next book. While I couldn't predict the exact plot of United, the generic plot arc and characters feelings were very easy to guess. Sure it was satisfying to have the characters do exactly what we want them too, but it wasn't enough and that is why I couldn't finish the book. I essentially already know how it ends because all of the other books have a race against the clock plot line as well. Now Tahereh Mafi knows how to keep readers on their toes. I have only been able to predict one thing in her books, which is that (cover eyes for spoilers!!!!) Warner would also be able to touch Juliette. Everything else is a complete surprise. I have not finished Restore me yet, but it is nothing like the fanfiction or my imagination, but all in a very good way. It is so much better to still be excited by the book because you can't already guess the story. No matter how predictable the bad jokes Kenji makes are, the rest of the book isn't something some random fanfiction writer could easily predict. So what does all of this mean? If you want to read fanfiction, go for it, but think about this warning first. Does the author of the book tend to write predictable stories? Are more books coming out soon? Do you hate reading about characters when the writing style is not similar to the author? If you answered yes to these questions then I would suggest passing on fanfiction for that book and picking up some good Harry Potter or Twilight fanfiction. Here is a link to Buzfeed's compilation of the best Harry Potter fanfiction (which I totally agree with. I have read a bunch of them and they were all really good!) Or even better? Just pick up a different book. I tend to read fanfiction when I am in a reading slump and I can't find the motivation to pick up another book. Instead of fanfiction maybe try reading something varied and super short like webcomics (try the app line webtoon, it is really great I promise!) or try listening to an audiobook or a podcast (remember to check out After School Club Podcast, link in About Me!). Overall, fanfiction is definitely a personal decision. The most important thing is to never compare the author to the fanfiction, they have to be separate things.
Happy Reading!
No comments:
Post a Comment